This beautiful church with recent renovations in Uptown Waterloo has an abundance of richly carved oak woodwork by Globe Furniture of Waterloo, including paneling, pews, choir stalls, a chancel screen, a pulpit and lectern, and a reredos carving of the Last Supper. Other highlights include murals and windows. Enjoy a talk: "Seagram’s: Family, Faith, and the Shaping of Waterloo."

Step into a restored 1850s Mennonite farmhouse. Featuring 19th-century furnishings and family artifacts, this fieldstone home built in the Mennonite Georgian style offers a glimpse into rural life and the traditions of Waterloo’s early Pennsylvania German Mennonite settlers. This hidden gem within the University of Waterloo’s R+T Park has been named a significant Cultural Heritage Landscape in Waterloo.

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is celebrating its silver jubilee in 2026, marking 25 years of governance innovation and global impact. Explore the CIGI campus (awarded a Governor General’s Medal in Architecture), watch engaging presentations and learn how our work has contributed to bettering global policy making and improving people’s lives around the world.

Uncover the traditions and symbolism of Freemasonry, and how it has been involved in the life of this community for 150 years. See historical furnishings and symbols in the lodge room, browse heritage displays, chat with Freemasons from Glenrose Lodge No 628 (est. 1924) and sister Lodge, New Dominion Lodge No. 205 (est. 1868), who moved to Elmira in 2020.

One of the earliest surviving Scottish stone cottages in Cambridge, this charming 19th-century building offers a glimpse into early life in Galt. It was the home of William Ferguson, a blacksmith from Scotland and remained in the Ferguson family for about 80 years. The tiny, designated heritage building, built of local stone, is now home to the Galt Horticultural Society.

Step into a vanished rural crossroads where only traces remain. This evocative site reveals the story of a once-thriving hamlet centred around the Black Horse Inn (1853-75), a fascinating glimpse into the region’s early settlement and the forces that led to its disappearance. See inside three outbuildings from that era: a barn, smokehouse and stone-built former cheese factory from 1835.

Dive into Waterloo Region’s past through maps, photographs, postcards, yearbooks and archival collections. This dedicated research space is a treasure trove for anyone curious about local history, genealogy and the stories that shape the community. Plus discover a range of services and resources you may not expect, including specialized scanning and conversion equipment and reference and research support.

Explore the studio of a leading planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm shaping great communities throughout southwestern Ontario. They create, collaborate and innovate solutions addressing community development needs and challenges. Their renovated office is in a building constructed in 1903 for industrial manufacturing for the Berlin Interior Hardwood Company and is part of the Warehouse District Cultural Heritage Landscape.

This former heritage home is an award-winning adaptive reuse success story. Join local heritage developer RFB Development as they celebrate the two-year anniversary of transforming this single-family home into apartments, a café and a gallery space featuring rotating artist exhibitions. Peruse displays and chat with developers about re-envisioning built heritage to serve new purposes for local communities.

Magnolia Apartments is Indwell's newest supportive housing community in the city of Kitchener. This location is a conversion of three-quarters of the beautifully maintained St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church into 41 new deeply affordable supportive rental units. Onsite amenities and supports include community space and outdoor gardens. See how Indwell staff meet tenants' health and housing needs.

Adaptive reuse gets loud! The JR transformed an office building into a 650 square-metre (7,000 square-foot) modern community hub for musicians. Explore the rehearsal rooms, performance venue (The Union), skate park common area and Sherwood Music Lessons space. Chat with founder Adom Postma about his inspiration for the project and how it’s impacting the local music community.

Step inside McDougall Cottage, Cambridge’s hidden gem on the Grand! Learn the stories of the two Scottish-settler families who first called this lovely stone Cottage "home” and view its remarkable hand-painted murals. McDougall's newest exhibit, Snapshots in Time: Nostalgia and Memory, will be displayed. There will be samples of Scottish shortbread and crafts for the kids.

Named for the street that connected the 1832 settlement that become New Hamburg, and located in an area of rich historical relevance, this taproom and craft beverage producer blends heritage character with a contemporary social experience. Explore the nano-brewery and revel in the architecture and stories deeply connected to the early industrial and residential growth of downtown New Hamburg.

Explore the world’s largest independent research institute devoted to theoretical physics, a place where scientists investigate the fundamental workings of the universe, from the smallest particles to the entire cosmos. During your visit, you can explore the Institute’s award-winning design and get behind-the-scenes access through an informative building tour. Free tickets are required for entry.

Do you envision a future where older adults live life to the fullest? Our goal is to change the way we age in Canada. The RIA supports research in several areas and mobilizes that research into programs, resources and education. Explore their state-of-the-art building and lab spaces, meet their researcher and staff and learn how you can get involved.

Newly renovated in an innovative and ambitious adaptive reuse project to share space with Indwell’s Magnolia Apartments, St. Peter’s boldly holds space for faith, community, justice and the arts. Their grand architecture, upgraded Hallman pipe organ, beautiful courtyard and multi-use spaces provide an inspiring, completely modernized, accessible and climate-controlled setting. (Indwell’s Magnolia Apartments is also part of Doors Open; see both.)

Explore Waterloo Region’s oldest buildings — the 1852-53 Gaol (jail) and the 1878 Governor’s House (jail warden’s home) — and learn how community action saved them from demolition. Closed in 1978, this heritage site has been given new purpose. By combining designation with adaptive reuse, the granite Gaol now houses Provincial Offences courtrooms, and the Governor’s House is home to legal offices.

Waterloo Pioneers Memorial Tower commemorates the arrival of Pennsylvania-German pioneers to the Waterloo region. The 18.9-metre tower (62 feet) is located along the banks of the Grand River. A viewing platform at the top provides a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. Visitors will have access to the viewing platform for a short time as part of Doors Open.

At YMCA Camp Ki-Wa-Y, adventure starts here for all ages. For more than 100 years, Camp Ki-Wa-Y has inspired connection, confidence and outdoor exploration on the shores of Paradise Lake. During Doors Open, guests can explore indoor spaces, visit the waterfront and experience activities like archery and high ropes while discovering the magic of camp life.