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Amusement and Theme Parks Niagara Region Many don't realize that amusement parks and theme parks are actually two different things. A theme park is themed to one or several subjects, and may or may not contain any actual rides. An amusement park however always contains rides, but has either little or no theming. With several evolving into one another over the years, both are listed on this page for convenience. Canadia - Niagara Falls Crystal Beach Amusement Park - Crystal Beach Indian Village - Niagara Falls Maple Leaf Village - Niagara Falls Marineland - Niagara Falls Prudhomme's Landing - Lincoln Pyramid Place - Niagara Falls Skylon Indoor Amusement Park - Niagara Falls Storybook Land - Niagara Falls Tivoli Miniature World/Miniature Golf - Lincoln (Later moved to Niagara Falls) Tower View Amusement Park - Niagara Falls Greater Toronto Area Canada's Wonderland - Vaughn Centreville Amusement Park - Toronto Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village - Whitby Fantasy Fair - Woodbine Centre, Etobicoke (Toronto) Ontario Place - Toronto Sunnyside Amusement Park - Toronto Lake Huron and Georgian Bay Castle Village Enchanted Kingdom - Balm Beach/Midland Dinosaur Valley - Wasaga Beach Grand Bend Amusement Park - Grand Bend Playland Park - Wasaga Beach Sauble Beach Fun World - Sauble Beach Ontario - Other Areas Boblo Island Amusement Park - Amherstburg Santa's Village - Bracebridge Storybook Gardens - London Storyland - Renfrew Wild Zone - Wheels Inn, Chatham Alberta Barney's Adventure Park - Drumheller Calaway Park - Calgary Fantasyland/Galaxyland - West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Funland Amusement Park - Drumheller Heritage Park - Calgary 1920s Midway & Exhibition - Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton Whitemud Amusement Park - Edmonton Manitoba and Saskatchewan Kiddieland - Regina, SK Playland - Grand Marais, MB Sunset Park - Regina, SK Tinkertown Family Fun Park - Springfield (Winnipeg), MB British Columbia (and Northern Canada) Bedrock City/Dinotown - Chilliwack Bedrock City - Kelowna Cultus Lake Adventure Park - Cultus Lake Dyck's Dinosaur Park - Maple Ridge Fantasy Gardens/Fantasy Garden World - Richmond Happyland/Playland at the PNE - Vancouver Rattlesnake Canyon - Osoyoos Quebec Belmont Park - Montreal La Ronde - Montreal Mega Parc - Galeries de la Capitale, Quebec City Le Village du Pere Noel (The Village of Father Christmas/Santa's Village) - Val-David Atlantic Canada (East of Quebec) Atlantic Playland/Atlantic Splash Adventure - Lucasville, NS Axtion - St. John's, NL Crystal Palace - Champlain Place, Moncton, NB Magic Mountain - Magnetic Hill (Moncton), NB Magic Valley Fun Park - Greenhill, NS Rainbow Valley - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Sandspit Cavendish Beach - Cavendish Beach, P.E.I. Shining Waters Family Fun Park - Hunter River (Cavendish Beach), P.E.I. Upper Clements Park(s) - Upper Clements, NS

Quebec Comprising the top half of the Quebec City-Windsor corridor that runs through Quebec and Ontario containing the majority of Canada's residents, lower Quebec is particularly well-populated with attractions. The province also contains many vacation resorts in areas such as The Laurentians, fueling it's tourism industry. Bowling Alleys (Salons de Quilles) are extremely popular in Quebec as well. Amusement and Theme Parks Belmont Park - Montreal La Ronde - Montreal Mega Parc - Galeries de la Capitale, Quebec City Le Village du Pere Noel (The Village of Father Christmas/Santa's Village) - Val-David Arcades, Mini Golf and F.E.C.s Amusement Casino - St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal Amusements L-Z - S aint- Catherine St. W. , Montreal Amusement 2000 Plus - Blvd. Saint-Martin O., Laval Bar Billiard Blou - Boul. Henri-Bourassa, Quebec City Bar Billard le Huit - Bd. Greber, Gatineau Bar Billard Micky's - Chem. de la Riviere-Cachee, Boisbrand Bar Billard Notre Dame - Notre-Dame St. W., Montreal Bar Billard Scoop - Mont-Royal Ave. E., Montreal Bar Billard Super 8 - Boulevard Maloney E., Gatineau Bar Billard Terminus - Rue Jean-Proulx, Gatineau Bar Flush Billard - Bd. Cartier, Beloeil Bar Le Shooter - Rue King E., Sherbrooke Bar Salon Billard De Cowansville - Rue de la Riviere, Cowansville Bar Snooker Billard - Blvd. Laurentien, Montreal Bar Sporalie Billiard - Bd. de l'Ormiere, Quebec City Belleys Billard - Notre-Dame St. E., Victoriaville Billiard Centre-Ville - Rue Racine E., Chicoutimi Billard Des Pro - Boulevard des Laurentides, Laval Billard L'Effet/Dooly's - Av. de l'Hotel-Dieu, Sorel-Tracy Billard Exclusif - Ch. de Chambly, Longueuil Billard Fats - Saint-Cathereine St. W., Montreal Billiard Lounge L'Abasie - Rue Fusey, Trois-Rivieres Billard Maximum - Bd. Cousineau, Saint-Hubert (Longueuil) Billard Shooters - Sources Blvd., Pierrefonds (Pointe-Claire) Billard Stixx - Rue de la Place du Commerce, Brossard (Longueuil) Billard Terminus - Rue Jean-Proulx, Gatineau Billiard Vegas - Place Levis, Levis Bogeys Billard - Boul. Cremazie E., Montreal Le Casino/Amusements 2000 Plus - S aint- Catherine St. W. , Montreal Casino Royale - Saint-Catherine St. W., Montreal Centre d'amusements Palais - Avenue du Parc, Montreal Centre d'amusement Place Jack - Decarie Blvd., Montreal Club de Billiard L'Impact - Boulevard Sir Wilfred Laurier, Mont-Saint-Hilaire Cristal Billard - Boulevard Jean-XXIII, Trois-Rivieres Crystal Palace - S aint- Catherine St. W. , Montreal Cybermind V.R. Centre - La Ronde, Montreal Daniel Amusement - S aint- Catherine St. W. , Montreal Dooly's - Bd. Talbot, Chicoutimi Dooly's - Le Promenades de Levis, Levis Dooly's - Rue Daniel-Johnson O., Saint-Hyacinthe eSidze Billiards - Rue des Chenes O., Quebec City The Flix Billard - Rue Court, Gatineau F orum Amusements - S aint- Catherine St. W./Fort , Montreal Fun Plaza - Belmont Park, Montreal Generation Golf - Mirabel Glo-Golf Aventures - Coaticook Golf Dorval Mini-Putt - Dorval (Pointe-Claire) International Billard - Rue Saint-Dominique, Jonquiere International Centre d'Amusements - S aint- Catherine St. W. , Montreal Jeux Electroniques - La Ronde, Montreal Johnny's Bar Billards - Pierrefonds Blvd., Pierrefonds (Pointe-Claire) Joliette Arcade - Rue Lajoie, Longueuil Kahnawake Mini Putt - Kahnawake L'arcadium 268 - Saint-Catherine St. W./Bleury, Montreal Livrpool Bar - Bd. Harwood, Vaudreuil-Dorion Metamorphia - S aint- Catherine St., Montreal Mini-Golf Lac Des Pins - Franklin Mini Golf La Minerve - Les Laurentides Regional County Municipality MiniGolf Victo - Victoriaville Mini-Putt Baie-Saint-Paul - Petit-Riviere-Saint-Francois Mini-Putt Beauport - Quebec City Mini-Putt De Gatineau - Gatineau Mini-Putt De L'amiante - Black Lake Mini-Putt Lac-Delage - Lac-Delage Mini-Putt Shawinigan-Sud - Shawinigan-Sud Mini-Putt Valleyfield - Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Mini-Putt Vanier - Quebec City Montreal Amusements - Montreal La Perie Noire - Mont-Laurier Putting Edge Centropolis - Laval Putting Edge Downtown - Montreal Restaurant Mini-Golf - Prevost Putting Edge Spheretech - Montreal Resto Billard Snooker La Bande Au Coin - Rue Green, Saint-Lambert (Longueuil) Rigolfeur - Saint-Jerome Rigolfeur De Gatineau - Gatineau Rigolfeur Ste. Julie - Sainte-Julie Salon de Billard Heriot - Rue Heriot, Drummondville Salon de Billiard Loretteville - Rue-Louis IX, Quebec City Salon de Billiard Le Triangle - Place Laval, Quebec City Le Skratch Laval - Bd. Cure-Labelle, Laval The 755 - Rue Vachon, Trois-Rivieres Shery's Amusements - Cote-Saint-Luc Rd., Montreal Silver Amusements/Palais du Vidéo - St Laurent Blvd., Montreal Spot Billiard - Rue St Germain E., Rimouski S T Amusements - Les Terrasses/Montreal Eaton Centre, Montreal Video Palais Amusements - S aint- Catherine St. W./Drummond , Montreal Village DunnD's/Minigolf Chelsea - Chelsea Zone 15 - Laval Arcade (Name Unknown) - Alexis Nihon, Montreal Arcade (Name Unknown) - Complexe Desjardins, Montreal Arcade (Name Unknown) - Concordia University Shops, Montreal Arcade (Name Unknown) - Cote-des-Neiges (later moved to St. Laurent Blvd.), Montreal Arcade (Name Unknown) - Peel Subway Station, Montreal Arcade (Name Unknown) - Place Bonaventure, Montreal Arcade (Name Unknown, seperate from above) - Place Bonaventure, Montreal Arcade (Name Unknown) - Promenade de Gatineau, Gatineau Arcade (Name Unknown) - Saint-Catherine St. W./Guy, Montreal Arcade (Name Unknown) - Saint-Catherine St. W./University, Montreal Arcade (Name Unknown) - Station Gare Centrale, Montreal Dark Attractions, Wax Museums and Exhibits Flight to Mars - La Ronde, Montreal Grand Orient (Salem Aleikum) - La