On Saturday, October 17, Doors Open Whitby opens seven sites. Their build dates run from about 1812 to this year. Most of them keep the same hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., so you can visit in any order you like. Two sites work differently. The Werden's Plan Walking Tour starts at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and the Camp X Memorial at Intrepid Park runs its presentations at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. too.
Since the two programs share the same times, you can't see both in the same slot. A good Doors Open Whitby day uses one slot for each and fills the hours in between with the open-all-day sites. Every other choice follows from that.
The Two Fixed Appointments
Werden's Plan Walking Tour. Groups meet at the corner of Brock Street South and Burns Street, outside the Warren General Store at 900 Brock Street South. Each tour takes about an hour and covers the history of the homes and businesses in Whitby's oldest subdivision, now the Werden's Plan Heritage Conservation District. The listing shows full wheelchair access and parking, and it gives no registration step.
Camp X Memorial, Intrepid Park. The site is at 2008 Boundary Road. Its two presentations run at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and both guided and self-guided tours are offered through the day. Camp X trained agents for missions behind enemy lines and also served as a wartime communications hub. The Doors Open listing gives 1941 as the site's year and calls it a Canadian National Historic Site.
What you visit at Camp X is the memorial and the grounds. The listing says none of the camp's buildings remain, and the memorial went up in 1984. Out of the seven sites, this is the one where the talk matters most. Whatever else you shuffle, keep Camp X lined up with a presentation slot.
The Schedule at a Glance
| Site | Address | Saturday hours | Fixed times | Access notes from the listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Werden's Plan Walking Tour | Brock St. S. at Burns St. | Tours only | 11 a.m., 2 p.m. | Full wheelchair access, parking |
| Camp X Memorial, Intrepid Park | 2008 Boundary Rd. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Presentations 11 a.m., 2 p.m. | Parking listed |
| Lynde House Museum and Warren General Store | 900 Brock St. S. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | None listed | Partial wheelchair access, parking, washrooms |
| Burr Lodge | 918 Centre St. S. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | None listed | Partial wheelchair access |
| Station Gallery | 1450 Henry St. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | None listed | Full wheelchair access, parking, washrooms |
| Fire Department Headquarters, Fire Station 5 | 111 McKinney Dr. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | None listed | Full wheelchair access, parking, washrooms |
| Fieldgate Sports Complex | 2 Gathering Place | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | None listed | Partial wheelchair access, parking, washrooms |
Burr Lodge, Lynde House, Station Gallery and the fire headquarters all list guided tours, but their pages give no tour times or sign-up details. The Town says some sites have different hours or timed tours and points visitors to the Doors Open Ontario Whitby page for those details. Check it the evening before.
The Brock Street South Morning
Three of the seven stops sit on two neighbouring addresses. The walking tour meets at 900 Brock Street South, Lynde House and the Warren General Store share that address, and Burr Lodge is at 918 Centre Street South. If you start the day here, you can do these in order:
- Lynde House Museum, from 10 a.m. The Doors Open listing calls it Durham Region's oldest home. It was built around 1812 for Jabez Lynde, an early Whitby pioneer, and is a rare example of the Georgian or Loyalist style. The Whitby Historical Society runs it, and costumed interpreters lead tours on Whitby's history, the Lynde family and life in 19th-century Whitby. The house has been a museum since 1972 and was moved to its current site in 2014.
- Warren General Store, before 11 a.m. It's at the same address and shows work by local artists. It's also the meeting point for the walking tour, so finishing here puts you in place.
- Werden's Plan Walking Tour, 11 a.m. It runs about an hour and ends around noon.
- Burr Lodge, around midday. This 1855 house is linked to James Wallace, Whitby's second mayor, and the listing names him as architect. It describes Georgian, Italianate and Renaissance Revival styles. Burr Lodge is a private home, and Doors Open is the occasion when it offers guided tours. If you're only going to fit in one of the open-all-day sites, make it this one.
Next, drive to Camp X for the 2 p.m. presentation. That leaves time after 3 p.m. for one more open-all-day stop before everything closes at 4.
If your morning is busy, reverse the plan. Go to Camp X at 11 a.m., then spend the afternoon on Brock Street South and take the 2 p.m. walking tour. Lynde House and Burr Lodge both stay open until 4 p.m., so you'll still have time for both after the tour.
Station Gallery and the Fire Hall Fill the Gaps
Station Gallery, at 1450 Henry Street beside Iroquois Park, has exhibitions across four main gallery spaces. St. John's Anglican Church is also on the grounds, representing a church built in 1846. Doors Open Ontario lists the gallery's build year as 1970. With full wheelchair access, parking and washrooms all listed, it works for groups with mixed mobility, and you can see it between the two fixed times.
Whitby Fire Department Headquarters, Fire Station 5, at 111 McKinney Drive, has the most hands-on program of the day. The listing promises a special presentation, training demonstrations, obstacle courses, children's colouring and live music. According to the listing, Whitby hired its first full-time firefighters in 1970, and the headquarters officially opened in September 1999. If you have kids who won't sit through an hour-long heritage walk, put this stop between the 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. slots. It can stand in for one of the walking tours.
Fieldgate Is the Newest Door on the List
At one end of the timeline is Lynde House, built around 1812. At the other is Fieldgate Sports Complex, which officially opened on September 12, 2026, three weeks ago. Doors Open Ontario gives its build year as 2026. The complex is at 2 Gathering Place, west of Baldwin Street South and south of Highway 407. The Town puts its size at about 15,200 square metres, or roughly 164,000 square feet, and construction started with a groundbreaking in September 2023.
Inside are a twin-pad arena, the facility the Town calls Durham's largest aquatics centre, a double gymnasium with a walking track, and community program rooms. Outside is Roybrook Park, 13 acres with pickleball, tennis and basketball courts, Whitby's first artificial turf field, a skatepark, a pump track and a playground. The Town says the outdoor amenities were added because of community feedback.
Before you drive up, there are two things to know. First, the Doors Open listing doesn't give a Fieldgate itinerary or tour schedule for the day. Second, the Town said the outdoor spaces would close for a while after the grand opening for final landscaping. Its September 19 update lists daily outdoor pickleball with the Whitby-Brooklin Pickleball Association from 9 to 11 a.m., but don't count on every part of Roybrook Park being open on the 17th. If you missed the opening, the Town has an online self-guided tour based on the one used at the grand opening.
Fieldgate is a public facility, and you can visit any week of the year. It's on the Doors Open list, but if time runs short on Saturday, skip it. You can come back for a weeknight swim or a skate.
A Second Outing for the Same Month
If you want more of the south end, Lynde Shores Conservation Area at 623 Halls Road South has something new this fall. On October 3, Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority and Ducks Unlimited Canada marked the end of the latest wetland restoration there and officially opened a new boardwalk and lookout platform. It's worth a visit on a quiet morning before or after October 17. Then you'll have seen Whitby's newest outdoor build and its newest indoor build in the same month.
The rest of the fall calendar is coming up too. Downtown Whitby Trick or Treat runs October 31 from noon to 3 p.m., followed by a 3:15 p.m. dance lesson at Celebration Square, 405 Dundas Street West. Whitby Lights the Night starts at Civic Park on November 27, and the lights stay up nightly through January 11, 2027.
At McDougall Team, we spend a lot of time on how a home is presented, inside and out. Doors Open is the one day each year when Whitby shows its own buildings that way. If you own a home in or near Werden's Plan and want to know how its age and character show up in today's market, ask us for a free home valuation.
