Ever-changing design, photography and craft exhibits exploring facets of contemporary art hang at the Art Gallery of Mississauga. Open daily, the gallery is free to enter and explore. Downtown, the Living Arts Centre also has exhibition space, as well as two performing art theaters, seven artist-in-residence studios and multiuse conference rooms. Theater-goers can enjoy the center's in-house LIVE Restaurant, which serves a dinner buffet before shows and coffee and desserts after. Reservations are recommended.
The early 1900s remain frozen in time at Benares Historic House on Clarkson Road North. Beginning in 1836, the estate was home to four generations of the Harris family before being donated to the Ontario Heritage Trust and formally put on display. Inside the home, antique furniture and household items donated by the family tell the story of the wealthy military class in Mississauga around the turn of the century. The museum is open through the year on Wednesdays and Sundays, and Wednesday through Sunday during July and August.
More than 100 acres, including 15 miles of Lake Ontario shoreline, make up Lake Promenade Park. Take a stroll along the waterfront trail's miles of uninterrupted path, look at sailboats bobbing at the marina docks or have lunch at one of the picnic areas. A playground and splash pad are available for kids, and fishing is permitted year-round.
Streetsville is a miniature main street lined with two-story shops, brick churches and street lamps flanked with banners in the west end of Mississauga. The small village within the city maintains a hometown feel with the annual Bread and Honey Festival, Santa Claus parade and Canada Day festivities. May through October, monthly historical walking tours provide an entertaining -- and free -- way to learn more about the history of Streetsville and many of its buildings.