Ronde, Montreal Haunted House - Belmont Park, Montreal Laff-in-the-Dark - Belmont Park, Montreal Lost River - Belmont Park, Montreal Magic Carpet - Belmont Park, Montreal Le Moulin de le Sorcerier (Witch's Mill) - La Ronde, Montreal Musee de Cire - Quebec City Musée Grévin - Montreal Eaton Centre, Montreal Specialty Hotels and Gift Shops Hotel Valcartier (and Hotel de Glace) - Valcartier Vacation Village, Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier Theatres, Bowling Alleys and Miscellaneous Anik Bowling Hall - Gatineau Atelier Quilles Trois-Rivieres - Trois-Rivieres Bool - Saguenay Boule-O-Drome - Levis Bowling and Billard Lounge Sher-Mont - Sherbrooke Bowling Automatic Valois Lanes - Pointe-Claire Bowling G Plus (Rue Bannantyne location) - Montreal Bowling G Plus (Grenet St. location) - Montreal Bowling G Plus (Rue Saint-Jacques location) - Montreal Bowling G Plus (Rue Saint-Zotique E. location) - Montreal Bowling G Plus (Shevchenko Blvd. location) - Montreal Bowl-O-Drome - Pierrefonds (Pointe-Claire) Centre De Loisirs Joseph Niro - Chicoutimi Centre de Quilles 440 - Laval Centre de Quilles St-Luc - Alma Centre Recreatif Stanstead - Stanstead Cinema Starcite - Gatineau Cine-Parc Belle Neige - Val-Morin Cine-Parc Cine dans L'Pre - Baie-Saint-Paul Cine-Parc Oroford - Sherbrooke Cine-Parc St.-Hilaire - Mont-Saint-Hilaire Cooperative de Solidarite du Quillorama de la Minganie - Havre-Saint-Pierre Le Croquenotes (Wolf Pack 5) - La Ronde, Montreal Le Dallo Bowling Alley - Chicoutimi Darling Bowling - Montreal District 1 Lasertag - Longueuil District 1 Lasertag - Mirabel Drive-In Saint-Eustache - Saint-Eustache La Grosse Quille - Dolbeau-Mistassini Kingpin Bowling Alley - Sherbrooke Laser Action - Mascouche Laurentian Lanes - Montreal Le Marshall Billard, Bowling, Bar - Quebec City Pro-Quilles - Plessisville Quilles Loisirs Normandin - Normandin Quilles Moderne - Montreal Quilles Princeville - Princeville Quilles St-Gregoire - Becancour Quillorama Frontenac - Quebec City Quillorama Granby - Granby Quillorama Marieville - Marieville Quillorama Richmond - Richmond Royaume Des Quilles - Granby Saint-Pascal Bowling Room - Quebec City Salle de Quille Beloeil - Beloeil Salle de Quille Black Lake - Black Lake Salle de Quille Danis - Gatineau Salle de Quille Fleury - Montreal Salle de Quille King Pin De Buckingham - Gatineau Salle de Quille Le Riverain - Sainte-Catherine Salle de Quille Masson - Gatineau Salle de Quilles Paris - Gatineau Salon Nord-Quilles - Sept-Iles Salon de Quilles Bellevue Enr. - Quebec City Salon de Quilles BG Laval - Laval Salon de Quilles Centre Domaine - Montreal Salon de Quilles Champion - Greenfield Park (Longueuil) Salon de Quilles L'Entracte - Beloeil Salon de Quilles Fortin-Tremblay - L'Ascension-de-Notre-Seigneur Salon de Quilles Greber - Gatineau Salon de Quilles Horizon - Quebec City Salon Quilles Lac St. Charles - Lac-Saint-Charles Salon de Quilles Le Riviera - Coaticook Salon de Quilles Le 300 - Sorel-Tracy Salon de Quilles Le Triple de Charlesbourg - Quebec City Salon de Quilles La Place - Saint-Nicephore Salon de Quilles Laval - Laval Salon de Quilles Laval - Quebec City Salon de Quilles Memphre - Magog Salon de Quilles Pincourt - Pincourt Salon de Quilles Portneuf - Portneuf Salon de Quilles Rive-Sud - Longueuil Salon de Quilles Saint-Hyacinthe - Saint-Hyacinthe Salon de Quilles St.-Christophe - Cowansville Salon de Quilles St.-Etienne - Saint-Etienne-de-Lauzon Salon de Quilles St.-Nicholas - Saint-Nicholas Salon de Quilles le Temple - Quebec City Salon de Quilles Val-Belair - Quebec City Themed Restaurants, Bars and Stores Hard Rock Cafe - Montreal Planet Hollywood - Montreal Water Parks and Attractions AMAZOO - Granby Zoo, Granby Atlantide Water Park - Sainte-Calixte Camping Aqua Parc St-Pie - Saint-Pie Les Glissades D'eau - Le Village du Pere Noel (The Village of Father Christmas/Santa's Village), Val-David Mont Cascades - Cantley Valcartier Vacation Village - Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier

