Published on Nov 3, 2022
Don’t let the cool temperatures stop you from discovering one of Ontario’s fastest growing cities. Brantford is home to history, scenic trails, and art and cultural offerings. Here are five of our favourite things to do during fall that everyone in the family can enjoy!
Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts
This restored, historic movie theatre showcases a diverse lineup of local and international live acts, with amazing acoustics to boot. Shows range in style from musicals, to violinists, cover bands and Shakespeare-inspired plays.
If you’re a fan of architecture, you’ll enjoy both the exterior and interior design of the space. The downtown Brantford theatre opened in 1919 and offers a lovely glimpse of what it might have felt like to enjoy a night on the town back in its early days.
Brantford Twin Valley Zoo
This 25-acre family-owned business is a great spot for kids and animal lovers! The zoo’s history is a charming story about the young love of two Canadian immigrants who built their livelihoods through hard work and determination. Tony and Henny, the founders of the zoo, met at 13 years old in their home country of Holland. In 1960, they married and headed for Canada. They worked many jobs while raising their five children. After a severe shoulder injury, Tony decided to take his love for animals and start the Brantford Twin Valley Zoo.
The zoo is a sanctuary that holds over 80 species including lions, tigers, wolves, bears, deer, alpaca, primates, and many birds. You can interact with animals by purchasing special treats and enjoy your own lunch too!
Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant
If you enjoy art, you will definitely want to visit this gallery near the banks of the Grand River. It has a rich history, thanks to the original owner, Mr. Edmund Cockshutt. A lover of his community and art, Mr. Cockshutt’s wish was for the people of Brantford to enjoy his property for decades after his death, and left the future of its development to the city.
The gallery displays contemporary art year-round, with special exhibitions, art classes, tours, an outdoor sculpture garden and a The Golden Teapot, where visitors can experience high tea sittings.
SC Johnson Trail
You’re not really enjoying fall in Ontario until you’ve experienced the changing leaves along its picturesque nature trails. Residents and visitors of Brantford have access to a gorgeous section of the Grand River Conservation Foundation with the SC Johnson Trail.
This 14-km trail can be tracked along the previous Lake Erie and Northern Railway bed, and travels through gorgeous farmland, several vistas overlooking the Grand River, and rare prairie grasslands.
Bell Homestead National Historic Site
Have you ever wondered why Brantford is known as “The Telephone City?” When Alexander Graham Bell came to Canada from Scotland, he settled in none other than Brantford! It was here at Bell Homestead, his family’s home in Canada, that he invented the telephone in 1874!
The Bell family sold the property in 1881, and had several owners until it was donated to Brantford Parks in 1909. The site still holds original furniture and Bell’s first models of the telephone, and sits next door to the home where his father started the first telephone office.
Visitors are welcome to view this iconic piece of Canadian history which Queen Elizabeth II declared a Canadian National Historic Site in 1997.
Visit livhere.ca to register for Nature’s Grand Phase 3 in Brantford, a community of beautiful Towns & Singles surrounded by 100 acres of riverside and conservation greenspace.