Windsor-Essex Jane's Walk Festival 2024
The Windsor-Essex Jane's Walk Festival is two weekends of free community events and guided walking tours throughout the region. These events are hosted by volunteers and celebrate local neighbourhoods.
All walks and events are free to attend and do not require registration.
Windsor-Tecumseh Weekend
Friday, May 3, 2024
Best Kept Little Secret in Essex County - Maidstone Museum
Friday, May 3 - 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Drop In Event: Maidstone)
Drop in: Maidstone Bicentennial Museum, 1093 Puce Rd, Emeryville
Drop in to the Maidstone Museum, tour the historic building and the Heritage Native Gardens. (More Details)
Of Comrades and Giants: Tecumseh's brewing and canning history
Friday, May 3 - 12:00 PM- 1:00 PM (Tecumseh)
Start/end point: Outside the Tecumseh Area Historical Museum, 12340 Tecumseh Rd E, Tecumseh
Learn about the history of breweries, canning factories, and road houses near the Tecumseh train station. (More Details)
Via Italia: Erie Street & Its Italian Cultural Roots
Friday, May 3 - 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM (Windsor: Erie Street)
Start/end point: Outside of Borrelli Cellars, 485 Erie St E, Windsor
Join us for a walking tour of the historic Via Italia-Erie Street corridor, where we will be highlighting the Italian cultural roots of the area. A special focus will be on legacy businesses that have been owned and operated for generations by Italian families since settling in the area. (More Details)
Riverside Ozone Has No Smoke Zone
Friday, May 3 - 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM (Windsor: Riverside)
Start/end point: Outside the Riverside Public Library, 6305 Wyandotte St E, Windsor
This tour will cover: architecture and heritage buildings, the families behind the street names, the special historical relationship the neighbourhood has with the Detroit River and even some prohibition stories. (More Details)
Historic Walkerville
Friday, May 3 - 7:00 - 8:00 PM (Windsor: Walkerville)
Start/end point: Outside of Walkerville Brewery, 525 Argyle Rd, Windsor
Stroll through the historic Walkerville business district, where a dynamic mix of Windsor's largest collection of heritage designated properties supports a perfect blend of residential and small business life. (More Details)
Saturday, May 4, 2024
A Stroll Through Historic Sandwich Town
Saturday, May 4 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM (Windsor: Sandwich)
Start/end point: Duff-Bâby Mansion, 221 Mill St, Windsor
Join Les Amis Duff-Bâby on the Mansion grounds before touring through Windsor's oldest neighbourhood. (More Details)
Walking the Lands of Council Fires
Saturday, May 4 - 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM (Windsor: Sandwich)
Start/end point: McKee Park Parking lot, Russell St and Chewett Street, Windsor
Join this walk as we engage with the Indigenous history of Waawiiyaatanong. From stories of the distant mythic past to flashpoints of nations meeting to the ever-present Indigenous presence here, this is a walk that follows decolonization one stride at a time. (More Details)
Spirits of Sandwich: Canadian Veterans
Saturday, May 4 - 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (Drop In Event: Sandwich)
Drop in: St. John's Church Cemetery, St John's, 3305 Sandwich St., Windsor
A self-guided walk through St. John’s Cemetery in old Sandwich to meet some of the Canadian veterans buried there. (More Details)
Across the River to Freedom: Sandwich Black History Walking Tour
Saturday, May 4 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (Windsor: Sandwich)
Start/end point: Southeastern corner of Brock and Sandwich (near Mackenzie Hall), Sandwich
Led by the Essex County Black Historical Research Society, this walking tour (approximately 2 km) will take you to sites and markers relevant to Black history in the historic Sandwich town centre. This tour is part of the Across the River to Freedom documentary project developed with the support of the Gordie Howe Bridge Authority Community Benefits Plan. (More Details)
Tour of Our Lady of the Assumption Church
Saturday, May 4 - 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM (Windsor: Sandwich)
Start/end point: Assumption Church, 2735 University Ave W, Windsor
