Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in London (Canada). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: London Regional Children's Museum, Budweiser Gardens, and Delaware Speedway. Also, be sure to include Blackfriars Street Bridge in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in London (Ontario).
Table of Contents
London Regional Children's Museum
Museum in London, Ontario. The London Children's Museum is a private, not-for-profit museum located in London, Ontario, Canada. It was the first children's museum established in Canada, founded in 1975 by Carol Johnston two years after visiting Boston Children's Museum during a family trip. It receives over 100,000 visitors each year. Its current executive director is Amanda Conlon.
The original museum was based in the old City Centre. After several moves in its early days, it acquired the building of the former Riverview Public School in 1982 with a grant from the Richard Ivey Foundation. In 2014 it sold the Wharncliffe Road building to a London developer, but will remain a tenant until at least 2021.
Afterwards, the museum will move to a former and refurbished Kellogg's cereal plant in the city's east end factory district at 100 Kellogg Lane. The museum will occupy the building's fourth floor, which has 25-foot (7.6 m) ceilings. After the move, the museum plans on creating new exhibits. In 2018, the museum hired an Oakland, California company to design the exhibits in the new building. These include eight "immersive and interactive areas for children and their families", among them a garden patio, a main street-themed exhibit, a river-themed exhibit, and a room dedicated to archaeological discovery. It will also include a large rooftop playground.
Exhibits include Bellina, a whale skeleton suspended in the atrium, an arctic exhibit, and a dinosaur exhibit.[1]
Address: 21 Wharnclifee Road South, N6J 2J4 London
Budweiser Gardens
Sports venue in London, Ontario. Budweiser Gardens is a sports-entertainment centre, in London, Ontario, Canada – the largest such centre in Southwestern Ontario. Until 2012, it was known as the John Labatt Centre.
The John Labatt Centre, which opened on October 11, 2002, was named after John Labatt, founder of the Labatt brewery in London. Labatt still has a large brewery in London to the present day, although its head office was moved to Toronto in the early 1990s. The John Labatt Centre's name was changed to Budweiser Gardens (after Labatt's sister brand in AB InBev) in Fall 2012, as approved by London City Council on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 with a vote of 12–3.
The centre was built, in part, to be the new downtown home of London's Ontario Hockey League team, the London Knights, replacing the 40-year-old London Ice House in the south end of the city, near Highway 401. Since 2011, it is home to London's National Basketball League of Canada team, the London Lightning.[2]
Address: London, 99 Dundas Street
Delaware Speedway
Car racing track in Ontario, Canada. Delaware Speedway is a half-mile paved race track that is one of the oldest continuously operating tracks in Canada. It is located a few minutes west of London, Ontario northeast of Delaware, Ontario. It hosts stock car racing every Friday night during the summer. The track opened in 1952 as a quarter-mile dirt track that was paved in 1960. In August 1969, the track was expanded to a 1/2 mile paved oval and continues today.[3]
Address: 1640 Gideon Dr, N0L 1E0 Delaware
Blackfriars Street Bridge
Bridge. Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ontario, Canada is a wrought iron bowstring arch through truss bridge, crossing the North Thames River. The bridge was constructed in 1875 and carries single-lane vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians from Blackfriars Street to Ridout Street North.
At 216 feet (65.8 meters) it is the longest working span of that kind in North America.[4]
Address: Blackfriars Street, London (Central London)
Museum London
Museum in London, Ontario. Museum London is an art and history museum located in London, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the forks of the Thames River. It started its operations in 1940 with London Public Library and amalgamated with London Regional Art Gallery and London Regional Historical Museum in 1989. The current building is designed by Raymond Moriyama, architect of Science North in Greater Sudbury, the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, and the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh.[5]
Address: 421 Ridout St. N., N6A 5H4 London (Central London)
St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica
Catholic cathedral in London, Ontario. St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica, is a church located at 196 Dufferin Avenue in London, Ontario, Canada for the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London.[6]
Address: 196 Dufferin Ave, N6A 5N6 London (Central London)
Banting House
Museum in London, Ontario. Banting House is a former residence and current museum in London, Ontario, Canada. Located at 442 Adelaide Street North, it is known as the “Birthplace of Insulin.” It is the house where Sir Frederick Banting woke up at two o'clock in the morning on October 31, 1920 with the idea that led to the discovery of insulin.
