The Auchmar Estate is considered to be the last surviving country estate on Hamilton Mountain. It was built for the Honourable Isaac Buchanan, a local Scotsman, entrepreneur, politician and civic leader in 19th-century Canada. Visit this Gothic revival manor house and learn about its storied past before strolling the walled and landscaped grounds that surround it. No parking on site.

Battlefield House Museum, part of which dates to 1796, was once home to the prominent Gage family. Learn about the stories of the people who built the house and the ongoing efforts to preserve and restore it. Explore the Dunington Grubb landscape (which includes the impressive Battlefield Monument) and hike around a 13.8-hectare (34-acre) patchwork of meadow and forest.

Built in 1837 by George B. Rousseau, this Ancaster building was once owned by painter Frank Panabaker. Now a designated heritage building, it has been renovated and turned into an upscale brewpub — retaining many original features — by owner Andy Kershaw and brewmaster Ken Wood whose automated system won a silver medal at the 2021 Canadian Brewing Awards.

The beaux arts-style Carnegie Library in Dundas was built in 1910. When the Hamilton Public Library stopped using the building, its future was uncertain. Taking advantage of the thriving arts community, Dundas citizens formed the Carnegie Craft Carnival Committee to raise funds for necessary building maintenance. The Carnegie Gallery was subsequently developed and has been thriving for 40 years.

The Central Presbyterian Church, designed by John Lyle and opened in 1908, replaced an earlier church that was destroyed by fire. Lyle also designed Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre and Union Station, as well as several Hamilton homes. This was his only church. The flat roof resembles more the public buildings favoured by the beaux-arts style than traditional European churches.

There has been a brewery here since 1947. Over the years, the plant has experienced several renovations since and housed many different breweries. Today, the Collective Arts Brewery operates here, offering beer, cider and sparkling hard teas. Begun in 2013, Collective Arts fuses the creativity of craft beverages with the inspired talents of artists — on their walls and their labels.

The Collins Hotel has been a fixture on King Street West in Dundas for almost 200 years. The classical revival façade and portico have been beautifully restored. Renovations have not damaged the character; the front exterior remains period correct. Constructed in 1841 by Irish immigrant Bernard Collins, The “Collins” continues as a mixed-use building in the heart of Dundas.

Join us for an evening of food, dancing and shopping while you experience one of Hamilton's best examples of adaptive reuse. The Imperial Cotton Factory was taken over in 2014. Today, The Cotton Factory is a creative arts centre in the heart of lower Hamilton. Come and explore artists’ studios, artisan and vintage markets, and a beautifully restored 1900s factory.

This walking tour of historical “Dunda-licious” Dundas, conducted by local historian Stan Nowak, takes you to eateries, hotels, saloons and drinking emporiums — both past and present. Along the way, you will learn about what was there then, what's there now, and what's on the menu! This tour is guaranteed to satisfy the appetites for cultural heritage and hearty cuisine!

Built in 1911, this hall was the town’s social centre until the mid-1940s, capable of seating 700 persons in the main hall, with a further 40 in the opera boxes and 100 in the main balcony, all on the second floor. Today, although the music hall is not in use, Café Domestique and India Village occupy the main floor.

Dundurn Castle is one of the finest examples of high regency-style architecture in the country. Constructed in the 1830s for Sir Allan Napier MacNab (railway magnate, lawyer and politician), the buildings deteriorated under subsequent owners, but were restored in the 1960s to their original splendour. Today, Dundurn Castle tells the story of the MacNabs and the people who served them.

Fieldcote was built in 1948 as a private home on the outskirts of the former village of Ancaster. Today, as the village expands, it serves as a cultural heritage centre with an emphasis on local history and the promotion of fine arts. The idyllic setting is the perfect venue for music, with beautiful, landscaped gardens and walking trails.

Bill King, a well-respected local historian, will lead this 60-minute walking tour along James Street North and King William Street, discussing restaurants in the area, and the Victorian buildings in which they are located. Come and explore these popular eateries and learn more about the buildings they occupy.

Enjoy a rare opportunity to learn about the City of Hamilton's historical and current drinking water system, including the filtration process, through a guided tour of the Learning Centre, Filter Gallery and Control Room. See how the extensive structural rehabilitation and architectural facelift in 2010 returned this plant to its original art deco grandeur.

Located on the grounds of Dundurn National Historic Site, this museum preserves and shares the military history of Hamilton and area through exhibits, programs and events. The building, originally constructed as a gate house for Dundurn Castle in the late 1830s, was first known as Battery Lodge, being located on the site of a War of 1812 artillery emplacement.

The Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology is the site of the original 1859 Hamilton Waterworks. The museum features two 13.7-metre high (45 feet), 70-ton steam-powered pumping engines, which supplied the city with clean drinking water from 1859 to 1910. The pumping engines were made in Dundas and today are the oldest surviving examples of their kind in North America.

The administration building at the Woodward Water and Wastewater Treatment Facility houses the Compliance Support Group, Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement and the Environmental Laboratory. The administration building attained LEED Silver certification for the sustainable approach to the way that the building was designed and constructed. For lab tours, visitors must be at least 10 years old and wear closed-toe shoes.

The Keeping Room is a cookery shop that carries tools for baking breads and desserts as well as pots, pans, knives and cookie cutters. The store occupies the stable that once housed Grafton's Dry Goods wagons. Made of local brick and maintaining most of its original character, The Keeping Room has been doing business in Dundas since 1976.

This former dairy building was built by Frank C. Biggs, the then-Minister of Highways (1919-23) and named for his farm in Flamborough. The bust of an Ayrshire cow adorns the elegant parapet. The building housed the popular Valley City Dairy for many years and is now home to The Kitchen Witch, purveyors of linens, décor, antiques and curiosities.

The Lister Block features a two-level, L-shaped interior shopping arcade and distinctive terracotta and brick façade. It is one of Hamilton's first multi-purpose commercial office/retail buildings. Built in 1923, it was restored in 2012. Join architect-led tours and explore a Tourism Hamilton presentation inside. Architectural Conservancy Ontario and Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee information stations will also be available inside.

The McMaster Museum of Art has developed a self-guided walking tour that highlights architecture on the campus, with information about the history, evolution and styles of architecture along the way. Access the tour here, with photographs sourced from McMaster’s digital archives. You can follow the text descriptions or use headphones and be guided by recorded audio.

This gorgeous Ontario vernacular cottage was built by descendants of the original settlers of Flamborough. The Morden family arrived in 1802. This building was constructed in the second wave of settlement when families were able to make more permanent structures, often made with stone. The farm continues to provide organic produce and meat in the adjacent market store.

Mystic Ramen is the creation of Chef Noah Woods, the self-described “Japanophile” who traces his cultural fascination to his martial arts training. The menu is completely Japanese. The location is in a simple Victorian building that still maintains the original Hamilton brick and the first-floor cornice with dentils. Noah and wife Heather offer a perfectly crafted dining experience.

Nellie James – a popular local gourmet-to-go and catering business — occupies this gable-fronted structure popular in the 19th century. Built of timber with board-and-batten siding, this building was originally a barn. But, over the years, it has been used for commercial — including a laundry in 1928 — and retail. Today, Nellie James provides chef-driven meals made of locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.

Opened in 1915, Picone Fine Food is the longest-running family-owned and -operated grocery store in Ontario. Theresa and Sharon Picone have maintained the high quality of food that was set by their parents and grandparents, with such specialties as aged balsamic, truffles, peppery olive oils and sea asparagus. The storefront and second floor are being restored to their 19th-century glory.