Doors Open Ontario 2010

One of the great things for me having relocated to the National Capital Region is the closeness to what’s going on in the heritage sector. Think about it, all the political history here in Ottawa is fabulous, Quebec is a hop-skip-and-a-jump away, Kingston is just down the road, and I’m only a few hours from the GTA and all the history and heritage down there. What could be better? So when I heard about Doors Open Ottawa, I was curious, because very few places out west have similar events.
A Doors Open event is when a city opens up historic buildings, sites, places of worship and other cultural centres to the citizens free of charge for tours. These events started in France in 1984 and quickly spread all across Europe. They are now called European Heritage Days and they are a huge success and attract visitors from all over the world.

The first North American city to put on a Doors Open event was Toronto in 2000. Because of the overwhelmingly positive response to the Toronto event, the Ontario Heritage Foundation created Doors Open Ontario in 2002. Now, there are 55 communities across Ontario participating in Doors Open Ontario 2010 that is running until October. Some events are one day, while others are over an entire weekend. Just a small taste of the places that will open their doors to the public this summer include Lester B. Pearson’s boyhood home in Aurora on August 21, Mackenzie Hall in Windsor September 26, and the Maritime Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston June 19. If you would like to see if your community is participating, click here to take you to the Ontario Heritage Foundation’s website. If you don’t live in Ontario, but plan on visiting this summer, consider going to a Doors Open event in the community you visit. You won’t be disappointed

These events increase in popularity every year. They are family friendly, admission is free to all, plus it is a fabulous way to learn about your local community’s history. If your community across Canada doesn’t participate in Doors Open, then call your local municipality and request they consider participating. Participation not only stirs civic pride, but also helps boost tourism to the area as well as raise awareness for the preservation and conservation of built heritage in the region.

Uncategorised built heritage, Doors Open, Ontario