Guelph has about 135,000 residents (2019) just east of Kitchener-Waterloo  enjoying 1,100 acres of parks and trails, as well as internationally recognized recreational, arts and cultural facilities.

Guelph has 4 performance theatres, 4 cinema screen, 4 museums, and 8 public galleries. For athletes, there are a series of pathways along the Grand amd the Speed rivers, are 48 baseball diamonds, 23 public tennis courts, 3 indoor and 1 outdoor swimming pools, 5 public and 2 private golf courses. There is a large conservation area with lake just north of town.

Guelph lies along the Speed River just north of the 401, with good highway connections along #6, as well as a major airport west of the community, and is served by VIA Rail and inter-city bus operators. Guelph has three hospitals.

Guelph History

Guelph was settled in 1827 as a planned town by a British development firm known as the “Canada Company”. The location was picked by the Company’s Superintendent in Canada, a popular Scottish novelist named John Galt, who designed the town to attract settlers to it and to the surrounding countryside. Galt’s plan had streets radiating from a focal point at the Speed River, with squares and broad main streets, like a European city centre. The name Guelph has a special significance, it was the family name of the Dukes of Bavaria and through alliance with the Hohenstaufens came to be the surname of the British Royal family when, in 1714, George of Hanover became George I.

Many early civic buildings were designed by prominent Toronto architects of locally quarried limestone. In nearby Fergus, land was granted to Richard Pierpoint and half a dozen other former slaves, escaped from the United States. The town grew significantly after the Grand Trunk Railroad reached it from Toronto, in 1856.

City of Guelph

Guelph Attractions

Aberfoyle Junction Model Railway

128 Brock Road
Aberfoyle ON N1H 6H9
519-836-2720

This 1500 square foot model railway is open to the public and depicts Southern Ontatio in the 1950’s. Lighted passenger cars have intricate interior detailing and recreate and era when train travel dominated the transport industry. Hand built models of both our major railways, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, run on their separate rights of way. The trains run through a completely scenicked countryside, passing fields, rivers, towns, a large city, even part of the Niagara Escarpment.

Arboretum at University of Guelph, The

University of Guelph
Guelph ON
519-824-4120 fax 519-763-9598

165 hectares (408 acres) of greenspace, gardens, nature trails, showcasing 30 plant collections, workshops, as well as a dinner theatre and meeting, banquet & wedding facilities.

Blossom Hill Fun Farm

5676 Wellington Road 7
Guelph, Ontario N1H 6J2
519-763-8118

Join them for Pumpkinfest on October weekends and Thanksgiving Monday. Wagon Rides, Haunted House, Corn Maze, Strawjump, Pumpkin Chucking, Petting Zoo, Bone Bin, Bouncing Buckeroos, Puppet Shows. Open Weekends: September 29th to October 28th, 2007 weekends: 10 am – 5 pm

Church of Our Lady Immaculate

28 Norfolk Street
Guelph ON N1H 4H8
519 824-3951

This national historic site is a magnificent example of gothic architecture.

Cox Creek Cellars Estate Winery

R.R. #5
Guelph ON N1H 6J2
519-767-3253 Fax: 519-824-0808

This farm is dedicated to providing a safe home for abandoned, neglected and abused donkeys, mules and hinnies. Open early May to Thanksgiving weekend, Wednesdays and Sundays, 9 am -4 pm

Guelph Civic Museum

6 Dublin St South
Guelph ON N1H 4L5
519- 836-1221

Making its home in an 1850 three-story Guelph limestone building, the Guelph Civic Museum features exhibitions and public programs which explore the many individuals, cultures and events that contributed to the historic development of the City of Guelph. Open 1 – 5 pm Sun to Fri from Sept to May. Admission $. Closed on holidays.

Hammond Museum of Radio

595 Southgate Road
Guelph ON N1G 3W6
519-822-2441 Extn: 590

This unique museum is dedicated to showcasing all things radio-related and is home to hundreds of receivers and transmitters, all manufactured in Canada. The founder, Fred Hammond, began collecting radio artifacts as early as 1928 and each of these historic pieces is contained within the museum.

Macdonald Stewart Art Centre

358 Gordon Street
Guelph Ontario N1G 1Y1
519-837-0010

This public art gallery house 15 exhibitions of contemporary and historical art. The University of Guelph Art Collection, containing over 3,000 pieces focusing on three Centuries of Canadian and international art works, is permanently displayed at the centre. A number of exhibits are temporarily on display here.

