Doors Open Ontario 2015 kicks off April 25!

TORONTO, April 21, 2015 /CNW/ - Doors Open Ontario 2015 is less than a week away! The season kicks off in Guelph on April 25 and will roll out throughout the summer and fall in 44 communities across the province!

From April through October, communities in Ontario will open to the public hundreds of historical buildings, places of worship, museums, private homes, industrial areas, green buildings, heritage gardens and other interesting venues – many of which are rarely accessible. Many of the participating sites offer special activities, such as tours, exhibitions and demonstrations – all free of charge!

This year, the Ontario Heritage Trust celebrates Ontario's sport heritage. The theme – Play. Endure. Inspire. Ontario's sport heritage – explores the traditions, innovations, heroes and diversity of sport in Ontario. In addition to its variety of regular sites, Doors Open Ontario 2015 also features community centres, sports fields, halls of fame and arenas!

For detailed event information and interactive tools to help you plan your Doors Open Ontario experience, visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca. The site also offers social networking tools so you can share information with your friends and family, as well as a "My Favourites" feature that allows you to keep track of your favourite sites and create a travel itinerary.

Doors Open Ontario is a program of the Ontario Heritage Trust, with funding support from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

Quote

"The Ontario Heritage Trust is pleased to present Doors Open Ontario, now in its 14th year. The themes for 2015 − Play. Endure. Inspire. Ontario's sport heritage – recognizes the rich legacy of sport and its important contributions to our diverse culture. I hope that you will take the time to experience the wide range of fascinating and unique sites that are featured in Doors Open Ontario events throughout the province."
– Thomas H.B. Symons, Chairman, Ontario Heritage Trust

"With the TORONTO 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games just around the corner, I'm proud that the Ontario Heritage Trust has chosen to celebrate our province's rich sports heritage as part of Doors Open Ontario this year. Excitement for the Games continues to grow and I know that Doors Open Ontario will only add to it. I encourage all Ontarians and visitors to our province to join us in celebration and explore everything Ontario has to offer."
−The Honourable Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and Minister Responsible for the 2015 Pan/ Parapan American Games

Quick facts

• Doors Open Ontario 2015 features hundreds of communities participating in 44 events across the province.
• One new community has joined Doors Open Ontario this year – Frontenac hosts an event on June 13!
• Nine out of 10 Ontarians live in a community that has hosted a Doors Open Ontario event.
•  In total, over 5.8 million visits have been made to 6,067 Doors Open Ontario sites since the program's launch in 2002.
• Visitors to Doors Open Ontario events have spent over $49 million to support local economies.

Learn more

Find out more about Doors Open Ontario 2015 and the Doors Open Ontario 2015 photo contest, and search for participating communities at www.doorsopenontario.on.ca .

Learn more about Ontario's sport heritage, including the sport personalities, traditions and key events that have raised the bar of sport achievement in our province, by visiting
Snapshots of Ontario's Sport Heritage at www.heritagetrust.on.ca/sports .

Doors Open Ontario 2015 alphabetical list of events

Amherstburg	September 26-27
Aurora	August 15
Bradford-West Gwillimbury	October 3
Brampton	September 26
Brockville and the Thousand Islands	May 23-24
Burlington	September 26
Clarington	June 13
East Elgin	July 11
Fergus Elora	June 20
Frontenac	June 13
Gravenhurst	June 20
Grimsby	September 26
Guelph	April 25
Haldimand County	September 19
Halton Region	September 26-27
Hamilton	May 2-3
Highlands East	September 12-13
Kawartha Lakes	September 13
Kincardine and Area	May 23-24
Kingston	June 20
London	September 26-27
Markham	September 19
Mississauga	September 26
Muskoka Lakes	September 26
Northumberland	June 6-7
Orillia	June 20
Oshawa	September 26
Ottawa	June 6-7
Owen Sound	June 6-7
Oxford County	May 30
Peterborough	May 2
Pickering	October 3
Port Stanley-Sparta	September 19
Quinte West	October 3
Richmond Hill	May 9
Smiths Falls	June 7
St. Marys	September 26
St. Thomas	October 17
Stratford	June 6
Toronto	May 23-24
Waterloo Region	September 19
Wellington North	September 26
Whitby	May 2
Whitchurch-Stouffville	June 6

The Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.

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SOURCE Ontario Heritage Trust

For further information: For more information about Doors Open Ontario 2015, contact Rose Windy Manigat at 416-325-5032 or [e-mail].