Museums in the SDG Counties are never boring! Whether you’re interested in walking through a functioning 1800s village, touring a spooky decommissioned jail, or just learning a bit more about your ancestry, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Below you’ll find a list of some of our fan-favourite museums to check out this summer. Join us as we celebrate, learn, and connect with the captivating heritage of this remarkable corner of Canada. For more information on admissions, events, and location click on the link in each museum title.
Located in Morrisburg, ON, Upper Canada Village is a living museum based in the 1860s. It features 40+ historical buildings, including a working sawmill and grist mill, functioning farms, a tavern, and blacksmith. It is one of the largest living historical sites in Canada.
Open daily 9:30am – 5pm
The Historic SDG Jail is the second oldest jail in Ontario. Built in 1833 and functional until 2002, the various stories of the jail span centuries. To learn about the jail’s daring escapes and continued hauntings drop in for a guided tour or reserve online.
Tours leave hourly Wednesday – Sunday at 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm.
The Lost Villages Museum is made up of 10 historic buildings moved from the flooding of the St Lawrence seaway in July of 1958. Located in Long Sault, ON, the Museum frequently hosts events supporting local artists and artisans, check out their website to stay up to date.
Open daily from 10am – 5pm
Nor ’Westers & Loyalist Museum
Looking for more information on Loyalists in the area? Check out the Glengarry, Nor’Westers and Loyalist Museum in Williamstown, ON. The site preserves and interprets the history of the United Empire Loyalist migration to Glengarry County and of the Glengarry partners of the Northwest Company.
Open Thursday – Monday 10am – 5pm
Sir John Johnson was a United Empire Loyalist who moved North to Montreal following the American Revolution. The national historic site is one of Ontario’s oldest standing homes being built sometime between 1784 and 1792.
Open Every Day 8am – 3:30pm
Declared a National Historic House, the Bethune-Thompson House is the oldest residence owned by the Ontario Heritage. Its name comes from its two most prominent inhabitants, Reverend John Bethune and explorer David Thompson. Thompson is most known for mapping much of what is now Western Canada.
Open year-round Monday to Friday after 4:30pm, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays
Located in Dunvegan, the Glengarry Pioneer Museum consists of various log heritage buildings from the 1800s, and numerous artifacts from the nineteenth century. While the Museum was established in 1962, the site has had an extensive history going back to it’s origins as the Macintosh Store in the 1840’s.
Open Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 4pm
The St Raphael’s Ruins is both a prominent historical landmark in the SDG Counties and a National Historic Site. Built somewhere between 1815-1821, only the outer walls of the church remain after the brutal fire in 1970 that took the roof, the tower and artifacts in the building.
Open to the public 7 days a week with a curator onsite Thursday – Monday 8:30am – 4pm throughout July and August
The Carman House is a Victorian era cottage built in 1815. It is one of the two buildings in Iroquois that was not moved due to the flooding of the St Lawrence Seaway.
Hours: Sunday’s 10am – 4pm July through August
Located in the Aultsville Train Station near Upper Canada Village, the British Home Children exhibit celebrates the life stories of youth sent from the United Kingdom to Britain’s colonies and dominions for a better life.
Open weekends from August 3 – 26
Saunders Hydro Dam Visitors Centre
Learn about the immense hydroelectric power generated by the Moses-Saunders Hydro Dam and the villages that were lost to achieve it at the Saunders Hydro Dam Visitors Centre.
Open Tuesday – Sunday 9:30am – 5pm
Walk among dinosaurs at Prehistoric World this summer. With over 50 life size handmade dinosaurs along a 1km nature trail, there’s something to see around every corner.
Open daily 10am – 4pm
