Posted : October 8, 2013
Our blog is chock full of great ideas for fun things to see and do in York Durham and Headwaters. We are always adding new content and updating old posts, but sometimes you might stumble upon something from our vault. If this article has inspired you to hit the road, be sure to double-check that the featured stops in this post are still welcoming visitors.
The fourth annual Culture Days weekend took place September 27, 28 and 29 and featured a number of free cultural activities across Canada to encourage Canadians to participate and appreciate many forms of art and culture in their communities. So I ventured out to see what Culture Days activities I could find in Central Counties! It was a simple process, go to the Culture Days website, create a profile, search for activities by postal code and add them to my own personal schedule!
I decided to take in some art at the McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg, a place I don’t think I’ve visited since elementary school. How sad is that? But it was such a beautiful sunny fall day in Ontario and a perfect day not only to visit the free open house at the gallery but to take a walk along the many paths and trails on the grounds.
The feature exhibitions at the Gallery included two photography exhibitions the “Masterworks” of Ansel Adams and “The Landscape that we Change” by Edward Burtynsky. The Ansel Adams exhibition (which has now ended) included 47 photographs including a lot of landscape photography. Perfect for a travel lover and landscape lover like me! The Edward Burtynsky exhibition has been held over to October 14th and included a series of 30 landscape photographs that almost jumped off the wall they were so clear. I felt like I was staring at 3D photographs.
Of course the McMichael Gallery is famous for its Canadian Collections and its permanent exhibitions of Tom Thompson and Group of Seven art. Their First Nations, Métis and Inuit works of art are also on display regularly and during Culture Days the entire gallery was open for everyone and anyone that wanted to experience it for free.
But art was not the only cultural experience available that weekend at the McMichael Gallery. The Green Door Tea house had a lovely tea tasting set up in one of the galleries media rooms. Tea enthusiasts were able to sample premium loos leaf teas and learn about the health benefits of these various types of teas.
After a nice walk through the gallery and a warm up from a cup of tea I made my way outside to the beautiful fall day. Blue skies, fluffy white clouds and the changing colours on the trees made a great backdrop for a nice walk along the many trails and paths on the McMichael Gallery grounds. Which included a walk by Tom Thompson’s shack and a lovely walk through the forested area.
Culture days is held each year in September and Central Counties had many experiences to choose from which included outdoor Yoga at the Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization, a backstage look at the City Playhouse Theatre, many open houses at various buildings in the region and much much more! All free events to encourage you and your families to take in a little culture close to home! Mark your calendars for next year I know I will!
Sharon M is a travel blogger and writer at Dream Travel Magazine an online travel blog based in Thornhill, Ontario.
