Things to do in Southwestern Ontario
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Bookshelf
Part lefty bookstore, part cinema, part cafe, Bookshelf is the pacemaker of Guelph’s cultural heartbeat. Swing by to read the paper, catch an art-house flick or have brunch in the Artisanale Café & Bistro (brunch mains $4 to $14, dinner $16 to $22).
reviewed
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Royal Botanical Gardens
With 1000-plus hectares of flowers, natural parklands and a wildlife sanctuary, the Royal Botanical Gardens is only one of six world gardens to be designated ‘royal.’ During spring, the rock garden is a highlight, with 3 hectares of rare trees, waterfalls, ponds and 125,000 flowering bulbs. Think a rose is a rose? Think again, pal. From June to October, thousands of different roses (including antique varieties) bloom in the Centennial rose garden. The arboretum is best in May when the lilacs explode into flower. The sanctuary is home to birds, deer, fox, muskrat and coyote, with trails traversing marshes and wooded ravines.
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Museum London
Focusing on the visual arts and how they fit together with history, Museum London has over 5000 works of art (including the largest collection of Paul Peel paintings) and an artifact collection of over 25,000 pieces. Exhibitions and programming are created around the stories of artifacts, and outdoor installations carry the stories beyond the walls. Also on-site is Eldon House, London’s oldest residence, which places you in the past rather than attempting to describe it.
reviewed
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Dundurn Castle
A boxy, column-fronted, 36-room mansion, Dundurn Castle once belonged to Sir Allan Napier McNab, Canadian prime minister from 1854 to 1856. It sits on a cliff overlooking the harbor amid lovely chestnut-studded grounds, and is furnished in mid-19th-century style. Also on-site is the Hamilton Military Museum (adult/child/concession/family $3.50/2.50/3/8.50), with weapons and uniforms from the War of 1812 to WWI. Admission is free with Dundurn Castle admission.
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Brantford Sports Hall of Recognition
The shining gem at the heart of the Gretzky Centre is the Brantford Sports Hall of Recognition. Memorabilia from dozens of local track-and-field, football, lacrosse and wrestling stars line the walls, but who wants to know about them? What you’re here for is Wayne ‘The Great One’ Gretzky’s permanent display. Gretz honed his game on the backyard hockey rink at his childhood Brantford home before shattering the NHL record books and blitzing his way to four Stanley Cups.
reviewed
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Ska-Nah-Doht Village & Museum
Re-creating a 1000-year-old Iroquois longhouse community, Ska-Nah-Doht Iroquoian Village & Museum is 32km west of London. Village structures are encircled by a maze; the museum contains artifacts thousands of years old and recounts the area’s history. Outside the walls are First Nations crops and burial platforms. Meandering park trails are open until dusk. From London, take Hwy 402 to interchange 86 then follow Hwy 2 west.
reviewed
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Woodland Cultural Centre
The Woodland Cultural Centre triples-up as an indigenous performance space, cultural museum and art gallery. Exhibits follow a timeline from prehistoric Iroquoian and Algonquian exhibits through to contemporary indigenous art. The attached shop stocks beautifully made basketry and jewelry, plus books, ceramics and paintings. Call or check the website for the latest lecture, gallery talk and performance dates.
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African Lion Safari
About 1000 animals and birds express themselves freely in the vast, cageless African Lion Safari, about 25km northwest of Hamilton off Hwy 8. Drive your car through the park and get within kissing distance of lions, giraffes, zebras, monkeys and other African beasts. If your car-rental agency has an aversion to bird droppings, take the park tour-bus instead ($5 per person). Kids love this place.
reviewed
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Her Majesty’s Chapel of the Mohawks
Captain Brant’s tomb is on the grounds of the tiny but exquisite Her Majesty’s Chapel of the Mohawks, best visited on sunny afternoons when light streams through the gorgeous stained-glass windows. On the site of the original village, it’s the oldest Protestant church in Ontario (1785) and the world’s only Royal Indian Chapel. To get here, follow the signs off Colborne St E.
reviewed
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Conorlee’s Bakery & Delicatessen
An islanders’ favorite, Conorlee’s is a great place to grab lunch-to-go before a bike tour. Fresh-baked breads, espresso, local honey and awesome pizzas are all available, but the coolest offering is the Wine & Dinner Series (per person $38), a monthly five-course sampling of Pelee’s finest. It’s held at the Pelee Island Winery; check Conorlee’s website for dates.
reviewed
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Guelph Civic Museum
In a handsome 1847 stone house, this museum offers exhibitions, programs and events digging up the history of the city (which, incidentally, is named after the British Royal Family’s ancestors the Guelphs). The ‘Growing Up in Guelph’ kids’ exhibition makes a happy distraction. An extensive remodel will double the museum’s size as well as give it LEED certification.
