Region of Waterloo Strategic Plan 2023-2027 Priorities:

We're looking for your input to expand the experiences and stories at Doon Heritage Village!

Doon Heritage Village (DHV) is a 60 acre living history museum that opened in 1957. For decades Doon Heritage Village has shared what life was like for some community members in rural Waterloo Region in 1914. Its living history programs brought to life the early years of the 1900s with costumed interpreters, hands-on activities, guided tours, special events and school class visits.

Like many other cultural institutions around the world, the Region of Waterloo's Doon Heritage Village is reflecting on which stories of culture and heritage it shares – and which are missing. The Region of Waterloo Museum team is seeking input from the community on how it might expand the stories, resources and experiences it provides to all residents and visitors through a world-class museum experience.

Reimagining Doon Heritage Village presents an opportunity for meaningful community engagement. Museum staff welcome community storytelling and memory sharing; providing an understanding of what the Village has meant to residents and visitors over the last 60+ years.

This is an important opportunity to welcome the stories, cultures and traditions of residents who do not yet see their own cultural history represented in Region of Waterloo Museums and historic sites.

Reimagining Doon Together

  • This project aims to ensure that Doon Heritage Village becomes a truly reflective and inclusive space by actively involving the community in expanding and enriching the stories shared at the site - while celebrating the stories and memories of Doon Heritage Village over the past 60+ years.
  • Planning for the future of Doon Heritage Village, we turn to the community to reflect on what we can learn from the past to understand our current experience and to support the future generations in Waterloo Region.
  • A Reimagined Doon Heritage Village will share stories that resonate with our community, providing opportunities for learning and conversation, and create unique experiences for all.
  • This project seeks community input, especially from those whose stories are underrepresented, to enrich the narratives shared at Doon Heritage Village and reflect the experience and identities of our community.
  • Community input will lead to the creation of a new Doon Heritage Village Interpretive Plan to ensure Doon Village remains a vital cultural asset.

Why Now?

  • In 2023, operations were paused to begin a utilities replacement project.
  • These updates include utility services to allow more accessible public programs, safer evening and winter events with efficient lighting, reliable and sustainable building heating, new water mains for washrooms and fire response, and improved connectivity. This important investment in the site will prioritize visitor experience, accessibility, health and safety, and environmental sustainability.
  • During this construction time, Regional staff will engage with the community to imagine future programming, experiences and stories, and new uses for existing spaces.

Doon Heritage Village at a glance

  • Since the late 1980’s DHV has recreated life in rural Waterloo County during the year 1914.
  • The Doon Heritage Village, which has been in operation since 1957, and the nearby Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, which opened in 2010, are owned and operated by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo
  • More than 22 buildings, some of which are restored buildings donated and relocated from across Waterloo Region and south-central Ontario, and some are reconstructions based on original buildings.
  • Buildings in the living history village include a railway station, a number of farmhouses and barns, a weavery, grocery store, harness shop, tailor shop, post office, sawmill, church, and a fire hall.
  • Doon Heritage Village is a popular spot for weddings, celebrations, events, fieldtrips and a filming location. The Village was the set for an episode of CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries in the summer of 2023

What We Heard

In 2024, we collected valuable ideas and feedback from the community on how to update and enhance Doon Heritage Village (DHV). Highlights from the engagement findings include:

  • A strong desire for diverse storytelling, including accurate and respectful representation of Indigenous and diverse newcomer stories.
  • Interest in hands-on, immersive experiences, such as workshops and interactive exhibits, that balance entertainment with education.
  • The importance of improving accessibility to and within the Village, including affordable admission, better transportation options, and accessible pathways.
  • A preference for maintaining the 1914 historical focus while connecting it to broader historical and cultural narratives that resonate with today’s visitors

To learn more, you can review the:

Phase 2 - Developing a new Interpretive Plan

The second phase of engagement builds on the valuable community feedback gathered in 2024. Input from the first phase of engagement helped shape the new themes for interpretation, ensuring that the stories, experiences and perspectives represented at the site reflect the rich and diverse history of the region.

Museum interpretation is how we communicate the meaning of our collections, spaces and stories to visitors. The Region of Waterloo Museums and Archives team is actively working on interpretive planning and is excited to announce that the reimagined Doon Heritage Village will open in 2026.

In the meantime:

  • Rentals: The Village will remain open for rentals throughout 2025.
  • Interpretive Planning: We are developing new stories and programs guided by three key principles:
  • Theatricality: Using immersive, playful, and dramatic storytelling to engage audiences.
  • Multi-Sensory Experiences: Incorporating tactile, visual, auditory, and olfactory elements to appeal to diverse learning styles and abilities.
  • Expanded Stories: Collaborating with communities to ensure inclusive and accurate storytelling, addressing both celebratory and difficult aspects of history.

We need your input!

Residents are encouraged to participate in this next phase of engagement by sharing their thoughts on the new interpretive themes. A new survey is now open, helping to shape the development of a refreshed Interpretive Plan for the historic site. Please find the survey below and submit your feedback by April 15, 2025.

We’re also planning to pilot new experiences in 2025. Sign up for our weekly Region of Waterloo Museums and Archives e-newsletter if you’re interested in exclusive opportunities to test these ideas and provide feedback.