Doors Open Ontario presenting sponsor
Doors Open Ontario presenting sponsor

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Doors Open Ontario:

Owen Sound

in-person event information

Saturday, June 21, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Discover Owen Sound’s rich history and plan a day trip to explore heritage sites as part of Doors Open Ontario, an annual program of the Ontario Heritage Trust. Mark your calendar and enjoy these fabulous sites as part of the Doors Open tour.

Doors Open Ontario is a provincewide heritage tourism program that gives the public free access to explore fascinating heritage properties across Ontario. It showcases the buildings, natural spaces, infrastructure and cultural landscapes that shape and define our communities. 

This year, we are excited that the Gichi-Name Wiikwedong Reconciliation Garden at Kelso Beach in Nawash Park will open our event with a sunrise ceremony (5:30 to 8 a.m.) to celebrate the summer solstice.

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Community information

The City of Owen Sound is located on the southern shore of Georgian Bay in a valley below the limestone cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment. It lies at the foot of the Bruce Peninsula, famous for its exceptional geography.

Known as the Scenic City, Owen Sound features an expansive harbour and bay, winding rivers, tree-lined streets, extensive parks and trails and a thriving, historical River District in the heart of the city.

Key natural attractions include Inglis Falls, Harrison Park, Kelso Beach Park and several conservation areas. The Bruce Trail forms a ribbon around the city along the escarpment, connecting waterfalls and revealing a wide array of flora and fauna, including rare ferns.

Once named a Cultural Capital of Canada, the city is home to numerous festivals and events, such as the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival, the Sweetwater Music Festival, the Waterfront Festival, the Salmon Spectacular fishing derby, the Concours d'Elegance and the Festival of Northern Lights.

We are thrilled to participate in Doors Open Ontario — a provincewide heritage tourism program that gives the public free access to explore fascinating heritage properties across Ontario. It showcases the buildings, natural spaces, infrastructure and cultural landscapes that shape and define our communities.

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Contact information

10 In-person Doors Open sites

Billy Bishop MuseumDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Billy Bishop Museum

The Billy Bishop Museum remains an Owen Sound landmark. Boyhood home of the eponymous First World War flying ace, this museum invites you to explore the Bishop family and to honour the contributions of service men and women, past and present. Dedicated as a museum in 1987, this site became a National Historic Site in 2002.

  • Adaptive reuse
  • Guided tours available
  • Kid-friendly
  • National Historic Site (Canada)
  • Parking
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Self-guided tours available
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed

Contact info

948 3rd Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: info@billybishop.org
https://www.billybishopmuseum.org

Architecture

Year built: 1884
Building type: Attraction Historical landmark Museum

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21

British Methodist Episcopal ChurchDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

British Methodist Episcopal Church

This church was built in 1889 for the West Side Methodists. They soon outgrew this little chapel and, in 1911, they sold it and it became the British Methodist Episcopal Church (originally known as “the coloured people's church”). Today, this diverse congregation continues to carry on the legacy of the original Black families who settled in Grey County.

  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Parking
  • Site is protected by the Ontario Heritage Trust
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

245 11th Street West
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: bmechurchofowensound@gmail.com
https://bmechurchofowensound.com

Architecture

Year built: 1889
Building type: Place of worship

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21

Community Waterfront Heritage CentreDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Community Waterfront Heritage Centre

The Marine Rail Heritage Centre, housed inside the Community Waterfront Heritage Centre, was established in 1978 by a volunteer group of enthusiasts to showcase Owen Sound’s history as a thriving port. Located inside the historical railway station, this museum preserves the area’s marine, rail and industrial history with artifacts, scale models, archival photos, interactive stations and railway memorabilia.

  • Adaptive reuse
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Kid-friendly
  • Parking
  • Self-guided tours available
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

1155 1st Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: info@waterfrontheritage.ca
https://waterfrontheritage.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1931
Building type: Historical landmark Museum Transportation Gallery

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21

Georgian Bay School of the ArtsDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Georgian Bay School of the Arts

This school is a 600-square-meter (6,500-square-foot) maker space that complements the expanding arts scene in Owen Sound. With classes in pottery, jewelry, printmaking, stained glass and more, the school is steadily growing — offering new classes and open studios, and acquiring new equipment regularly. Come and explore this creative space and see how they foster collaboration and skills development.

