Barrie residents and visitors can explore 17 heritage and cultural sites for free on Saturday, September 26, 2026, as Doors Open Barrie returns from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event, hosted by Creative Barrie in partnership with the City’s Heritage Committee and the Ontario Heritage Trust, gives people a chance to see buildings and spaces that are usually closed to the public.
This year’s lineup includes the Barrie Visitor Information Centre, built in 1914, and the MacLaren Art Centre, a National Historic Site from 1917. Also open are the Military Heritage Park, which was a Grand Trunk Railway station from 1903, and the Grey and Simcoe Foresters Regimental Museum, built in 1888-89. The event is paired with the City’s Culture Days programming, adding free, hands-on arts activities at several locations.
A guided walking tour called ‘Barrie’s Hidden Past’ will run at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., starting from 4 Essa Road and following Tiffin Street to Lakeshore Drive. The tour shares stories about ice harvesting on Lake Simcoe, a sunken ship, and the legend of Kempenfelt Kelly, the city’s own lake monster. Tourism Barrie promotes the walk as a look at the area’s lesser-known history.
Doors Open Barrie is part of Doors Open Ontario’s 25th season, which has welcomed over 9.5 million visits since 2002. The 2026 season includes 34 communities from April to October. Barrie’s tourism economy supported 7,892 jobs in 2025, which is 20 percent above the national average.
