Disclosure: This is a paid sponsored post in collaboration with Central County Tourism, Durham Tourism, and the Department of Heritage. The attraction admissions, food and non- alcoholic beverages were complimentary. Thank you for supporting the brands and places I love, as they help me keep my blog running. The opinions in the post are entirely my own.
1920s War on Whiskey Tour is a must do tour in the Durham Region
Looking for something fun to do in the summer?
Look no further than doing a 1920s War on Whisky Tour in Durham with tours in both North and South Durham. I had a chance to experience a few stops along the South Durham tour covering Ajax, Pickering, and Oshawa, which included an automotive museum, a historic museum, and two craft breweries. I will be highlighting what I did, ate and drank at each stop. There are also three videos in my post for you to get a better feel for the attractions.
If you love to learn about history, you are in for a real treat as the Durham region had a colourful history in the roaring 1920s, with lots of scandalous stories of bootlegging during the prohibition era.
On the tour website, there are four self-guided tours to choose from, and it includes audio that you can play along the drive that shares historical facts. The site also has a description of each attraction, and pricing of activities.
For Torontonians doing the South Durham tour, the drive to Pickering is only an hour east of downtown Toronto which makes this a fun road trip semi-close to home. The War on Whiskey Tour is still a great attraction if you live further away.
Tell me more about the prohibition era in Canada?
Canada had a temperance movement where it called for moderation or total abstinence from alcohol, as they believed that alcohol was the reason for many issues in society. Although provincial laws did vary, there was a National prohibition in Canada from 1918 to 1920. This meant that legal drinking establishments were not able to sell, possess or consume alcohol, with the exception of private dwellings (which also had restrictions).
Onto the tour
I had an opportunity to experience the tour with my fellow bloggers Adrienne of Bucket Half Full and Kate of The Exploring Family and we had a fabulous time with great hospitality along the way. As for our route, we started out in Oshawa and ended up in Ajax.
Our 1920s War on Whisky Tour stops included:
- Canadian Automotive Museum, Oshawa
- All of Nothing Brewhouse, Oshawa
- Pickering Museum Village, Pickering
- Falcon Brewing, Ajax
Let’s take a deeper dive into each of the stops.
War on Whisky Tour Stop # 1: The CANADIAN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM
Oshawa was known as the automobile capital of Canada with a long history of manufacturing cars, so it made sense that the Canadian Automotive Museum is located here. Opened in 1962, the museum has two floors with the main floor showcasing American and international cars, and the whole top floor is dedicated to Canadian cars.
Our tour guide, Eric, was fantastic! He was informative and engaging and moved us along at a good pace. There are many signs in front of the cars and walls for more detailed facts and backstories, but it was much nicer to get the highlights from a tour guide.
This is a great spot for automotive enthusiasts of all ages. I enjoyed seeing the differences in how the car styles and materials evolved over the decades. I was most excited to see the 1983 DeLorean in the museum (memories of “Back to the Future”!) and found out the car is made of stainless steel and it is a rear-engine car, so drivers had to pop the trunk to fill up gas. With Disney-Pixar’s Lightning McQueen at the museum, it will likely take center stage for the kids.
Info: Canadian Automotive Museum, 55 Simcoe St. South, Oshawa, L1H 4G7
https://www.canadianautomotivemuseum.com/
2022 admission prices: Adults – $14.00, Students (with ID) – $12.00, Seniors (65+) – $12.00, Youth (6-17) – $6.00, Ages 5 and under – Free, Members – Free
Tour Stop # 2: ALL OF NOTHING BREWHOUSE
Next up, we went to All or Nothing Brewhouse for our lunch stop. This is a large welcoming brewery that create their own craft beer in-house. They also have a retail store, a HUGE and beautiful beer hall, and a large outdoor patio.
The modern brewery is owned by brothers Jeff and Eric Dornan and is situated within the old 1950s beer store in the heart of Oshawa. During our visit, Eric gave us an overview of how their business progressed over time, as well as the history of this facility.
I absolutely love the designs on their craft beer cans and I will definitely need to pick up a 6-pack on my next visit. Of course, I can’t visit a brewery without trying a pint. I had their “Fruit Stand Lemon and Grapefruit Sour” which is a light and refreshing sour ale.
As for food, there are snacks to purchase at the store to pair with the beer. Our organizer helped us order our lunch from Berry Hill Food Co, a local Oshawa restaurant, and the food was delivered to the brewhouse.
I had a Chimichurri Steak Sandwich with a side of greens, a Mile High Cheesecake with Chia Berry Compote, and an Arnold Palmer made with black tea and fresh lemonade. The creamy cheesecake was the highlight with the fruit! The meal paired well with my refreshing beer.
All or Nothing Brewhouse is a great hang-out spot, and it is definitely THE place to be on a Saturday as they have a market that runs every Saturday until Oct. 29th, 2022.