Assumption Church, opened in 1845, houses the oldest Catholic Parish in Canada west of Montreal. Join us to see the progress of the church restoration, and to discuss discoveries that have been made about the history of the artwork in the church. (More Details)
Bridging to the Future: The Ambassador Bridge - Plans, Innuendo and Rumours
Saturday, May 4 - 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM (Windsor: Sandwich)
Start/end point: Corner of Indian Road and Mill Street, Sandwich, Windsor
A talk about the future plans, rumours and speculation on the next steps of the Ambassador Bridge. (More Details)
Electric Avenue: Windsor's Newest Art Alley
Saturday, May 4 - 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Windsor: Sandwich)
Start/end point: Outside WindsorEats Food Hall, 400 Erie St E Unit 3, Windsor
We're gonna take a walk down through Electric Avenue! Walk through Windsor's newest collection of murals in the western edge of Via Italia (Erie St. E.) to see the many visually stunning ways artists, both local and internationally renowned, have used the urban landscape as their canvas. (More Details)
Sunday, May 5, 2024
History and Nature in Oakwood Bush
Sunday, May 5 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM (Windsor: South Windsor)
Start/end point: Oakwood Park, Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex Parking Lot, 2555 Pulford St, Windsor
Tour Oakwood Bush, the interesting natural wonders of the area and some of the interesting historical details. (More Details)
Tree ID and Ecosystems of Spring Garden Natural Area
Sunday, May 5 - 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM (Windsor: Spring Garden)
Start/end point: Titcombe Parking Lot at Malden Rd and Elgin Street, Windsor
Learn about the various tree species found in Spring Garden and how to identify them by their characteristics. Participants will also learn about ecosystems found within Spring Garden, restoration work being undertaken and the proposed Ojibway National Urban Park. (More Details)
Zoning 101: What Is It and How Does It Shape Our City?
Sunday, May 5 - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (Windsor: Ford City)
Start/end point: Outside of Gino Marcus Community Centre, 1168 Drouillard Rd, Windsor
This walk will show people how zoning by-laws define and shape our cities and neighbourhoods. It will explain the basics of zoning by-laws and their associated regulations, what is and is not allowed by-right in these zones, and it will question whether our current zoning by-laws are good or bad for the city. (More Details)
Ford City - Labour, Architecture and Community
Sunday, May 5 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (Windsor: Ford City)
Start/end point: Outside of Gino Marcus Community Centre, 1168 Drouillard Rd, Windsor
Join us for a tour of Ford City that will explore the neighborhood's history, and its ties to the Labour Movement. We’ll explore existing buildings, the historic architecture that once was, and how the built form of the street helped to anchor a community that drove the automotive industry! (More Details)
Panier Picnic
Sunday, May 5 - 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Drop in event, Windsor: Ottawa Street)
Drop-in location: Lanspeary Park - Stone Gate Ottawa St. Entrance
A self-directed bicycle route leading you on a scavenger hunt through small, local, food merchants. You can discover and collect your provisions along the way then share your experience and delicious finds at a community picnic at the end of the route. (More Details)
Jackson Park Black History Walking Tour
Sunday, May 5 - 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM (Windsor: Jackson Park)
Start/end point: Royal Canadian Airforce Memorial (airplane replicas), Jackson Park, Windsor
Led by the Essex County Black Historical Research Society, take a journey back in time to appreciate the sights, sounds, and significance of Windsor's historic Emancipation Celebrations, held for decades in Jackson Park and widely regarded as "The Greatest Freedom Show on Earth."(More Details)
Scents in the City
Sunday, May 5 - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Windsor: Downtown)
Start/end point: The Great Canadian Flag, foot of Ouellette and Riverside Drive, Windsor
Use your nose to discover the history, culture, and environment of Downtown through scent. (More Details)