London, Ontario, can be explored through a range of landscape and cultural themes: the Thames Valley Parkway follows the Thames River, alongside natural areas, museums, historic gardens and recreational activities. For planning your trip, it helps to start by deciding what interests you most: spending time on trails and by the water, exploring collections and the city’s history, or visiting seasonal attractions. The places and activities below offer some specific ideas.
Along the Thames River: Trails and Paddling
The Thames Valley Parkway is 45 kilometres long and runs through scenic parkland along the Thames River. Scenic river crossings are also part of its route. The parkway connects to more than 150 kilometres of additional trails that reach all parts of London. This gives you both a longer named route and an extensive trail network. On the parkway, you can walk, run, cycle or inline skate, so it accommodates a range of ways to get around. If you’d rather explore London from the water, paddling on the Thames River offers a different perspective. The river is designated a Canadian Heritage River and recognized for its outstanding contributions to cultural and natural heritage, as well as to Canada’s recreational opportunities.
Natural Areas and Visitor Information
London has more than 500 parks, green spaces, sports fields, trails and natural areas. Twenty-one natural areas are designated as Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs). Their landscapes include wetlands, woodlands, meadows and valley lands, as well as important wildlife habitats. This variety makes it easy to explore the natural environment according to your interests: wetlands and woodlands offer a different focus from meadows and valley lands. ESAs are open to visitors from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. As visitor rules can change, check the latest information before your visit.
Museum London and Eldon House
Museum London is downtown, at the intersection of Dundas Place and Ridout Street, overlooking the Deshkan Ziibi / Thames River. It is an 11-minute walk from the VIA Rail station. Its collection includes more than 5,500 works of art and nearly 50,000 historical artifacts. This offers two distinct ways to explore the city’s history, with artworks and historical objects as separate areas of focus.
Eldon House is the oldest residence in London. It preserves family heirlooms, furnishings and treasured possessions of the Harris family. The gardens also offer specific historical and design details: garden beds have been on the grounds around the house since the 1840s. The rock garden includes a lily pond with goldfish and an antique fountain. The best time to visit the gardens is from May to September. This is a useful guide if the gardens are among your travel interests.
Seasonal Attractions and Indoor Activities
Storybook Gardens is an amusement park inspired by nursery rhymes, located in Springbank Park. Its attractions include a pirate playground, a Ferris wheel, a summer splash pad, a magic garden and an enchanted castle. In winter, a 250-metre skating trail winds around the grounds. The splash pad and ice skating are clearly seasonal options; if you’re visiting specifically for one of these attractions, check the latest visitor information.
The Factory offers a different focus: the indoor adventure park covers nearly 1.6 hectares and is described as Canada’s largest indoor adventure park. Attractions include ziplines, virtual reality games and a climbing wall. The specific features can help you choose between the activities: Storybook Gardens pairs its nursery-rhyme-inspired setting with explicitly seasonal attractions, while The Factory brings together indoor activities such as climbing, ziplines and virtual games. Along with river trails, natural areas and cultural sites, these attractions show how many different ways there are to spend time in London.
Discover more destinations: Mt Brydges, Melbourne, Thames Centre, Kerwood, Ilderton, Strathroy
Return to the regional travel overview: Middlesex County.
