The Mississippi Valley Trade & Transport Council

Seaway visitors’ centre opens

(Posted on 31/05/18)

The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) has announced the Dwight D. Eisenhower Visitors' Centre, located at the U. S. Eisenhower Lock, will open to the public and remain open daily, including weekends, through Labour Day, September 3, 2018.

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System is a deep draft waterway extending 3,700 km (2,340 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean to the head of the Great Lakes, in the heart of North America. The St. Lawrence Seaway portion of the System extends from Montreal to mid-Lake Erie. Ranked as one of the outstanding engineering feats of the twentieth century, the St. Lawrence Seaway includes 13 Canadian and 2 U.S. locks.

The Visitors' Center hours of operation are from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. The Seaway Visitors' Centre at the Eisenhower Lock provides tourists and ship watchers with an observation deck where they can view commercial vessels from around the world as they transit the lock. The top deck is open to the public, and guides are available to provide additional information to tourists. Hundreds of ships from all over the world make thousands of transits through the St. Lawrence Seaway annually. They carry a wide variety of cargoes including grains, iron ore, coal, steel, stone, steel slabs, and project cargoes such as windmill components.

Due to security measures, visitors will be asked to leave all packages, bags, backpacks etc. in their vehicles. For those necessary items that need to be carried into the viewing area, you may be asked to present them for inspection or have them checked by a metal detecting wand. This will be conducted at a manned checkpoint as you enter the Visitors’ centre area from the parking lot. The centre may be periodically closed to visitors at the discretion of the SLSDC. The centre is located off Route 37 in Massena, N.Y