Tillsonburg - Tourism

Tourism

In January 2006 the National Post listed Tillsonburg as number 75 on the top 100 places to visit in Canada. Annandale House was designated a Canadian National Historic Site in 1997. Tillsonburg is also home to one of the "Large Canadian Roadside Attractions," an electric guitar. The guitar was once accompanied by a piano that functioned as a roadside advertisement for the music store on the same property. Today, the piano portion of the sign and the music store itself are gone. The building is now a residence but the electric guitar remains. Other attractions include the Station Arts Centre with an art gallery and several workshops featuring the works of various local artists, and the Tillsonburg Special Event Centre located in the Forest Hill industrial park. This facility is the largest of its kind in southwestern Ontario. The building has over 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of floor space and can host events from dinners to car shows and exhibitions.

The first ever Canadian Kennel Club Charity Dog Show ("The Purina National") was held in Tillsonburg at the Tillsonburg Special Event Centre in March, 2007, and drew entries from top show canines from across Canada and the United States. Subsequent shows were held in 2008 and 2009, but the show moved to the Toronto area in 2010.

Camping is available north of town at Casey's Park located on Highway #19 north of Mount Elgin, which is the home of weekly Country Music Jamborees between Victoria Day and Labour Day, where audience members are encouraged to participate on stage. Lake Lisgar, a small lake located in the centre of town, has been rehabilitated and is home for the Tillsonburg Rowing Club and the Lake Lisgar Water Park.