Old Fort Erie reopens with tours, muskets and battlefield history

Brent Jones
May 16, 2026 at 3:32 AM

Old Fort Erie is open for the season, giving visitors another chance to step into one of the region’s best-known historic sites.

The War of 1812 National Historic Site is open seasonally from May to October and offers daily tours, musket demonstrations and special events.

The site at 350 Lakeshore Road includes guided tours led by interpreters representing British, American and First Nations soldiers, with a focus on Niagara’s role in the War of 1812.

Niagara Parks has also confirmed its annual Siege of Old Fort Erie reenactment will be returning in 2026.

The site is known as Canada’s bloodiest battlefield and the annual reenactment brings hundreds of historical reenactors from Ontario and the United States to Fort Erie.

This year’s programming also includes The 1776 Forum: Old Fort Erie in the Revolutionary Era, a speaker series tied to the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which features historians, authors, educators and Indigenous knowledge keepers discussing the Revolutionary Era and its impact on the Niagara region.

The original Fort Erie was built in 1764 along the Niagara River and served for decades as a supply depot and port for ships carrying merchandise, troops and passengers to the Upper Great Lakes.

During the American Revolution, Niagara Parks says the fort was used as a supply base for British troops, Loyalist Rangers and Six Nations warriors.

The ruins were later used by a brigade of Fenians during raids into Canada in 1866, which Niagara Parks says helped encourage the move toward Confederation the following year.

The site also includes a welcome centre with interactive exhibits, a theatre and snack bar.

Old Fort Erie is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this summer, though Niagara Parks says hours may vary by date.

Admission is $15 for adults and $9.50 for children aged three to 12, before tax.