Explore the City’s greenhouse, one of the few remaining city-run glass greenhouses in Ontario. It is dedicated to housing tropical collections and producing annual bedding plants for city parks, gardens, City Hall, the Oshawa Valley Botanical Garden, and downtown planters/hanging baskets. After sowing over 5,000 seeds and planted 2,000 cuttings, they have 60,000 plants ready for planting by May.

Club Carib, founded in January 1966, houses the Hummingbird Dancers and Oshawa Sounds of Steel. It also serves as a community banquet hall for weddings and conferences. During Doors Open, enjoy a 30-minute steel pan performance. The Caribbean Café will also offer food and refreshments (while supplies last). You can also try your hand at playing the steel pan!

This downtown armoury, built on a stone foundation, features a spacious drill hall. The square towers flanking the façade of the drill hall enhance its fortress-like appearance. It is a recognized federal heritage building due to its historical significance, architectural design and environmental value. Come and explore its military equipment, as well as visit the main floor and officers' mess.

The Imperial Cotton Factory, built in 1900, ran as a factory until 1972. It has been repurposed as the largest creative hub in the Hamilton area — with studios for artists, artisans, musicians, craftspeople and entrepreneurs. Film and television productions, photographers and special events are also drawn here. This is one of the best examples of adaptive reuse in Hamilton.

Opened in 1956, the Dundas Museum & Archives is a private, non-profit museum that collects, interprets and celebrates the unique identity of the Valley Town. As part of Doors Open Hamilton, they welcome the public to tour its permanent galleries. As well, you can visit the historical c. 1848 Doctor's Office and the 1873 Pirie House.

Open since 1994, ellënoire is a body and bath fragrance and curly hair shop. These unique products are made here in Dundas. The building — a beautiful Romanesque revival post office — is now home to many thriving businesses. Identified for demolition, the building was saved by a group of local citizens. This soap foundry is in keeping with local foundry history.

The Erland Lee (Museum) Home is a National Historic Site that serves to tell three stories: that of the Lee family, who lived in the home from 1808-1970, of the Stoney Creek community, and of the Women's Institute, which was founded in the home's dining room in February 1897. The Lee Home is a beautiful example of carpenter's Gothic architecture.

The Tropical Greenhouse at Gage Park, opened in July 2021, is a 1,300-square-metre (14,000-square-foot) greenhouse containing a unique collection of subtropical plants, palm trees, a waterfall and fish pond. Visitors can view the production greenhouses where annual plants intended for the City’s gardens and traffic islands are started. Plants will be transferred this year beginning May 24.

The elegant Edwardian gable and bay on Grant Avenue was transformed by Dan Lanois, Bob Lanois and Bob Doidge into the world-renowned recording venue, Grant Avenue Studio. The two-storey box bay façade with stained-glass windows has welcomed artists from Gordon Lightfoot and Stan Rogers to U2 and Johnny Cash. Check out this excellent example of adaptive reuse.

The Halo Studio is a one-of-a-kind recording studio that offers professional audio engineering services in the heart of downtown Hamilton. Their custom-built studio was originally designed by Trevor Garwood Jones as a dental office in 1972, some architectural detailing remains and now provides the perfect vibes for creating great projects. Their control room has recorded Bruce Springsteen and Kanye West.

The gatehouse at Hamilton Cemetery is a historical landmark, showcasing Gothic revival architecture with charming stonework and arched windows. Built in 1854, the gatehouse was once the cemetery caretaker’s home and a chapel. Today, it serves as the arrangements office and administration offices for all 71 cemeteries operated by Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries. Join a tour at 2 p.m. each day.

Hamilton Craft Studios is a 1,300-square-metre (14,000-square-foot) multidisciplinary craft space in a historical wire factory in downtown Hamilton. Panoramic windows fill the space with natural light. The second floor houses woodworking and fabrication spaces, while the third floor features ceramics, textiles and general arts studios — offering tools, equipment and shared workspaces for makers of all skill levels.

