City of Thorold offers more than just hidden real estate gems

There’s a revolution of sorts taking place in Thorold.

The little city in Niagara has transformed itself from its villager past and is now a respected municipality, offering services; unique shopping; trendy eateries and a vibrant entertainment scene. Thorold residents now enjoy the best the region has to offer, all the while celebrating the city’s heritage with pride.

Quite often these days, with real estate prices on the rise, McGarr Realty experts point to Thorold as having well-developed neighbourhoods in which house hunters can find hidden gems … in location as well as price.

Aside from hidden-gem real estate, there are benefits to living in Thorold, where the municipality and region come together to offer services, balanced government and beauty that can’t be measured.

There’s fun stuff, too. Listed as attractions on the City of Thorold website are the following:

• Beautiful green spaces: The city has more than 120 acres of parks, trails and green spaces classified for active use, passive use or as gardens or parkettes. There is loads of space for residents to enjoy opportunities for playing sports, socializing or appreciating nature. Children enjoy sports fields, playground equipment and splash pads. Some passive-use park space is available for private rental, and sports-park facilities may be booked through city hall by completing an application form.
   
• Opportunities for hiking, biking, cycling and meandering: The Welland Canal Parkway Trail is a multi-use, paved trail that runs parallel to the Welland Canal and stretches 42 km from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. This trail is part of a network of trails forming part of the Trans-Canada Trail Link and the Greater Niagara Circle Route.
  
  The Welland Canal Parkway Trail is linked by the Waterfront Trail in St. Catharines, following Lake Ontario's shoreline and the Friendship Trail in Port Colborne, along Lake Erie's shoreline to the Niagara River Recreation Trail. Get some fun exercise, see part of the region and watch the ships climb the mountain while getting a bird’s-eye view of your hometown.
  
  Tired of the canal? Take a trip to St. Johns Conservation Area and Outdoor Education Centre to fish for trout or view the old-growth forest and large stand of tulip trees.
   
• Celebrate Thorold’s heritage: Take a trip downtown to view the murals (located on the Wetland Canals Parkway Trail between locks six and seven); admire the progress that has been made in the historical downtown revitalization project. Drop in to the Lock 7 Viewing Centre and Museum; take a Walk Through History using this self-guided tour brochure for a selection of heritage buildings and sites. Don’t forget Welland Mills, the DeCou House Monument and Maplehurst, or the Keefer Mansion as it is sometimes called. Take a stroll through the Battle of Beaverdams Park, site of the Battle of Beaver Dams of June 24, 1813 during the War of 1812-14. Ten acres of land commemorate the battle, the old Welland Canal and act as a place for the community to gather during public events and concerts at the bandshell.
  
  To dig deeper into Thorold’s history, visit the website of Heritage Thorold, a local architectural conservation advisory committe that has published much information on the city’s history and its heritage buildings.
   
• Have some fun: Check out the reptiles at Reptile Kingdom; spend a night at the races to watch local and out-of-town racers battle it out in the dirt at Merrittville Speedway; drop in to a local eatery for fresh chips and a pint; visit the shops on Front Street and check out  Thorold’s Business Improvement Area website for a complete list of places to wine, dine and shop. Don’t forget to stop in at The Post Office, Shannon Passero’s unique shop for ladies at 18 Front St. N.

Having trouble deciding what to do first? 

Since Thorold is smack-dab in the middle of the region, with access to highways; other Niagara cities; the U.S.-Canada border; sites for post-secondary education and so much more, if you lived here, you would never be far from the place you need to be.

McGarr Realty experts can’t wait to show you Thorold’s hidden gems and history-rich city. Contact us soon by calling our office at 905-468-9229 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, or 905-687-9229 in St. Catharines. Send us a message via our contact page, HERE.