Day trips from Windsor
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Explore wonderful sites close to home, all within a two-hour drive from downtown Windsor. Take part in family-friendly activities at the site of the longest American occupation on Canadian soil. Visit an ancient First Nations village or one of Canada’s most biodiverse national parks. Whatever you’re up for, there’s so much to explore! Start making plans today with these special outings.
Site of the longest American occupation on Canadian soil.
- Driving: 35 minutes
Fort Malden National Historic Site
How to get there
- Drive: In Amherstburg, just 35 minutes from Windsor via Front Road.
What to do
- Rebel or soldier? Walk into the Escape Room and travel back in time on the cusp of battle. Work as a team to decipher riddles and escape the fort barracks!
- Join the troops on the parade ground and be a part of the artillery! See the flash of fire and hear the explosion of the Brown Bess gun and truly immerse yourself in the early history of Canada's military.
- Join a guided tour of the fort grounds and get a taste of soldier life in the cookhouse. Chow down on ribsticker bowls of stew and a hearty hunk of fresh-baked bread.
A date with destiny
Fort Malden is where Major General Sir Isaac Brock and Shawnee Chief Tecumseh met in 1812, and decided to join forces for the attack on Fort Detroit.
One of the smallest national parks in Canada, but one of the most ecologically diverse.
- Driving: 1 hour
Point Pelee National Park
How to get there
- Drive: In Leamington, an hour via highway ON-3 east.
What to do
- Bring binoculars or a telescope for a magical night of stargazing in this Dark-Sky Preserve!
- Hop aboard the shuttle bus from the Visitor Centre. Don’t forget your camera because this is solid gold selfie material—capturing the moment you stood on Canada’s southernmost tip!
- Break out the binoculars! Point Pelee is a birder’s bonanza, with more than 390 species recorded within the park’s renowned birding area.
Did you know?
Not only do birds fly over the park; in the fall thousands of Monarch butterflies migrate through here on their journey to the mountainous forest in central Mexico.
A rare preserved fortified Indigenous village site.
- Driving: 1 hour 40 minutes
Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site
How to get there
- Drive: Follow the highway ON-401 west for 1 hour 40 minutes to Fingal.
What to do
- Walk in the footsteps of the Attiwandaron people who once lived here from 1500 to 1650.
- Follow the interpretive panels and bring the past to life.
- Pack a picnic and eat it in the shade of the towering trees overlooking the ridges of earthworks that still surround the village site.
Did you know?
The Attiwandaron Nation were also known as the Neutral because of their peace with the Five Nations and Huron-Wendat.