Playmate Exhibits Attraction Type: Exhibit Location: Drake Hotel and Bar, Niagara Falls, Ontario Years Operational: 1975-late 1970's Designer(s): Costello Productions One of Niagara's most obscure and downright bizarre attractions (both of which are really saying something) was the Playmate Exhibits, a sex museum (yes, you read that correctly) located in the Drake Hotel and Bar at 5677 Victoria Ave. It opened in 1975 on the ground floor in what was formerly additional bar space, and was designed by Costello Productions. With so little information available on this attraction, it's hard to say what it actually contained or how risqué the scenes depicted really were, however the sole brochure that has surfaced for the attraction touts it as "Sex at its Funniest!" It's likely the attraction was relatively tame in actuality, as it didn't cause much of a splash or uproar of any kind in the city, and quickly faded into obscurity. While the attraction certainly seems like a strange choice of subject to build a museum on, here is some background information that may explain this bizarre museum's existence. The museum can be faintly seen in the middle of this image of Victoria Ave. in 1977, with large "Playmate Exhibits" signs on the roof and front of the Drake. The Drake Hotel and Bar in the 1960's. The Drake Hotel and Bar opened in the early-60s after it took over the 1950s-era Grey Griffin Inn, and by the 70s had become a favorite watering hole with both travelling bikers and the local bar crowd. It was also infamous for not checking ID and serving alcohol to minors, which made the bar especially popular with teenagers, boys specifically. Fun side note: they had a "Pong" machine in the bar the year it released in 1972, making it perhaps the first video game in the Falls. Niagara Falls is also known as the "Honeymoon Capital of the World", and while this persists today mostly in the form of expensive and exclusive high-end experiences, it was a lot more budget back in the 70s, with most honeymoon offerings at the time being more of the heart-shaped tub and coin-operated shaking bed variety. Al Reid owned the Drake Hotel and was apparently quite the character himself. When your business is popular with bikers and rowdy teenage boys, and also located in the world's most popular spot for honeymooners and newlyweds, adding a comedy museum about sex somehow starts to seem like a logical option. While maybe looking good on paper, it's safe to assume the attraction didn't perform very well. The lack of documentation, people who remember it, and even promotional material point to it being a commercial flop. While being always popular with honeymooners, Niagara Falls (especially the Clifton Hill area) always has been and will be a predominantly family destination, which probably explains why the museum didn't last. The location also couldn't have helped, as Victoria Ave. between Clifton Hill and Ferry Rd. is usually busy with tourists, but Victoria Ave. in the other direction, although still technically part of the Clifton Hill area until Bender St., is substantially less trafficked. This is the same problem the original Castle Dracula location on Victoria Ave. faced, which opened a year earlier just a few doors down. Castle Dracula couldn't last in its original spot despite being a spectacular attraction that changed the area and the greater amusement industry as whole, whereas the Playmate Exhibits, obviously, was not. In the attraction's defense it was probably witty, humorous, and (if the other Costello Productions works are any indication) incredibly well designed/put together. The problems with the museum likely lay more on the business and concept side of things. While Castle Dracula still had the impact to move to Clifton Hill proper in 1977 (albeit downsized), the Playmate Exhibits would never rise from the dead like the Count did, and closed in 1979 when Reid sold the hotel. The former museum space was converted back to more bar space, and the Drake itself closed in the mid-80s when it was converted into Big Anthony's restaurant, named after Tony Parisi, the wrestler who bought the building from Reid. The hotel remained upstairs, now under a different name. This is likely when the room expansion was out the back of the building was added, making the hotel portion entered off Ellen Ave. around the back. The building is currently home to Virsa Fine Indian Cuisine on the first floor (after being a variety of restaurants over the years) and the hotel portion is named The Falls Family Lodge. Virsa Fine Indian Cuisine along Victoria Ave. and the Falls Family Lodge in behind occupying the building today.

