What to See in Kitchener - Top Sights and Attractions

Museum in Kitchener, Ontario. Doon Heritage Village, located at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, is a picturesque 60 acre living history village that shows visitors what life was like in the Waterloo Region in the year 1914. It is located in the former Doon village, now part of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, next to Homer Watson Park.

The Doon Heritage Village is open seasonally from May to December. The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is open daily throughout the year, while the village is not open weekends in September, October and November.

The Doon Heritage Village recreates life in rural Waterloo County during the year 1914. It has more than 22 buildings on more than 24 hectares (60 acres). Some of these are restored buildings donated and relocated from across Waterloo Region and south-central Ontario, and some are reconstructions based on original buildings.

Buildings in the living history village include the Grand Trunk Railway's Petersburg station, Peter Martin House, Wagon Drive Shed and Barns, Detweiler Weavery, Dry Goods and Grocery Store, Harness Shop, Tailor Shop, Post Office, Sawmill, Blacksmith Shop, Meat Market, Repair Shop, Peter McArthur House, Seibert House, Sararas House, Bricker Barn, Freeport United Brethren in Christ Church, and Fire Hall.

The Doon Heritage Village, which has been in operation since 1957, and the nearby Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, which opened in 2010, are owned and operated by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.^[1]

Park in Kitchener, Ontario. Victoria Park is the oldest park in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, situated downtown. It is the site of numerous events and festivities.

A Berlin (Kitchener) map from 1879 has a Town Park, located between Mill Street and Highland Road where Highland Courts and Woodside Parks stand today. It sits on the original Joseph E. Schneider homestead; the municipal government had purchased some acres from the family in 1895 and drained the swamp on the land. The 27 acre purchase was initially opposed by some parties for being too far outside of town. The park opened on 27 August 1896; the lake, bridges and three islands were in place at that time.

The Park was named after Queen Victoria ahead of her diamond jubilee on the British throne. The human-made lake is fed by Schneider Creek, surrounds three small islands, and is crossed by multiple bridges. The park also contains the Victoria Park pavilion, the Victoria Park Gallery and Archives, a bandstand, and a historic boathouse, a pub and music venue. A pavilion was first introduced to the park in 1902 as a response to complaints that there was no where to seek shelter when it started to rain. Designed by Charles Knechtel, the structure was set on fire in 1916 and deemed too damaged to recover. A second pavilion, borrowing heavily from Knechtel's original design, was built in 1924. Situated on the same spot as the original, the front of the pavilion faces the water, whereas the original faced the park's main island.

The Gaukel street entrance features a clock tower which was once atop the old Kitchener City Hall (from 1924 and now site of Market Square Shopping Centre), and before that, the town's fire hall. It was moved to the park entrance and complemented with a fountain and a sculpture of luggage, by local artist Ernest Daetwyler, symbolizing the various waves of immigration that have contributed the city's history.

A cast-bronze statue of Queen Victoria by Cavaliere Raffaele Zaccaquini and a cannon are situated in the park. The statue was unveiled in May 1911, on Victoria Day on the ten year anniversary of her death. The Princess of Wales Chapter of the IODE raised the $6,000 needed for the monument.

In 1897 a large bronze bust of Kaiser Wilhelm I, made by Reinhold Begas and shipped from Germany, was installed at in the park to honour the region's prominent German-Canadian population. It was removed and thrown into the lake by vandals in August 1914 at the beginning of the First World War. The bust was recovered from the lake and moved to the nearby Concordia club, but it was stolen again February 15, 1916, marched through the streets by a mob, made up largely of soldiers from the 118th Battalion, and has never been seen again. The 118th Battalion is rumoured to have melted down the bust to make napkin rings given to its members. A monument with a plaque outlining the story of the original bust was erected in the park in 1996.

In the fall of 2011, $10.1-million of restoration work on the park's lake was started, and in all 85,000 tonnes of sediment were removed from the lake bottom. Thousands of concrete and stone blocks were placed along the 2.2 kilometres of shoreline as a retaining wall to prevent erosion. While the overall area of the lake was slightly reduced, the waterway near the mouth of Schneider's creek at the north end of the park was widened to create a "fore bay" which slows the flow of water and allows sediment to settle in one place for easy removal.