Since 1984, the house has been a museum dedicated to Banting's discovery and his life. An addition at the back houses the London & District Branch of the Canadian Diabetes Association. For many that have been touched by diabetes, the house is an emotional reminder of Banting's scientific contribution that saved their lives or the lives of their loved ones.[7]
Address: 442 Adelaide St N, N6B 3H8 London
Cronyn Observatory
The Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory is a public astronomical observatory located on the campus of the University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario, Canada.[8]
St. Paul's Cathedral
Anglican church in London, Ontario. St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Ontario, Canada is the seat of the Diocese of Huron of the Anglican Church of Canada. It was designed in the Gothic revival style by William Thomas and built between 1844 and 1846, replacing the previous church, which was built in 1834 and burned down in 1844. It is the oldest church in the city. Sculptors John Cochrane and Brothers undertook the work on the cathedral's interior.
In 1966, the cathedral commissioned its history to be written by the Rev. Orlo Miller.[9]
Address: 472 Richmond St, N6A 3E6 London (Central London)
Springbank Park
Amusement park in London, Ontario. Springbank Park is a 140-hectare park located along a stretch of the Thames River in London, Ontario, Canada. The largest park in London, it contains 30 km of trails and is home to Storybook Gardens, a family attraction open year-round.[10]
Address: 1958 Storybook Lane, N6K 4Y6 London (Oakridge)
Eldon House
Museum in London, Ontario. Eldon House is a historic house and museum located in London, Ontario. The Eldon House property was converted into a public park, now called Harris Park. Eldon House is the oldest continued residence in the city of London. It was inhabited by the family of John and Amelia Harris from 1834 until they gave it to the City of London in 1959. The original owner, Captain John Harris, named Eldon House after the Earl of Eldon, whom he admired.
As a museum, Eldon House offers tours and programming including yearly events such as Canada Day, Victorian Christmas, and in city-wide celebrations of heritage and culture.
The Museum is affiliated with CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.[11]
Address: 481 Ridout St N, N6A 2P6 London (Central London)
Grand Theatre
Theatre in London, Ontario. The Grand Theatre is a professional theatre located at 471 Richmond Street just south of Dufferin Avenue in London, Ontario, Canada.
Its main auditorium has a seating capacity of 839 with a regular season running from September to May. In addition, it has a secondary venue called The McManus Theatre, located on the lower floor with a seating capacity of 150.[12]
Address: 471 Richmond St., N6A 3E4 London (Central London)
Museum of Ontario Archaeology
Museum in London, Ontario. The Museum of Ontario Archaeology is a museum located in northwest London, Ontario, Canada. It is dedicated to the study and public interpretation of over 11,000 years of human history in Ontario. It is adjacent to a reconstruction of the Lawson Site, a 16th-century pre-contact Attawandaron People's village. The museum offers permanent and temporary gallery space, a theatre, a classroom and children's activity space, along with tours of the reconstructed village.
The museum is an Affiliated Research Institute of The University of Western Ontario. It houses over two million artifacts recovered from archaeological sites throughout Ontario, along with laboratory space for artifact analysis and an extensive library of archaeological books and manuscripts.
Four events are featured each year: The Annual Harvest Festival and Pow Wow in September, Art & Craft Sale featuring traditional First Nation art and craft vendors in late November, Snowsnake or Winter Festival on Family Day in February, and Wilfrid Jury Archaeology Day in late July.[13]
Address: 1600 Attawandaron Rd., N6G 3M6 London
Wortley Village
Wortley Village is a neighbourhood of London, Ontario, Canada. It was originally a suburb of London and was annexed to London in 1890. Wortley Village is home to many heritage properties as well as Wortley Road Public School. The homes in the neighbourhood range from cottages and ranches to mansions. The village is home to the London Normal School, an Ontario heritage building and former teachers' college that now serves as the regional headquarters of the YMCA in Southwestern Ontario and the village's central and most iconic landmark. The main thoroughfare through the Village is Wortley Road, along which many businesses are situated.
The village is known locally for hosting the annual Gathering on the Green, a popular festival in which vendors set up stands in the park at Normal School, commonly referred to as the Green.[14]
The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum
Museum in London, Ontario. The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum is located at Wolseley Barracks in London, Ontario, Canada.[15]
Address: 701 Oxford St E, N5Y 4T7 London
Secrets of Radar Museum
Museum in London, Ontario. The Secrets of Radar Museum is a small museum located at 2155b Crumlin Sideroad near the London International Airport in London, Ontario, Canada. Opened to the public in 2003, the museum was created to tell the story of the more than 6,000 Canadian World War II veterans who were recruited into a top-secret project during World War II involving radar. Drawn from every walk of life, and sent around the world, these veterans were held to an Oath of Secrecy that was not fully lifted until 1991.