Tisdale House is the oldest home in Ancaster. In the 1820s, the building was occupied by "Charcoal Burner" John O’Neil and housed two charcoal kilns. Later, the house became an undertaker’s parlour run by George Moore. The house has been fully retrofitted and is now home to the Ancaster Community Policing Centre and the Hamilton Police Museum.

Located at the Hill Park Learning Centre, the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board Archives contains records and memorabilia of almost 350 former and current Hamilton-region schools. The volunteers and staff of the archives will be presenting photos, records and videos of the music presented at high schools in the area. This is a treasure trove for former students and families!

The Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority offers port/marine assets to support Ontario industries and to facilitate trade. The Port of Oshawa is Durham Region's gateway to the world, handling more than 500 vessels over the past decade. Oshawa is one of the few cities that can boast an airport, rail lines, a deep-sea port, and 400-series highway — giving industry a competitive edge.

Oshawa’s Operations Services are responsible for maintaining the city's infrastructure — including roads, sidewalks, parks, trails and more. The Howden Operations Depot oversees the inspection and maintenance of city roads and municipal infrastructure. This includes street sweeping, pothole repairs, shoulder maintenance, catch-basin cleaning, litter control, and winter operations. See where Oshawa Fire Services refuels. And don’t miss the giant salt dome!

The restoration project at this site brings together two 19th-century heritage buildings — each with an elegant façade. Only by combining the two buildings was it possible to bring the structures to modern standards and code, rather than demolishing them. The architects kept the old character and plaster walls while updating mechanical and structural aspects of the building.

This innovative concert hall has a virtual acoustic system. It advances research on human interaction and music's impact on health. It is also used to assist Parkinson's patients, improve music listening for the hard of hearing, and enhance creativity in performances. This acclaimed national treasure offers a unique contribution to understanding the power of music. Limited availability. Pre-registration required.

As an Anglican church, St. Mark’s served the community for over 100 years before closing in 1989. Now owned by the City of Hamilton, the site has undergone extensive restoration, preserving the heritage character of the building and park, while adding modern services, gardens and accessibility. It now has a new life as a community arts and cultural programming space.

This art deco-inspired bandshell was a gift from R.S. McLaughlin, founder of General Motors Canada, to the City of Oshawa. It was constructed in 1942 to give the Oshawa Civic Band a place to perform and practise. Before this, they practised in the Orange Hall over a grocery store near the four corners and the armouries on Simcoe Street North. 

The McMaster Museum of Art has developed a self-guided walking tour that highlights architecture on the campus, with information about the history, evolution and styles of architecture along the way. Access the tour here, with photographs sourced from McMaster’s digital archives. You can follow the text descriptions or use headphones and be guided by recorded audio.

This museum features restored Victorian-era homes, situated on their original foundations. Henry House showcases a traditional Victorian home, depicting family life in the 1870s. In contrast, Guy House features a gallery and gift shop. Each home belonged to prominent harbourmasters from the area. Visitors can enjoy self-guided tours of Henry House, where costumed hosts are available to answer questions.

Forming part of Oshawa's Civic Centre, this library was a gift of Col. R.S. McLaughlin in 1954. Architect Arthur Eadie was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright in his design of the McLaughlin Public Library, now the central branch. Explore captivating videos, photographs and memorabilia or attend a guided tour showcasing the library’s evolution over the past 70 years.

Built in 1914 as a vaudeville and movie theatre, this distinctive beaux-arts building was designed by Stewart & Witton. After 76 years of continuous operation, the theatre closed in August 1990. But, in 2018, it reopened as an independent art-house cinema. Original architectural features — including lavish interiors — have been beautifully restored, and a new neon sign recreates the long-lost original.

The Regent Theatre was constructed in 1919, and its King Street façade features symmetrical Georgian architectural lines. It stands as one of the few remaining examples of this classically inspired architectural style in Oshawa. Originally built for Famous Players theatres, it was closed for several years before being reopened in 2010 as a lecture theatre for Ontario Tech University.