Tower of London Wax Museum Attraction Type: Wax Museum Location: Darling Motel, Niagara Falls, Ontario Year(s) Operational: May-September 26, 1976 Designer(s): Waxattract , Universal Android The Tower of London Wax Museum was perhaps one of (if not) Niagara's shortest lived attractions. That being said, it sits in a uniquely important spot in history due to being closely intertwined with both the House of Frankenstein and Castle Dracula in unique ways. It opened in late spring of 1976, purchasing a portion of the collection of the former Royal London Wax Museum on Falls Ave., which had closed in 1975. The Royal London was a Waxattract -built attraction co-owned between Waxattract's Robert Dunham and the Iannuzelli family, who owned the Hilltop Motel that they would commission Dunham to build the House of Frankenstein atop less than a year after the Royal London opened. The Royal London had also featured figures and scenery from local artist Bruce Randall and his Universal Android company as well. The attraction's sign, 1976. (Top): The building later home to the Tower of London as it appeared before the museum. (Bottom): The building being remodeled into a castle for the new attraction. (Right): The royal stagecoach in the attraction's front window, 1976. The Tower of London would utilize the circa 1925 building at the front of the Darling Motel plot on Clifton Hill. The building had housed a restaurant on the main floor as well as the motel offices (and cabin court offices before that) on the second since it's construction. The basement had later been dug out to add a gift shop below. The motel was formerly owned by the Reinhardt family, but was purchased by the Cade family in 1976. It's unknown how much of the structure was used for the new wax museum. The basement gift shop remained, and the restaurant was removed for the entire first floor to become museum space, however if any museum existed in the former motel offices upstairs and the offices relocated remains a mystery. Even if it did occupy two floors, the collection in the museum likely wasn't the entire contents of the Royal London, as the space that attraction occupied had been much larger. The building was remodeled to feature a castle facade, complete with turrets and archways. On September 26th, 1976, just a few months after the attraction opened, flames were seen coming from the side of the building in an alleyway between it and the Niagara Clifton Motel, which was promptly evacuated. Shortly after the flames erupted at 1 A.M., a large explosion blew the front window of the attraction out completely, sending broken glass sailing across the street. Fire Sgt. Raymond Crown remarked that "It was a good thing nobody was walking past or they would have been killed." One firefighter even had to be hospitalized and taken off the scene on a stretcher for smoke inhalation while battling the blaze. During the fire, firefighters also apparently had to fight off local teenagers who kept trying to dart in the front window to steal fake jewels off the figures in the lobby. Imagine running into a building engulfed in flames to steal a plastic crown jewel? The power of realistic figure design I suppose. Flames shot 25 feet into the air in a two-alarm fire that completely gutted the building, however the firefighters' quick response prevented the historic 1925 building's structure from being lost. (Left): A firefighter gets removed from the scene of the blaze on a stretcher. (Right): The Queen peers with melancholy from her once-royal, now smoldering stagecoach in the aftermath of the fire. Astonishingly, the structure could be saved, and after the fire was put out, the building was boarded up and left abandoned for the remainder of the year and into early 1977. The fire was deemed extremely suspicious, with detectives heavily hinting the explosion which accelerated the fire was the deliberate result of some sort of propellant, however nothing ever publically materialized of this. Damage was estimated at $250,000, with $150,000 of that coming from the contents alone. The owners said they were insured and initially said they planned to rebuild, but unsurprisingly, they eventually decided to sell the land instead. Take all that information as you will and come to your own conclusions, but there are rumors floating out there. Even more surprising than the structure's survival is the survival of the plywood castle facade and towers. It was this that would serve as the basis for Castle Dracula's iconic castle facade once the attraction would move there in 1977 from it's original home on Victoria Ave. It was when Castle Dracula moved in that the Darling Motel closed. What remained of the motel's historic cabins were demolished, so all that was left was the two story motel building running along the back of the property, and the former Tower of London building at the front of the property facing Clifton Hill. A new structure was built connecting the two in the middle, to create one long two story building running from the front to the back of the property. This can be clearly seen from satellite images as well as from the Skywheel looking down. The castle being remodeled in early 1977. The fact that Castle Dracula's bones date back to 1925 is shocking enough, but when coupled with the fact that the building has survived a raging fire as well, it becomes downright unbelievable. There's a poetic irony to the building being filled with relocated Waxattract figures from a defunct nearby attraction during the Tower of London's short run, and the exact same thing happening again when the building was resurrected as Castle Dracula, the Waxattract figures from the original incarnation of that attraction being relocated there. We can only hope the building, (which has finally received a renovation after years of neglect due to Castle Dracula's new owners), lasts for a second century. The castle as it appears today, no longer home to the Queen, but to the Count.

Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum Attraction Type: Wax Museum Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario Year(s) Operational: 1959-2001 (Clifton Hill location), 2005-Present (Victoria Ave. location) Designer(s): Stubergh-Keller/Ripley's Wax Studios, Louis Tussaud's Waxworks, Deroy & Associates, Waxattract By the 1950s, it had become clear that using Clifton Hill as a series of budget, away from The Falls tourist camps wasn't nearly as lucrative as the land could potentially be. Welland Securities had opened the Quality Inn Fallsway where Dinosaur Adventure Golf now sits in 1955, and the Park Motor Inn where Niagara Speedway now is in 1956. The Clifton Inn had also torn down it's old structure and built anew as the Pilgrim Hotel. Darling Cabins had torn down most of their cabins to make way for a low-rise motel building and rebranded as the Darling Motel. Change was afoot in the wake of Marilyn Monroe's breakthrough film "Niagara" in 1953, both cementing The Falls as a honeymoon destination and creating further general interest in visiting the city. Architects McPhit & Kelly's original 1925 sketch of the Clifton Hill side of the Foxhead Hotel, 1925. Tussaud's in the former section of the Foxhead, opening year. In 1959, Clifton Hill's first amusement attraction came onto the scene, Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum, located in a former section of the Foxhead Hotel that was just up Clifton Hill from the main building. The first floor, second floor and basement would become the museum with the third floor remaining the accounting offices for the neighboring hotel. The story behind the museum's early ownership and licensing is a bit hazy. It was an officially licensed franchise of the original Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum in Blackpool Beach, England, who also had their own art department dating back to the titular member of the Tussaud family in the late 19th century. That being said, the story goes that most of the Niagara museum's detailed figures were designed by Stubergh-Keller Wax Models, of Niagara Falls, NY who also owned the attraction. There's evidence to support both Louis Tussaud's and Stubergh-Keller studios contributing to the museum since day one, suggesting that perhaps Stubergh-Keller owned the museum but licensed the Tussaud's name, with Stubergh-Keller producing more work for the attraction simply due to it being much closer to home. The background and set design however was originally provided by Deroy & Associates of Toronto. The Foxhead and the museum in 1960. Guests were greeted with impressive displays before even entering the lobby. The attraction's sign would be a 22ft tall rotating Louis Tussaud himself, adorned in vibrant, colourful neon. There was also massive billboard-esque neon signage on the roof reading "Louis Tussaud Wax Museum." The signs were created and leased to the attraction by Pattison Signs, a large corporation who specializes in signs and billboards to this day. A figure of daredevil Charles Blondin was also suspended across Clifton Hill from the attraction to a pole across the street, actually appearing to be crossing over the road as if it were the Niagara Gorge. Though the figure was static and didn't move or cross the wire, this was still incredibly impressive for the time, and remains an incredibly unique feature today. Looking up Clifton Hill towards Blondin and the iconic sign, mid 1960's. 1960's advertisement showing only a handful of the royalty on display. Originally upon entering the museum, guests would see a depiction of Robert Cavalier De La Salle and Louis Hennepin overlooking The Falls, as their record of it is one of the earliest found. Next was a figure of Madame Marie Tussaud herself, the famed 17th and 18th century wax artist. Marie Tussaud is who the popular global chain of historic Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum attractions is based off, Louis Tussaud was her great grandson and the two chains share zero relation. One could argue the Louis Tussaud's chain may have been trying to get a slice of that pie, as "Stubergh-Keller Wax Museum" (as the Niagara location perhaps more accurately should have been called) doesn't have quite the same ring to it, despite the studio's artwork being gorgeous all the same. Other original scenes included Beethoven, Gandhi, Nikita Khrushchev (then premier of the U.S.S.R.), Joan of Arc, Mark Antony, Robin Hood and Friar Tuck, Winston Churchill, Cleopatra, Christopher Columbus, Niagara daredevil Red Hill Jr., and the assassination of Lincoln. The "Hall of Kings" was popular, featuring Henry VII, George III, Charles I (and VII), Edward VII, William III, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth I (and II) among others. Lincoln assassination, 1960's. Red Hill Jr., 1960's. Construction of the Robin Hood scene in June 1959. In this image from left to right, architect William Cartmel Jr., manager of Louis Tussaud's England William Cartmel Sr., and set designer Derek Deroy. Completed Robin Hood scene, 1960's The finale of the museum was the dim, dark Chambers of Horror in the basement. It included depictions of fictional monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster, and things loosely based on history like the "Streetsville Ghouls" or the "Compte De Lorge." The real show however were the real torture and execution methods showcased in the museum. These included the "Algerian Hook", a scalping scene, the "Cell of Little Ease", the "Woman in the Iron Cage", and burning of the eyes. While there was no motion featured in the figures and the gore wasn't as intense as it would be in later years (more on that later), it was still unlike anything most people had seen at the time, especially at that level of realism. Early scenes from the original Chamber of