Brantford can boast of being one of the grandest cities of old Canada, and with its strategic location on the Grand River, it was once the 3rd largest industrial center in the country. Our downtown, where the longest stretch of pre-Confederate buildings in the province still stands today, is the legacy of the immense wealth and stability that was once Brantford's hallmark.
As Brantford's success and population grew our downtown experienced all the side effects of urban sprawl. While everyone's sights were fixated on the new 'suburban' way of life with shopping malls & parking lots, Brantford's once-powerful core dwindled into a ghost town. It even doubled as a haunted town for the film Silent Hill!
But things have evolved, and today, if you visit Downtown Brantford you'll see new life intermingling with our historic yesterdays! We are smack dab in the middle of an emerging renaissance! Every day there is more to see, do and experience in the downtown, and we invite you to be a part of the endless possibilities for what will happen here tomorrow.
Here are some starter ideas for things to experience around the downtown (and feel free to send in your own suggestions!)
- Have a drink in a cafe with some friends. Relax and chat, or bring your laptop and surf the net, being productive (or maybe just doing Facebook.)
At the "Find Your Spirit" Festival |
- Have a meal at one of the downtown's great restaurants and then check out a concert at the legendary Sanderson Centre.
- Watch skateboarders testing their mettle down at Brant's Crossing, or fly fishers wading into the Grand River. (Pop your own toes in, if you like.)
- Go ice skating in Harmony Square, or if its too warm (more than 4ºC), see what other entertainment might be happening there, from art displays to movie nights.
- Hit one of the local bars for a beer, or maybe some kareoke!
- Play a game of roulette at the Casino, or catch a Blast hockey game. Bring a guitar and have a singalong with some friends in one of our beautiful parks.
- If it's earlier on a Friday or Saturday, walk down to the Farmers Market and get some local produce, or maybe pick up a pastry or knick-knack for someone special. You can still even get milk in glass bottles!
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Old Colborne St. |
Read a magazine or book in our state-of-the-art library. Borrow a video or a CD. Attend a workshop or film screening.
- Walk down to Wharf and Water Streets and take a look at the crazy terraces and wonky building backs that once were once facing an actual waterfront! (Look closely and you'll be able to tell!)
- Visit the Brant Museum & Archives for some local history, or convince someone in the know to take you on a walking tour of the downtown to give you the inside scoop on some of the most captivating architecture and history you will ever encounter.
- Walk around and imagine a young Alexander Graham Bell playing chess in that building where they have all-age indie rock concerts now (true story!), or picture a young Wayne Gretzky buying a bag of chips from the same variety store you're standing in. If these streets could talk!
Come visit Downtown Brantford, and see what kind of experience is waiting for you!
We guarantee you won't forget it any time soon. |