McCrae House National Historic Site

108 Water Street
Guelph Ontario N1H 4L5
519-836-1482

This museum was named after the McCrae family, who were active in the social, political, military and cultural activities since the mid 19th Century. The house was originally constructed in 1858 and underwent renovations some 10 years later. The house is now used as a museum to honour the McCrae’s and depict life in the late 1870s. Exhibitions interpret the life of John McCrae, world famous doctor, soldier and author of In Flanders Fields.

River’s Edge Goat Dairy

8102 Wellington Road #109
Arthur, Ontario N0G 1A0
519-848-2203 1-888-209-7330

95-acre farm on the Conestogo River in Arthur, about 15 minutes north of Fergus, Ontario. The best tasting goat milk, cheeses and yogurt. Handmade fresh on our farm. Also moisturizing soaps and creams. Visit the farm. Open Wednesday to Sunday 8 am to 8 pm. See them also at the Guelph Farmers’ Market, and through Monforte Dairy at the St. Jacob’s and St. Lawrence Farmers’ Farmer’s Markets.

Strom’s Farm

5089 Wellington Road #32
Guelph, Ontario N1H 6J7
519-822-1070

Get lost (and found) in the corn maze. Harvest fun includes bakery treats, sweet corn, pumpkins, corn maze, pumpkin chucking, wagon rides, and school tours. Open August-Christmas , Sun – Fri: 10 – 6, Sat: 10 – 9, Thanksgiving Mon: 10 – 6. Allow 45 – 60 minutes. Admission and activity fees.

Town Lattice Covered Bridge

York Road at Wyndham or Gordon Streets
Guelph ON
519-837-5618

One of only two covered bridges in Ontario, this bridge was constructed in 1992 by a group of visiting timberframers. The bridge was modelled after an original design from the 1800s.

Wellington County Museum & Archives

0536 County Road 18 RR#1
Fergus, ON N1M 2W3
519-846-0916 Extn: 221

This museum, located just outside Guelph, is a designated national historic site. Twelve exhibits throughout the museum showcase the life and times of Wellington’s residents, both past and present. The collection of decorative arts and textiles is of particular interest. Historians can browse the extensive archives, which contain a number of rare historical records.

Guelph Parks

Here are the more popular Guelph municipal parks:

Arboretum at University of Guelph, The

University of Guelph
Guelph ON
519-824-4120 Extn: 32767, fax 519-763-9598

165 hectares (408 acres) of greenspace, gardens, nature trails, showcasing 30 plant collections, workshops, as well as a dinner theatre and meeting, banquet & wedding facilities.

Exhibition Park

81 London Road, Guelph

Established in 1871. The land was purchased by the City for its annual exhibition. The park included a horse race track, exhibition building and livestock sheds. Later additions included a bandstand and the David E. Hastings stadium baseball diamonds. The original stadium was built in 1925 and the arena in 1965. Other sports facilities includes tennis course, a football/rugby/ soccer field, and an ice rink.

Guelph Lake

7743 Conservation Dr., RR 4
Guelph, ON N1H 6J1
(519) 824-5061

There’s a lot of room for recreation at this 1,608 hectares ( 3,971 acres) conservation area created with the construction of the Guelph Lake dam in 1974. A newly developed concert area with a unique living roof is on an island in the middle of the lake. There are two beaches and non-motorized boating is allowed on the lake. It is home to a sailing club and there’s excellent fishing. In winter it is open for ice fishing.

Lyon Park

299 York Road, Guelph

In 1908 this 44 hectare (9 acre) park was donated by John Walter Lyon. Early amenities in the park included a canoe landing in the Eramosa River, an outdoor swimming pool and a bandstand, and recent recreational facilities include softball diamonds, an ice rink, and a barrier-free playground.

Riverside

709 Woolwich Street, Guelph

Large 32 hactare (80 acre) park, the second park to be established in Guelph, and lies on the shores of the Speed River. The park was created by the Guelph Radial Railway in 1905, to improve the revenue of the streetcar line, which charged 5 cents a ride to get to the park. The park has three hardball diamonds, a volleyball court, a carousel, a1 kiddie train ride, paddle boat rentals, 2 play grounds, public washrooms, a concert bandshell, a dutch windmill, and a floral clock. The Speed River Trail (part of the Trans Canada Trail) passes through the park

Woodlawn Memorial Park

762 Woolwich Street
Guelph, Ontario, N1H 3Z1
519-822-1271 or 1-888-730-8199

This historic 80 acre cemetery has been around since 1854 and is the final resting place for many of Guelph’s prominent residents. The historic Woodlawn Memorial park is covered in trees and walking paths and is beautiful in all seasons. Special events are held throughout the year. Self guided tours available.

Guelph, Ontario Area Map