Residents across Waterloo Region can explore three local museum sites for free during the annual Doors Open event on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, Schneider Haus National Historic Site, and McDougall Cottage Historic Site will welcome visitors at no charge as part of the province-wide Doors Open Ontario program.
The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum in Kitchener opens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It features Ontario’s largest community museum, two indoor galleries, and the recently reopened 60-acre Doon Heritage Village, which shows life as it was in 1914. The village had been closed for three years for renovations and celebrated its grand reopening on Canada Day.
In Kitchener, Schneider Haus National Historic Site opens at 11 a.m. This restored 1816 homestead was established by Joseph Schneider, who led the major migration of Pennsylvania-German Mennonites to Waterloo County in 1807. It is a designated National Historic Site of Canada.
McDougall Cottage Historic Site in Cambridge also opens at 11 a.m. on Saturday and will continue offering free admission on Monday, September 21. Built around 1858, the granite and limestone labourer’s cottage was home to two families of Scottish settlers for more than a century. Today it celebrates Cambridge’s strong Scottish heritage.
Doors Open Ontario is administered by the Ontario Heritage Trust and includes 27 participating sites across Waterloo Region. All sites offer free admission to the public. For a full list of locations and hours, visit the Doors Open Waterloo Region page.