Info: All or Nothing Brewhouse, 439 Ritson Rd. South, Oshawa, L1H 5J8
https://www.allornothing.beer/
Berry Hill Food Co., 82 King St W, Oshawa, ON L1H 1A6
https://www.berryhillfoodco.ca/
Check out my video on the Canadian Automotive Museum and All or Nothing Brewhouse in Oshawa.
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Tour Stop # 3: PICKERING MUSEUM VILLAGE
Our third stop was at the Pickering Museum Village. The museum is a living history village that showcases the early settlement and development of Pickering Township from 1810 to 1920. The picturesque village was part of the “Anne” productions (Anne of Green Gables) for almost forty years.
At the museum, we experienced an escape room and a roaring 20s tour.
Being detectives!
We challenged our brains and participated in a 1920’s Prohibition Escape Room. The escape room was located in one of the rooms of the hotel at the heart of the Pickering village. For this escape room, you are transformed back to the prohibition days to investigate a room in the Brougham Hotel that was rumoured to be operating as a speakeasy. Your goal is to uncover the whisky runners and find the moonshine before the time runs out. You are given 45 minutes to uncover several hidden keys that are needed to escape the room and find the moonshine.
It was not an easy feat as it took our team of four a while to unravel the clues but we beat the clock and escaped! The pleasant museum staff was also there to assist us with clues as needed. I really did feel like a detective and it was a great team-building activity.
Historic tour at the Pickering museum!
Glad Rags and Giggle Juice Tour was our next attraction.
I really enjoyed this tour where where “Mrs. Gibbons”, our guide in a flapper costume (aka glad rags) gave us details of what went down in the community during the roaring 1920s.
We learned about the temperance movement, speakeasy clubs, bootlegging, and how residents got their hands on giggle juice. The stories are told in a few buildings including the Chapel, Log Barn, and BTH Innkeeper’s Parlour within the museum.
During the tour, you will find out who is Pickering’s famous Bert Harvey and also Canada’s very own Al Capone, Rocco Perri. I learned a ton and I am sure you will too!
Info: Pickering Museum Village, 2365 Concession Rd. 6, Greenwood, L0H 1H0
https://www.pickering.ca/en/discovering/pickering-museum-village.aspx
- 1920 Prohibition Escape Room details: 45 minutes and up to 6 guests. $80 per session for up to 6 people.
- Glad Rags and Giggle Juice Tour details: $60 for up to 9 people, 45-minute tour
While you are there, make sure to take lots of photos of the beautiful village with lots of green space. Parts of the Pickering museum are available to be rented for events such as birthdays and weddings as well. Check out my VIDEO on the FUN THINGS TO DO AT THE PICKERING MUSEUM VILLAGE.
War on Whisky Tour Stop # 4: FALCON BREWING
Falcon Brewery in Ajax was our final stop of the 1920s War on Whisky tour for our craft beer tasting with tour and dinner. This is a happening craft brewery popular amongst locals with many events scheduled during the month, including Open Mic nights.
There are 20 different craft beers brewing at any given time with at least ten on tap. During our visit, we got a tour of the beer production by the lovely Emilie Lavigne, the owner/GM who showcased her passion and knowledge for beer. Our group was given a flight each of the craft beers to enjoy following the tour. The brewery partnered up with Ebony Bites, a Jamaican food truck outside the brewery.
I had the ‘Deep Fried Wings in a Wicked Spicy Jerk sauce’, served with festivals and a side of greens. The highlight for me was the Calypso Cookie à la mode with mango ice cream and fruit coulis. It was as good as it looks, and a sweet treat to end my spicy meal and a wonderful day.
Info: Falcon Brewing, 30 Barr Rd., Ajax, L1S 7H1
https://www.falconbrewingcompany.com/whats-on-tap
Take a TOUR OF THE FALCON BREWING in this video.
Overview:
I am thankful for the opportunity to go on this tour, especially to bond with other travel bloggers. The organizers and staff at all the locations were attentive and hospitable.
The 1920 War on Whisky Tour is great for all ages, as there is a self-guided option. You can pick and choose the attractions you want to visit to create a customized tour. The most informative attractions on our tour were the Canadian Automotive Museum, and the ‘Glad Rags and Giggle Juice Tour’ at the Pickering Museum.
For families with young kids, the automotive museum is my top pick followed by a visit to the Pickering Museum. I would happily visit both breweries again and try out the different craft beers on tap.
Let’s go out and give our local businesses some love while learning about the scandalous era in our Canadian history!
Check out my other travel posts:
- Chiefswood Park Cabins Six Nations
- Family-friendly winery in Prince Edward County
- Things to do in Port Hope for families
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Follow me on Instagram @maryshappybelly where I actively post. Thank you for reading my post!
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