A major renovation was completed on the Boathouse in 2014. The building had originally been used to store canoes in summer and as a changing room for skaters, but also included a tea house for some years. It was closed between September 2013 and January 2015, and re-opened as a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, operated by Mark Forwell, The business closed down in October 2019; the owner was leasing the building from the City of Kitchener and exercised an exit option in the lease.

The City announced in late 2019 that its budget includes $3 million for Victoria Park, to be used over 2021-2023 to achieve the results discussed in the master plan. While no single new element will be significant, the funds will allow for a renewal of the existing facilities including the trees.^[3]

Tower in Kitchener, Ontario. The Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower was built in 1926 in Kitchener to commemorate the arrival of the Pennsylvania Dutch to Southwestern Ontario. It was conceived by William Henry Breithaupt, who wanted to heal wounds of nationalism fomented in the city during World War I which led to increasing anti-German sentiment and an eventual change in the name of the city from Berlin to Kitchener.

The tower overlooks the Grand River on a site once cleared by the first pioneers to settle the area. Its walls consist of fieldstone, its observation deck references the Grand River Trail along which the pioneers travelled, and the roof is topped by a weather vane in the shape of a Conestoga wagon. For many years, it was depicted in the masthead of the local newspaper The Record.

The 18.9 metre tall tower was designated as a building of historical importance in 1989 and is a Classified Federal Heritage Building that "commemorates the arrival of the Pennsylvania-German pioneers to the Waterloo region between 1800 and 1803".^[6]

Kitchener City Hall is a stop on the Region of Waterloo's Ion rapid transit system. It is located alongside Duke Street, just east of Young Street, in downtown Kitchener. Just west of the station is its namesake, Kitchener City Hall. It opened in 2019.

The station serves northbound trains only; the nearest southbound platform is at Victoria Park station, about 250 metres (820 ft) away down Young and Gaukel Streets.

The station's feature wall consists of glass tiles in a pattern of alternating horizontal stripes in two shades of green and in white; this mimics the coloration of the office tower of the namesake City Hall.

The platform is connected with Duke Street's sidewalks at either end, and pedestrians passing through walk along the platform.

Locations in the vicinity of the station include Kitchener's main Catholic precinct to the north (including St. Mary's Church and the headquarters of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board); its former St. Jerome's College building to the west now houses Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Social Work. Immediately south of the station is the 'City Centre' condominium development.^[8]

Museum in Kitchener, Ontario. Woodside National Historic Site is the childhood home of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. King resided there from 1886 to 1893. The house is located in the city of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The house was built in 1853. A group of local citizens created the Mackenzie King Woodside Trust to preserve the house from demolition and acquire the property. The house has been restored to reflect the Victorian era. The 11.5-acre site includes wooded grounds, gardens, and lawn. A video presentation is shown about the King family and Woodside. Victorian period programs and special events are offered.

The house and the grounds were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1952.^[9]

Block Line is a stop on the Region of Waterloo's Ion rapid transit system. It is located alongside Courtland Avenue in Kitchener, just north of Block Line Road. It opened on June 21, 2019.

Access to the platform is from the south, from the Block Line sidewalk; and from the north, from the Courtland and Hillmount intersection.

The station features the artwork Three Sisters by Haudenosaunee/ Anishinaabe artist Lindsey Lickers and Katharine Harvey, having a digitally printed glass wall with images narrating the history and culture of the First Peoples.

St. Mary's High School is located about 500 metres (1,600 ft) southwest of the station, and the recreational facilities of the Peter Hallman Ball Yard and the Activa Sportsplex are also nearby.

With the adjustment of bus routes following the launch of light rail service in June 2019, several routes require buses to perform U-turns to stop at the station. This is stated to be a temporary measure until bus bays and a bus terminal are built.^[12]