Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Ajax (Canada). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Ajax Downs, Ajax Public Library, and Durham Live. Also, be sure to include Pickering Beach in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Ajax (Ontario).
Table of Contents
Ajax Downs
Racecourse in Ajax, Ontario. Ajax Downs is a Quarter Horse race track located in Ajax, Ontario, a suburb east of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1969 as "Picov Downs" the name was changed in 2006 with the establishment of a new slot-machine gaming facility. The slots facility is known as Casino Ajax. A full 6 furlongs oval racetrack was completed in 2009. Racing is held at the track from May through October.
Alex Picov came from Ukraine in 1921 and is widely credited for establishing Quarter Horse racing in Ontario. The Picov family settled in Ajax, Ontario where the Picov family's passion turned to riding horses, primarily Quarter horses. The Picovs moved the majority of Quarter Horses coming into Canada during the 1960s and 1970s.
The Picovs built the Picov Downs, which opened in 1969. The location for the track was part of the family farm. Many of Canada’s top jockeys started their careers on the old "J-track". The track was re-name in 2006 to Ajax Downs with the creation of the new slots facility. A six-furlong (1 furlong = 1/8th of a mile, 660ft, 220yards, or 201.1 meters) oval racetrack was completed in 2009. The track is still operated by the Picov family, while the casino is operated by Great Canadian Gaming.
Ajax Downs is home to many stakes races, including qualifying events for the AQHA Bank of America Racing Challenge program. The Alex Picov Memorial is run yearly at Ajax Downs. It is the richest Quarter horse race in Canada. In addition, many race days have special events and fundraisers.[1]
Address: 50 Alexanders Crossing, L1Z 2E6 Ajax (Central)
Ajax Public Library
Top attraction, Library, City hall
Address: 55 Harwood Ave. S, L1H 2S8 Ajax (South West)
Durham Live
Durham Live is an entertainment district that is currently under development in the Canadian city of Pickering, Ontario.[2]
Pickering Beach
Pickering Beach is a community and unincorporated place in the Town of Ajax, Durham Region, Ontario Canada, located on Lake Ontario east of Toronto. It was once an important cottage destination for the upper class that was established by the prominent Toronto lawyer James Tuckett, in 1926, because of its eponymous beach. Today it is a part of the Town of Ajax and most of the original cottages have been replaced by modern residences. Among notable Canadians who were born in, lived in, or visited the beach are grocery chain founder T. P. Loblaw, wrestler 'Whipper' Billy Watson, artist Florence Helena McGillivray, and pioneering woman school board trustee Alice Charlotte Corbet.[3]