reviewed
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Canadian Football Hall of Fame & Museum
Despite universal mockery of ‘Canadian football,’ nothing stops Canadian sports fans from welling with enthusiasm for their fast-paced brand of gridiron. The Canadian Football Hall of Fame & Museum puts more than 100 years of Canadian Football League (CFL) history on display through equipment, photos and the actual Grey Cup – the CFL’s holy grail.
reviewed
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Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The newly renovated Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is a capacious hangar 10km south of town near Hamilton airport. Dangling inside is a collection of two-dozen vintage planes, all in flying condition, celebrating Canada’s history in the skies. Look for the huge RACF 641 jet impaled on a hot-dog spike out the front.
reviewed
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Walls Underground Railroad Museum
One of the best Underground Railroad historical displays is at the Walls Underground Railroad Museum, 20km east of Windsor. The original 1846 log cabin built by John Freeman Walls, a fugitive slave from North Carolina, is still here; it functioned as a safe terminal for others searching for freedom. Walls’ descendants still run the museum.
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Spago Trattoria e Pizzeria
Windsor has a reputation for its Italian, and this is the place to dip your tongue in some. If you’re not in the mood for delicious pasta, the clean-shaven staff also deliver outstanding pizzas from the wood-fired oven. Upstairs, the Spago Ristorante Italiano has a similar menu and a bar that stays open late.
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Down the Street Bar & Restaurant
Darkly atmospheric, with gorgeous gilt mirrors and old neons stirring memories of Parisian cafes, this place offers pre-theater dining, microbrews and wines by the glass. The menu is multicultural (thin-crust pizzas, goat cheese enchiladas) and late night the bar steps up as one of Stratford’s more kickin’ nocturnal haunts.
reviewed
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Gallery Stratford
In a renovated 1880s pump house, Gallery Stratford exhibits innovative contemporary art with a Canadian emphasis. If your timing’s good, there are regular art studios, movie nights and family days. A community studio lets kids create their own pieces. Bring a picnic and wander over to Queen’s Park afterwards.
reviewed
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Fish Point Nature Reserve
Fish Point Nature Reserve is a long sandy spit – absolutely the southernmost point of Canada. A 3.2km return forest walkway leads to the point, one of the island’s best swim spots. Like other spots in the region, Fish Point is a birder’s Eden, with black-crowned night herons and a multitude of shorebirds.
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Cornerstone
Thick stone walls plus scuffed wood floors equal serious comfy-ness at this well-loved vegetarian cafe. Go for coffee in the morning and return for a pint and some live music in the evening. If you’re looking for a sandwich, consider the Taste of Downtown: avocado, brie, red peppers and garlic aioli ($8).
reviewed
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Bell Homestead National Historic Site
Put down your cell phone and listen up: Alexander Graham Bell changed the future of communication when he conceived the first telephone at Bell Homestead National Historic Site on July 26, 1874. Bell’s first North American home has been lovingly restored to original condition. There’s a cafe here, too.
reviewed
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York Street Kitchen
This technicolor bunker at the bottom of an old riverside warehouse dishes up homestyle cooking: show-stopper sandwiches on homemade bread, brie fritters, salads, quiches and desserts. Try the ‘Mennonite’ sandwich: sausage, cheddar, corn relish, tomato, honey mustard, mayo and lettuce.
reviewed
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Pelee Island Lighthouse
The 1833 Pelee Island Lighthouse on the island’s northeastern corner stopped flashing in 1909 and was derelict until restoration in 2000. It’s a 10-minute return walk from the end of East Shore Rd. You can’t access the lighthouse, but it’s interesting (and photogenic) nonetheless.
reviewed
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Caesar’s Windsor
The super-plush Caesar’s Windsor overlooking the river provides a fat economic injection for Windsor, though the crowds have declined with passport legislation. Still, the giant screen advertises big-name shows to potential customers across the river. Minimum age 19 years.
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Banting House National Historic Site
This historic site is where Nobel Prize–winner Sir Frederick Banting devised the method for extracting insulin in the 1920s. A pilgrimage site for diabetics, the meticulously curated museum outlines the history of diabetes, and chronicles Banting’s medical contributions.
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Church of Our Lady Immaculate
Lording over downtown Guelph is the dominant stone-faced bulk of the Church of Our Lady Immaculate. It’s hard to move around town without catching a glimpse of Our Lady’s twin towers and elegantly proportioned rose window, which have been awing parishioners since 1888.
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