Doors Open Oshawa

99 Simcoe St. S.

9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Home to the world's most significant of Canadian cars.

Location: 1711 Simcoe St. N.

Time: 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Guided tours, learn about the scouting tradition and Camp Samac's history.

55 Boundary Rd.
Guided tour at 1:30 p.m.

Visit the remains of the WWII spy training camp lies on the lakefront border of Whitby and Oshawa. Take a quick tour with site expert Lynn Phillip Hodgson. Visit Camp X for more details, read about it in the Canadian Encyclopedia or peruse the Photo Gallery.

1000 Stevenson Rd. N.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Located on the historical south field of the Oshawa Executive Airport, this museum is home to Canada's largest collection of operational, historical military vehicles. Take a virtual tour and see artifacts from Durham Region's Ontario Regiment from 1866 to the present. Explore Behind the Scenes videos of the Military Vehicle Conservation Centre (over 80 vehicles on display), the Tank Arena or the Tank Trek Set Up. Looking for more tanks? Check out the collection.

Take a moment to watch the award winning Convoy to Remembrance, a documentary about the museum’s participation in Remembrance Day celebrations.

1450 Simcoe St. S.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For over 60 years, the Oshawa Museum has celebrated Oshawa's history. Enjoy a virtual introduction to the museum in Bringing Objects to Life (2015).

Discover the Museum From Home: Inside the Henry House Study and find out what's behind closed doors in the Behind the Scenes Tour of the 1840 s home.

Travel back even further in time to explore A Carrying Place: Oshawa’s Indigenous Story. 

Or share your memories after viewing the virtual exhibit of Lakeview Park, Celebrating 100. 

50 King St. E.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Regent Theatre’s façade, built in 1919 for Famous Players theatres, has Georgian architectural lines. One of the town’s few remaining examples of this classically inspired style, the building reopened in 2010 as a lecture theatre for Ontario Tech University, as well as for community and cultural events.  Listen to an Oshawa Museum podcast on this designated building’s fascinating history or take a virtual tour.

72 Queen St.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be 7 art exhibitions on display for visitors to explore. Guided tours will be provided at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Additionally, there will be a guided family activity in our art studio for visitors. The gift shop will be open to the public.

66 Simcoe St. S.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Built in 1867, in the Gothic Revival style, Simcoe Street United Church is Oshawa's oldest church. It’s no wonder it has ghost stories to tell.  Lancet-arched openings and a polygonal spire with pinnacles and dormers embellish the exterior. A pressed-tin ceiling, 11-metre (36-feet) high ornamental timber arches and a Casavant organ dominate the interior. Watch a quick introduction to this Heritage Designated building with history buff Robert Bell.

This year the church was turned over to The Back Door Mission for the Relief of Poverty & Mission United so that those in need due to COVID -19 could be helped. 

1919 was a horrible year for the congregation (established 1817, the oldest in Oshawa) mourning the losses of the First World War, the Spanish Flu and then a major fire. One hundred years later and repairs are again urgently needed due to the passage of time. Visit the website for updates on the repairs as well as on-line church services.

Many famous people from Oshawa's and Canada's past are interred in Oshawa Union Cemetery, formerly “Thornton's Burying Ground”. Oshawa Museum’s podcast highlights the history of the cemetery. Today, the site covers 32 acres and includes private mausoleums and a Gothic-revival chapel. The mausoleum was built in 1924 and features an ornate marble interior and hand-painted stained-glass windows. The on-line interactive map is a new, searchable resource of burials. The gravestones are of particular interest; explore the iconography or the rare White Bronze markers. Listen to a video podcast about Oshawa in the 1860’s and the story of George Prentice and the Fenian Raids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxyYHl_1qA8 Cemetery in general

https://www.oshawa.ca/residents/union-cemetery-services.asp Oshawa Union Cemetery Map,On-line interactive map

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF8FISod2eY     Memento Mori: A look at Gravestone Iconography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl8CHTTDsA0  white bronze markers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A38vF9XQzIo Oshawa in the 1860’s

• White Bronze markers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl8CHTTDsA0
• In our latest episode, Executive Director and gravestone enthusiast Laura Suchan, examines the history of the Monumental Bronze Company and looks at the remarkable number of 'White Bronze' markers in Oshawa's Union Cemetery 10 minutes, very slow
• Cemetery in general: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxyYHl_1qA8
• Our latest podcast highlights the history of Oshawa's Union Cemetery, located at the northeast corner of King Street and Thornton Road, today spanning over 30 acres in size.
• Oshawa in the 1860s – this one touches a little bit about the cemetery and looks at one person who is buried there who died due to the Fenian Raids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A38vF9XQzIo
• Gravestone iconography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF8FISod2eY

Forming part of Oshawa’s Civic Centre, the 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 our central branch. The inside vestibule includes walls of Italian marble and a circular staircase, above which is a gold inscription to the generous donor. Check out our video on the History of Library Service in Oshawa.

“Exploring the beautiful OVBG is fun and easy!

You can now use you smartphone to scan QR Codes placed on signage to learn about the park, points of interest and use a navigation guide between landmarks.

Durham College students designed and created an augmented reality platform as part of TeachingCity partnership with the City Of Oshawa. Visit the park, scan a QR Code and try it for yourself!

Or see a virtual map at: https://ovbg2019.github.io/ovbgapp/

Trent University Durham GTA began delivering courses in 1974 at various facilities in the Oshawa community. In 2010, a standalone campus opened its doors at the site of the former St. Michael’s Catholic Elementary School on Thornton Road. An extensive renovation was undertaken to modernize the building at that time. It leveraged existing brick archways and cedar planked ceilings, which were complemented by a new modern and spacious light-filled atrium.

In fall 2020, a new academic and residence building officially opened its doors. Adorned with striking copper-cladded columns, state-of-the-art learning and living spaces, and wood themes that tie the two campus buildings together, this new addition to the campus continues in the University’s traditions of beautifully curated architectural features. Explore the beautiful spaces and campus amenities through the virtual tours.

Trent University Durham GTA sees education unfold on a personal scale and is a close knit, scholarly community in a diverse, urban environment with a robust offering of in-demand and unique academic programs.

Now people walking along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail in Oshawa can use their smartphone cameras to scan Quick Response (QR) codes placed on signage, to learn about the various parks, points of interest and amenities on the Trail, while also using a navigation guide to link you to other points of interest along the way. 

Durham College (DC) students in the School of Media, Art and Design researched, designed and created the interactive information portal that includes a wayfinding tool as part of a City Idea Lab course through TeachingCity Oshawa.

The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail stretches 3,600 km along the Canadian shores of the Great Lakes region, and connects 155 communities, including those of the First Nations. Oshawa’s portion of the Trail stretches 11 km along the shoreline between the borders of Whitby and Clarington. This portal helps guide and inform exploration of the trail, parks, natural areas and points of interest along the way.

Learn more about TeachingCity at www.teachingcityoshawa.ca