There are many great places in Ontario, but none quite like Windsor. If you’re planning a trip there, you’ll want to learn the best things to do and places to visit in Windsor, Ontario.
Windsor is a unique place that offers a quiet and refined charm. Visitors often talk about the natural beauty of the area, filled with parks around the riverfront, where you can walk endlessly on their many trails. But don’t think Windsor is only for the outdoor-lovers and adventurers; if you’re young and like to party, you’ll find a lively nightlife and an interesting food scene. It’s definitely a great place if you’re needing a change of pace in your life and you could use some relaxation, fun, and a bunch of things to do and see.
Best Things to do in Windsor, Ontario
Explore Dieppe Gardens
If you want to see a place where you can just get lost in the moment and admire the beauty of nature, then go to Dieppe Gardens. It’s also one of the most peaceful places in Windsor, perfect for taking long walks. Like many parks in the city, it’s located along the Detroit River, so you’ll have a great view of the Detroit skyline, as well as downtown Detroit. If you like history, you’ll like to see the many monuments and memorials that honor Canadian veterans amidst the greenery.
Best time to visit Dieppe Gardens:
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Spring and summer: The nicest time of the year, when the gardens are all green and there are flowers everywhere. It’s also when the weather is best to walk and exercise outdoors.
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Fall: The changing colors of the foliage make for an incredible moment for pictures and memories.
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Evening and night: While the park is beautiful during the day, at night, you can see the outline of the city in a different light.
Photo by Mohamad Mohsen on Unsplash
Discover Olde Walkerville
Olde Walkerville is one is a must-do thing for history fans in Windsor. If you want to learn more about the past of the city just by walking and looking around, then visit the oldest neighborhood. There are many attractions you can visit there, which include the Willistead Manor, a Tudor-style mansion that you can tour.
For the cultured drinkers, there’s the Walkerville Brewery, a favorite among the locals for their craft beers, and the Wolfhead Distillery, which produces small batches of spirits like whiskey and vodka.
If you want to walk around a little more, you’ll end up in Walkerville Riverside Park, where you can walk along the river. This way you can also see more of the street art and murals of Windsor, since many of them are in Walkerville.
Hike Ojibway Nature Centre Trails
If you love the outdoors and no matter how far you walk, you feel great, then you’ll love the Ojibway Nature Centre Trails. This is one of the best things to do for outdoor exploration in Windsor and a great way to see the natural, untamed beauty of the area.
Best Trails at Ojibway Nature Centre:
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Ojibway Park Loop: An easy trail, accessible, family-friendly and short, with only around 2 km. It goes around the forest and the wetlands, so you have some variety.
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Tallgrass Prairie Trail: There, you can explore Ontario’s rare tallgrass prairie ecosystem. If you go in the spring and summer, you’ll find unique kinds of wildflowers blooming.
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Spring Garden Natural Area Trail: A more intense trail, but still manageable, that takes you through the wetlands, meadows, and forest. It’s more secluded and feels more like an off-the-beaten-path hike than a regular walk in the park. It has some steep sections, and some areas can be overgrown.
See Windsor Sculpture Park
If you like museums but want to see something more unique, then you’ll love this idea. The Windsor Sculpture Park is an outdoor museum that extends its pieces over the Detroit River waterfront, so you can walk by or even rent a bike for an hour or two. It contains fewer than 40 pieces, but wait until you see the scale of these.
Must-See Sculptures at Windsor Sculpture Park:
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Odette: A beautiful rendition of a bird-like creature that evokes freedom and movement.
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The Garden – Dream and The Garden – Nightmare: A collaborative sculpture that explores opposite human emotions.
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Tembo, Mother of Elephants: A favorite for pictures due to its size.
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Consophia: One of the more unique, it plays with balance and perception, as the massive rectangular structure seems about to fall.
Paddle at River Canard Canoe Co.
Walking and biking are all nice and good exercises, but how about something more active? How about some paddling! While you’ve been seeing and hearing more about the Detroit River, the River Canard is also close to Windsor. It’s quite perfect for this sport, since it flows peacefully through many different landscapes. You can paddle along easily and admire the farmlands, forests, and wetlands. It’s also a great way to spot the wildlife. If you’re lucky and quiet, you can see great blue herons, turtles, beavers, and even bald eagles!
Tips for Beginners:
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Choose the right boat: Canoes are great for two people, but they need good teamwork, and paddleboards are fun, but they’re harder to balance on. For beginners, it’s easier to take the kayaks.
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Safety and preparation: Always wear a life jacket, even if you’re an expert and you feel like you don’t need it. Also, try to wear comfortable clothes that allow a long range of movement and dry quickly.
Try Poutine in Windsor
If you’re not that familiar with Canadian culture, is normal that you don’t know what poutine is. It’s a very popular dish made with crispy French fries and cheese curds paired with a rich, savory gravy. The first poutine was made in Quebec in the 1950s, but now you can find it all around the country and with a lot of variation.
Best places to eat poutine in Windsor:
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Smoke’s Poutinerie: If you want to try the classic flavor with hand-cut fries, fresh curds, and homemade gravy, then this is the best place. Afterward, you can try their buffalo chicken poutine if you prefer a stronger flavour.
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Mamo Burger Bar: If you want flavorful, over-the-top, and gourmet toppings in your poutines, you can’t miss this place. One of the most requested is the BBQ brisket poutine, as well as the bacon cheeseburger poutine.
Photo by @withlovefromchile on Unsplash
Visit the Canadian Aviation Museum
If you like history and mechanical wonders, then you have to visit the Canadian Aviation Museum. It’s located in the Windsor International Airport, so if you’re flying directly to the city you have no excuse not to visit. There you can find many restored vintage aircraft, interactive exhibits, and even flight experiences.
Notable exhibits in the Canadian Aviation Museum:
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Avro Lancaster Bomber (FM212): If you know about the aircraft used during World War II, then you’ll love to hear that the museum not only has one of the few surviving Lancaster Bombers, but it’s also in the process of restoring it to full flying condition.
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North American Harvard Trainer: Keeping with World War II now you can see how the Canadian fighter pilots trained.
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Fleet Finch: It wasn’t on the war, but this biplane was built in Canada and was used to train the Royal Canadian Air Force pilots.
Photo by Rodrigo Rodriguez on Unsplash
Explore Pelee Island
If you want to escape the city and see one of the lesser-known places in Ontario, you can head to Canada’s southernmost island. Pelee Island is located in Lake Erie and is great for nature lovers. You can access it by ferry, but it doesn’t work in every season. You can also go by private boat if you have your own, and by air with a small aircraft from the Windsor Airport.
There in the island, you can go to Pelee Island Winery Pavilion, to try the award-winning Ontario wine. If you’re not sure which one to try, we highly suggest the Pinot Noir and Rieslings, better if you try them on the outdoor patio. You can also explore the island on a bike, it has only 42 km of circumference, so it’s not that hard to ride around it.
Expert tips on the best things to do in Windsor, Ontario
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Best Time to Visit: If you want to get the best experience, with plenty of things to do, visit Windsor, Ontario during spring or fall. You’ll get the best weather, with incredible colors in the landscapes, and fewer crowds.
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Events and Festivals: If you’re curious about what celebrations you could catch there, there are quite a few. There’s the Bright Lights Windsor in December and January in the Jackson Park, and there is the Carousel of the Nations in June, where you can eat and dance.
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