Horrors. From left to right: Entrance to the area, an incredible Count Dracula figure sculpted by Ron Booker of Stubergh Wax Models, and Frankenstein's Monster courtesy of Timothy Randall of Waxipedia. Tussaud's next to the rebuilt Foxhead, early 70s. The attraction was a smash hit, and kicked off the future of Clifton Hill, becoming Niagara's must visit location second only to The Falls itself. It opened the tourism floodgates further, and by 1960, all the cabin courts in the area had been demolished to make way for new motels, hotels, restaurants, and souvenir stores. In 1964 the Foxhead Hotel officially rebranded as the Sheraton Foxhead, demolishing the original structure and building a high-rise hotel in its place, but leaving the part of the building housing Tussaud's the same as the English Tudor style matched the theme of the museum. When the second wax museum in The Falls, the Burning Springs Wax Museum opened in the Fallsview district in 1963, Tussaud's attempted to sue the attraction for the giant words "Wax Museum" painted on the side of the building overlooking the busy Queen Victoria Park below, arguing it was knowingly causing confusion over which wax museum was Niagara's original. The case was obviously thrown out, as Tussaud's didn't have monopoly over the term Wax Museum (and the chain had even somewhat stolen their own Tussaud family name themselves.) Tussaud's losing the case (unknowingly then) forever changed the path of the Niagara Falls tourism industry. By the end of the 60s, there were six other wax museums/oddity museums with wax figures in the Clifton Hill area, with two more over in the Fallsview district. To stay above this new competition, change was necessary. Things would be shuffled around often to remain relevant and keep up to date. In 1964, the local Niagara Falls Women's Institute petitioned to get a figure of local hero Laura Secord placed in the museum. The museum accepted whole-heartedly, and the figure was one of the ones confirmed to have been sculpted by Louis Tussaud's wax studios back in England by 45 different artists. The figure was sent to Tussaud's in Niagara, and unveiled first to members of the Women's Institute who made the figure possible. The death of Lee Harvey Oswald was added as one of the museum's first scenes, and a "Hall of Assinated Leaders" later in the attraction. Marie Tussaud was eventually made the museum's first figure upon entering, and Charles VII the second. Whoever the current Canadian Prime Minister or U.S. President was also got a figure in the attraction during their time in office. Waxattract , Robert Dunham's company which was still in its infancy at the time, was also commissioned to create certain figures and displays for the attraction between the late 60s and early 70s after the success of his impressive Boris Karloff Wax Museum. Museum guide Phyllis Reese presenting the Laura Secord figure to reporter A. E. Huggens, and Wilfred Stewart of the Women's Institute who made it possible. Sidewalk advertisements outfront the museum, 1964. A fire broke out in the attraction the morning of February 16th, 1967 which destroyed the Streetsville Ghouls scene in the Chamber of Horrors. The flames were extinguished by the attraction's sprinkler system which also automatically notified fire crews, and limited the damage to the one scene. The attraction was extremely lucky, sprinkler systems wouldn't be mandatory in commercial businesses for nearly another 50 years, and their foresight paid off. If it were not for the sprinkler system, the attraction would have likely been lost, and clicking around on this site you'll find several other wax museums and attractions both in Niagara Falls (and abroad) weren't so lucky. The damage capped out at a relatively low $4,000, and was theorized by fire crews to have been started by a lit cigarette butt tossed into the scene (a usual culprit), however the fire alarm was tripped at 4:53 A.M. while the building was empty, so if that was the case it must have certainly been a slow, smoldering start. Many different displays would grace Tussaud's front window over the years, however perhaps it's most memorable would be added at this time to keep the attraction eye-catching. In 1970, local artist and engineer Derek Costello created a moving riser platform for the front window, which was decorated using Stubergh-Keller figures depicting the moon landing and set to music. This scene was later moved inside. A booth offering horoscope readings was constructed along the sidewalk and attached to the front of the building in the late-70s. It eventually became a discount photo developer in the late-80s and expanded in the early-90s, but was eventually later removed when Tussaud's got a new facade coinciding with the Sheraton next door remodeling in 1997. The discount photo booth and building facade in the late 80s. Ripley's International had bought out Stubergh-Keller Wax Studios back in 1970, and therefore the museum with it. This provides further evidence that the original Tussaud's in England had no stake in the attraction at all and simply licensed the name/provided some of the early figures. Ripley's eventually moved the Stubergh-Keller studios to the former Sheraton Foxhead accounting offices on the third floor of the attraction's building later in the decade. The 80s would understandably be a turbulent time for the attraction, with figures being shuffled around, refreshed and switched out constantly partially due to the ease of the studios being located in the same building. A 1982 Niagara Falls Review article talks about Ron Booker, one of the wax artists employed on the third floor, being interviewed for an episode of an unnamed U.S. morning show hosted by film critic Steve Reid. At the time Booker was working on a figure of Princess Diana destined for the Ripley's-owned