  • Adaptive reuse
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Kid-friendly
  • Parking
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

938 2nd Avenue East
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: info@gbarts.ca
https://gbarts.ca

Architecture

Building type: Educational facility Gallery

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21

Harmony CentreDoors Open Owen Sound

New

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario
Harmony Centre

This is a dynamic cultural institution dedicated to providing the community with accessible and affordable spaces to share, create, educate and perform. With a 700-seat auditorium, a 160-seat commons area, kitchen and banquet facilities, and numerous smaller lofts and studios, the Harmony Centre is an example of the value of retrofitting an existing community asset to respond to changing times.

  • Adaptive reuse
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

890 4th Avenue East
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: info@hamonycentre.ca
https://harmonycentre.ca

Architecture

Building type: Place of worship

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21

Owen Sound Artists' Co-opDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Owen Sound Artists' Co-op

Constructed in 1905 as a retail store, this building was purchased in 1924 by a rival retailer who operated it as a dry goods store until 1989. Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1990, it is now home to the Owen Sound Artists' Co-op — a gallery/retail space for area artists to showcase and sell their work.

  • Adaptive reuse
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Parking
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed

Contact info

942 2nd Avenue East
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: info@artistscoop.ca
https://artistscoop.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1905
Building type: Commercial Historical landmark Gallery
Architect: Forster and Clark

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21

Owen Sound CenotaphDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Owen Sound Cenotaph

Dedicated on December 1, 1920 and designed by the assistant to the man behind France’s Vimy Ridge monument, the Owen Sound Cenotaph serves as a memorial to Canadian veterans from the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, and up to the present day. Legion Remembrance Day ceremonies and memorial services are held here to this day.

  • Full wheelchair access
  • Kid-friendly
  • Parking
  • Self-guided tours available
  • Site has blue and gold provincial plaque
  • Photography allowed

Contact info

815 1st Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: jwright@owensound.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1921

Architect: Emanuel Hahn

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21

Roselawn Bowling ClubDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Roselawn Bowling Club

Lawn bowling has been a popular summer sport in Owen Sound for more than 100 years. The club, originally called Owen Sound North (Brooke) Lawnbowling Club, purchased this property for $200 in 1948. After a fire in the 1990s destroyed the St. George’s Lawnbowling Club facility, Roselawn welcomed its members. Come and visit and try your hand at lawn bowling!


  • Guided tours available
  • Kid-friendly
  • Parking
  • Partial wheelchair access

Contact info

1555 5th Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: roselawnbowlingclub@gmail.com
https://www.roselawnbowls.ca/

Architecture

Year built: 1948
Building type: Sports facility

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21

Roxy TheatreDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Roxy Theatre

The Roxy Theatre building, which was originally the Grand Opera House, was constructed in 1913 and has long been a landmark in Owen Sound. The Owen Sound Little Theatre, a not-for-profit charitable organization, now uses the building for community theatrical productions as well as many stage performances and musical events. Free parking on Saturdays in the lot behind the theatre.

  • Guided tours available
  • Kid-friendly
  • Parking
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

251 9th Street East
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: admin@roxytheatre.ca
https://roxytheatre.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1913
Building type: Attraction Theatre
Architect: George Redmond and Neil Beggs

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21

Tone Yoga StudioDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Tone Yoga Studio

Built of native stone and dedicated to the Congregational church in 1871, this property has enjoyed many uses over the years. Today, this designated building is a thriving yoga, music and dance studio. The teachers and staff all work to create healing, harmony and wellness in the community through classes and workshops. Come and explore this beautifully renovated building.

  • Adaptive reuse
  • Guided tours available
  • Parking
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Site is protected by the Ontario Heritage Trust
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

900 1st Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
http://toneyogastudio.com

Architecture

Year built: 1869
Building type: Commercial Place of worship

Dates/hours open

Jun 21 - Jun 21