Located less than 40 km from downtown Toronto, Pickering is a vibrant tourism destination. Pickering's stunning natural trails and diverse community provide the base for welcoming vibes and a promising future of urban growth.

Tourism Attractions

Current Initiatives

Thanks to the generous funding of the Government of Canada, and the Government of Ontario, the City of Pickering was able to work collaboratively with Central Counties Tourism to support tourism initiatives through the Region of Durham, and Ontario as a whole.

The Pickering Museum Village, Pickering’s top tourism site, is proud to be a primary stop in three Tourism routes namely: The Anne and Maud Experience, the war on Whisky self-guided tour, and Spine Tingling Durham.

Anne and Maud Tourism Route

Anne at the window

This route celebrates our strong and growing partnership with the Township of Uxbridge and our mutual development of the Anne & Maud Experience. It explores the world of Anne of Green Gables on an interactive trail from Uxbridge to Pickering, with many stops along the way including bookshops, breweries, cafes and more!

Take the self-guided Lucy Maud Montgomery Trail brought to you by Discover Uxbridge, York Durham Headwaters and Durham Tourism where you can tour Leaskdale Manse – home where the author penned 10 novels while she raised her family. Make a detour and explore the world of Anne of Green Gables in a behind-the-camera tour of the Pickering Museum Village, the set of various ‘Anne’ productions for almost forty years. Enjoy a picnic lunch, taste a scone as you blend your own tea, and listen to an audio tour with Anne recounting some of her favourite memories. Visit the historic houses and learn about Lucy Maud Montgomery and historic fashions from Anne’s time. Take part in a painting workshop as you bring the past to life in this fun experience.

For more information visit www.AnneandMaud.ca

L. M. MONTGOMERY is a trademark of Heirs of L. M. Montgomery Inc. and is used under license by the L.M. Montgomery Society of Ontario

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES and other indicia of ANNE are trademarks and Canadian official marks of the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority Inc.

Temperance and Temptation

Man holding a bottleParticipate in a mixture of different tours and programs throughout the Durham region, and learn all about the scandalous history of bootlegging, the toe-tapping music scene, and news of the 1920’s. This one of a kind experience is sure to please, whether you are a car fanatic, a history buff, an escape room extraordinaire, or you just want to sit back and relax at one of 8 participating breweries.

Experience the ‘20s at the Pickering Museum Village! Step back in time when glad rags were party clothes and giggle juice was illegal booze.  Find out how the locals were dealing with prohibition, what they were doing for fun (and how they got their hands on giggle juice). There’s also a mystery afoot in our Prohibition Escape Room, featuring none other than the infamous bootlegger Rocco Perri!

After your visit to the museum, download the Temperance & Temptation podcast and self-guided driving tour to visit local microbreweries and learn how the Bluenoses who supported Temperance openly clashed with the bootleggers and moonshiners who defied the movement.

Read more about the tour.

Spine Tingling Durham

Spirit in the building

York Durham Headwaters attractions have put together a new experience: the Spine-Tingling trail where ghosts of the past exist side by side with the living… if you dare, that is. You never know who—or what—might be lurking behind you within these haunted walls.

This collection of historic buildings and artifacts which preserve Pickering’s heritage also preserve the spirits of a few of its former residents. Step back in time to hear the haunted stories of the Pickering Museum Village on a Pickering Ghost Walk. Many of these stories come from eye witnesses, and though these guests do not know one another, their tales often recount the same chilling experiences, only in different buildings around the property. Ghosts, it would seem, are not confined to only one set of walls at the Pickering Museum Village.

More things to do around Pickering and Durham Region