The museum is an incorporated not-for-profit museum located in London, Ontario.[16]
Address: 930 Western Counties Rd, N5V 3Z9 London
Victoria Park
Park in London, Ontario. Victoria Park is an 7.3 hectare park located in downtown London, Ontario, in Canada. It is one of the major centres of community events in London.[17]
Address: Richmond St., N6A 3N1 London (Central London)
Flame of Hope
The Flame of Hope is an eternal flame located in London, Ontario, Canada that honours Sir Frederick Banting's discovery of insulin, as well as all those who have been affected by diabetes. Simultaneously, it serves as a reminder that insulin manages diabetes but does not cure it; ultimately, it stands for the hope that a cure will soon be found.
The Flame will only be extinguished when a cure for diabetes is developed. The team responsible for finding the cure will be flown in to do so.
The Flame of Hope was kindled before 4,000 spectators by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on July 7, 1989.[18]
Aeolian Hall
Performing arts theater in London, Ontario. Aeolian Hall is a historic music venue in London, Ontario. The hall is located in a heritage building at 795 Dundas Street, at the corner of Dundas St. and Rectory St, just to the east of Adelaide St.
The structure was first built as the town hall of the then independent community of London East. The building was completed in 1884; however only a year later London East amalgamated with London. The building served a number of different purposes over the next decades, including serving as a fire station, court house, public library, school, and a number of businesses. The building was sold by the city in 1947 and it became home to a series of private businesses. The longest serving tenant was Frank C. Warder Radio Limited, which occupied the street level portion of the building from 1950 to 1982.
London's original Aeolian Hall was founded in 1947 by Gordon D. Jeffery who purchased the closed Beecher United Church in 1947 and turned it into a concert venue. This building burned down in 1968, and the next year Jeffery purchased the old town hall. Renamed Aeolian Hall it has served as one of London's premier musical venues ever since. The building is host to a wide range of events. It is the past home of both the London Youth Symphony and London Community Orchestra (both of which now present their performance series in Dundas St. Centre United Church), and hosts visiting performers from a wide array of genres.
Gordon Jeffery died in 1986 leaving the Hall to the Gordon Jeffery Trust to run and maintain as a musical venue for London. The Trust was nearing the end of its mandate in 2003 and decided to put the building up for sale. The Gabriel Kney tracker pipe organ was purchased by, and is now installed in, the First United Church of Waterloo Ontario.
Mr. Clark Bryan, concert pianist, bought the Hall in July 2004 and expanded its mandate to include multi-genre music and art presentation as well as community events. In 2009, Bryan shifted the governance of The Aeolian to a Registered Charity/Non-Profit Corporation called The Aeolian Hall Musical Arts Association (AHMAA). Mr. Bryan transferred ownership of the building to this charity in February 2011 to ensure its future in the Public Trust.
The Aeolian Town Hall is the home the Aeolian School of Music and Aeolian Hall. It has thrice been awarded "Best Live Venue" at the Jack Richardson Music Awards, and has been selected as one of the Top 10 Halls in Canada by the CBC Radio 3 Searchlight Contest. In 2010, The Aeolian was given a Pillar Award by The Mayor of London for outstanding Community Contribution. The Aeolian Hall has become a centre for research and development of arts programs with focus on social justice, social inclusion, and community development.
In November 2011 AHMAA launched the El Sistema Aeolian program. This program is designed to offer free music training for youth with a focus on classical orchestral music.
This opportunity targets participants who might not normally have opportunities to study music in a private setting and participate in an orchestra. The philosophical goals of the program are to help youth learn to play great music, build team-work skills, pursue excellence, and engage in unique self-actuated learning styles.
The first opportunities for participants in this program were for the youth from the Old East Village Community and in particular Lorne Ave. Public School. The Aeolian will be expanding this program model in the future which will offer opportunities to other areas, groups, organizations and individuals throughout the City of London.
El Sistema has a thirty-five year history of success in the world and is spreading. Aeolian's launch is the 4th in Canada and is supported by a gifted group of musicians, educators, students, interested community members and the Staff/Directors of the Aeolian.[19]
Address: 795 Dundas St., N5W 2Z7 London
Palace Theatre
Theater, Concerts and shows, Historical place
Address: 710 Dundas St., N5W 2Z4 London