TWENTY VALLEY is a place chock-full of things to see and do—but if you do visit the Valley, please don’t miss Ball’s Falls.

At first I thought the name was rather silly (made me think of balls o’ fire) until Carla, our host at Bonnybank B&B, explained that it’s named after the Ball Brothers: George and John, the founders of the village.

The first thing we did was walk the trails to see the upper and lower Falls. Brian and I can never get enough of waterfalls so this was a treat all by itself. But as you can see in the photo, the forest is lush and looks stunningly ancient. Definitely food for the soul.

After visiting the lower Falls we were practically right in the village. We strolled through it, experiencing the original veggie and herb garden, modern-day smithies working in the blacksmith and the romance of the old mills.

Before the railroad came through—bypassing the village and eventually putting it out of business—the Ball brothers constructed and ran thriving wool, grist and saw mills.

The original homestead can be toured upon request but, darn, we missed that opportunity. I peered longingly through some of the the windows and could see heritage items, such as a wash tub and milk churn used by the founding family.

Walking the tiny village, you have to admire the industry and foresight of the Ball Brothers. Except for not being able to predict the railroad coming through, their choice of land to settle on was truly inspired.

Kudos to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority for their dedicated restoration and maintenance work.


To give you some idea of the walking opportunities at Ball’s Fall’s, here’s a printable map.

To reach Ball’s Falls, exit the Queen Elizabeth Highway at Vineland, Ontario. Follow Victoria Avenue (Highway 24) south to Regional Road 24, where you turn eastward and travel to Ball’s Falls.

All photos on this page Copyright © 2009 Milli Thornton & Brian Williams