Don’t hibernate this winter, get out and explore. This cozy day trip guide to Oshawa serves up a warm way to spend a winter day, from the comforts of indoors. From uncovering the city’s stories through its museums to lingering over coffee in inviting cafés and settling in for a memorable meal, this itinerary shows you exactly how to spend a perfect winter day staying warm while exploring the city.
Start your visit with a stop at one of the many cozy coffee shops in downtown Oshawa. Like Kareza Café. Wander in and you’ll feel the warm as soon as you step in. Order a piping hot cup of coffee and one of their delectable fresh pastries. With a front room feeling like you’ve walked into the pages of Downton Abbey thanks to it gilded picture frames filled of images of serene countryside. Tucked in the back you’ll find a cozy nook with walls lined with bookshelves, an ideal spot to linger with a hot chocolate and book
Next, take a short stroll to the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and spend some time exploring its modern and contemporary art collection. As the largest public art gallery in Durham Region, it’s a place that invites you to slow down and linger. Home to more than 4,700 works, the gallery showcases an impressive mix of pieces—from the Group of Seven to contemporary Ontario-based creators and Indigenous artists—offering something new to discover around every corner.
From art to automotives, a must-visit indoor attraction in Oshawa is the Canadian Automotive Museum. Located within a 1920s car dealership, the museum is a unique spot for car enthusiasts and others looking to learn more about the city’s history of building cars. Covering two floors you’ll see a wide array of vehicles built in Europe and the UK as well as right here in Canada. With cars dating back to the early 1900s, a few highlights include a 1965 Amphicar, made for the road and water, a 1983 DeLorean to excite Back to the Future fans, and a full-scale model of Disney Pixar’s Lightning McQueen.
For lunch, Oshawa is brimming with diverse restaurants to suit any craving. A perfect place for a warm winter meal is at Berry Hill Food Co. Snuggle up into one of their booths and browse the menu that specializes in handmade options and locally sourced ingredients. Order up one of their daily soups that pairs perfectly with one of their hearty sandwiches. If you’re keen on something more unique than make a reservation for afternoon tea at the Lobby Bar. This stylish spot with marble table tops and chandeliers, offers an elevated dining experience that will take away your winter blahs. Warm up with your choice of tea and their winter afternoon tea menu with highlights that include cranberry-orange scones and gingerbread snowflake sweets.
Afterward head over to Brew Wizards Board Game Cafe for some indoor shenanigans. This quirky cafe is the perfect spot to nerd out and have some fun while warm and a literal world away from winter. Order up a beer or coffee and choose from a wall full of games. You’ll find classics like Jenga and Trivia Pursuit as well as entertaining ones like Codenames and Bananas.
Before heading home don’t miss out on a visit to the Oshawa Museum. This unique museum, located on the shores of Lake Ontario in Lakeview Park, is set across three historic buildings. The museum shares the stories of the people and places of Oshawa, from Indigenous to modern day. Take a tour through the Henry House, a Regency cottage that dates back to the 1840s, that presents as it would over 150 years ago with period furniture and learn how the family would have stayed warm in their day. Next door is the Robinson House, where you’ll find two exhibits that dig deep into the history of Oshawa, the main floor showcases Untold Oshawa and reveals interesting people and events in the city that many don’t know about. On the top floor, the A Carrying Place exhibit features artifacts recovered from local archaeological sites where the ancestral Wendat people lived as well as pieces created by the local Indigenous community to help promote reconciliation. The museum makes a fitting finale to a cozy day spent exploring Oshawa indoors.
A winter day in Oshawa is all about trading the cold for good stories, great food, and places that invite you to linger just a little longer. Consider this your invitation to wander, warm up, and enjoy Oshawa one cozy stop at a time.
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