5 Places to Visit in Ontario

Published May 23, 2018 at 6:34 am

If you want to know more about the place we live then there’s no better way to learn.

They are open for the summer and located all across the province.

Here’s a list of the Ontario Heritage museums (in no particular order) and what they offer:

5 – Niagara Apothecary, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Visit this National Historic Site and learn how pharmacists practised their profession 150 years ago. See the rows of patent medicines and “miracle cure-alls” for everything from hair loss to tuberculosis. Operated by the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
– Open May 12-September 3 and on weekends to October 28


4- Fulford Place, Brockville
Get a rare glimpse of the luxury of another era. Discover the story of Senator George and Mary Fulford while exploring their grand mansion, featuring many of the original furnishings. Walk the same halls as royalty and stroll through the restored gardens.
– Summer season May 19-September 2; year-round school visits and group tours by appointment


3 – Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site, Dresden, Chatham-Kent
In her best-selling novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe drew from Josiah Henson’s dramatic experiences in slavery. Take a guided tour of Josiah and Nancy’s last home to discover Ontario’s Underground Railroad and early Black history. 
– Summer season May 19-October 26; year-round school visits and group tours by appointment


2 – Homewood Museum, Maitland (near Brockville)
Step into one of Ontario’s oldest houses and learn about the life of Dr. Solomon Jones (1756-1822), a United Empire Loyalist and the area’s first physician. See Solomon and Mary’s original family furnishings and heirlooms, and discover the story behind the Red Fameuse apple.
– Open May 19-September 2


1- Mather-Walls House, Kenora
Explore the house built by John Mather, an enterprising businessman who formed the Keewatin Lumbering and Manufacturing Company in the late 1800s. It was one of three nearly identical houses built for his employees. 
– Open June 27 to August 25


BONUS PLACES

Macdonell-Williamson House, Chute-à-Blondeau (near Hawkesbury)
Visit the former home of John and Magdeleine Macdonell. John was a fur trader in the early 1800s who sponsored construction of the first steamboat on the Ottawa River. New conservation work was recently completed and new displays are open at this National Historic Site. 
– Open June 30-August 26


Sir Harry Oakes Chateau, Kirkland Lake
Discover the impressive chateau of the eccentric Sir Harry Oakes and his wife Eunice. Harry was the famous prospector of the gold-mining era that put Kirkland Lake on the map. Today, the chateau is home to the Museum of Northern History.
– Open year-round with frequent special events and exhibits


Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, Toronto
Check out the oldest school still standing in the city and learn about Victorian life in 1800s Toronto. Established in 1848, this was also the city’s first free school. Take a guided tour, educational programs, and special events can all be booked.
– Summer season July 2-August 28; year-round tours and school visits by appointment


The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, Toronto
This National Historic Site is the last operating double-decker theatre in the world. Take a tour of the Elgin Theatre and then travel seven stories up to the Winter Garden Theatre. Special features include samples of the world’s largest collection of vaudeville scenery and the newly restored leaf ceiling in the Winter Garden.
– Open year-round with public tours twice per week and group tours by appointment

Are you checking out your own backyard this summer?

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