Louis Tussaud's location in Copenhagen. Footage of this T.V. episode has yet to surface and remains lost media, but would be a fantastic glimpse into both the original Tussaud's and the legendary waxworks above it. The attraction underwent a massive overhaul in 1991 which debuted in June of that year, adding more pop culture figures in exchange for many of the remaining historical figures. Other historical scenes were updated such as a new Hall of Presidents, or new higher-tech ones added such as a projection effect in an ice cave showcasing indigenous peoples' story of Niagara Falls. The real update however, came to the Chamber of Horrors. The Ice Cave projection, 1991. Gone were the tamer fiction displays like Frankenstein's Monster and the Streetsville Ghouls, and in their place was a bloody, gory, pulls-no-puches torture chamber, completely historically accurate as well just in case guests wanted to try and brush it off as fiction. Several of the more brutal scenes that already existed were retained and updated to be more detailed, turning the basement into an extremely gruesome torture chamber that still haunts the minds of those who experienced it. While still featuring no animation other than a switch-activated electric chair and a shaking wooden trunk with screams emanating from it, the eerie atmosphere of the basement coupled with the Gregorian chanting that echoed through the halls added to the area's creep factor. The scenes were also particularly brutal, including updated eyeball torture and Algerian Hook scenes, the rack, flaying alive, starving prisoners, and a variety of severed heads that had met brutal ends, all in stunning realism. Local artist Bruce Randall, who had been employed by Stubergh-Keller in the 60's and rejoined them when they moved the studio to the Canadian side, was an integral part of the remodel. Above: Torture scenes seen in photos courtesy of Timothy Randall (son of artist Bruce Randall) of Waxipedia, who grew up running freely in the halls of the museum below his father's office. Top left: the original eyeball torture before the remodel. Bottom left: the much more graphic updated eyeball torture after the remodel. Above: The gruesome Algerian Hook. Another part of the remodel would be updates to the exterior, as the lease with Pattinson Signs ended. Local sign shop Signatures Signs would be asked by Tussaud's to rebuild the signage from scratch using only photographs of the old sign for reference. They did a fantastic job on making it identical to the original, and the giant neon Tussaud remains at Tussaud's current location. The rooftop billboard signage however would not be remade identical and would now be updated. While still reading "Louis Tussaud's Waxworks", the sign now had an updated font resembling the attraction's logo, and was on a black background to stand out more over the steel grid board used formerly. The same updated logo was also placed below the giant neon Tussaud. Ripley's International art department on the third floor would eventually be moved down to Florida in the 90's. While some materials were saved, many of the department's archives dating back to the Stubergh-Keller days were destroyed. The attraction meanwhile would remain popular until 2001, when the lease would be up with the Sheraton Foxhead Left: Jeff Wallis of Signature Signs installing neon on the new iconic cavalier, 1991. Right: The original Clifton Hill location in it's final days in the early 2000's. Sheraton didn't give Ripley's the option to renew the lease, as they had plans to completely revitalize the area around the Sheraton Foxhead and Sheraton Brock into the Falls Ave. entertainment complex in order to stay relevant with other major developments in the area. The original Tussaud's closed after nearly 42 years on The Hill, and the almost century old building originally part of the first Foxhead Hotel was essentially completely demolished. Very little of the structure was saved, and the building later home to the Extreme Movie Ride 4D and the MGM Great Movie Journey was built in it's place. Today the building is home to Niagara Distillery and BBQ (while the 4D Ride remains in the basement.) Niagara Distillery in place of the former location of the museum, late 2010s. The museum would rise again however after a four year hiatus in 2005, now reopening on Victoria Ave. in a former restaurant. It wasn't the first attraction in the space however, as the building was briefly home to the Wonderful World of Fantasy from 1974-1981. The old signage would be retained from the Clifton Hill location, as well as Blondin now crossing over Victoria Ave. The new location would be two floors rather than three, but in a much larger building. The new attraction would retain very little of the original collection, and while some figures would make a re-appearance, the majority would replaced with new scenes comprised of the computer-created figures (wax content debatable) that Ripley's uses in present day. Very few of the original figures from Stubergh-Keller and Louis Tussaud's studios remain, being mostly relegated to the historical figures on the balcony above the lobby. The museum, Blondin, and neon Tussaud relocated to Victoria Ave,, early 2010's. The Chamber of Horrors would now be more inspired by pop culture and fiction, and feature an animatronic zombie in a chair created by Lifeformations at the entrance to the area. The new building originally resembled the original style of the old Foxhead Hotel section the original museum occupied, but it was repainted in the mid-2010's to be more eye catching and given new lighting. It remains Canada's largest wax museum to this day, and while quite different than it's original form, Niagara's first amusement attraction is now entertaining it's sixth decade of visitors. The historic museum as it appears today.