Pickering’s places to visit, starting with Pickering Museum Village
Around Pickering, the places to visit include 2 museums, 2 zoos and 2 theme parks. We list 2 places to visit inside Pickering’s municipal boundary and 11 within 5 km of its edge. One of them is cared for by Parks Canada. The best-known trip out is to CN Tower, 32 km away.
First stops in Pickering
ZooToronto Zoo2.4 km outside town, to the southwest
National park · Parks CanadaRouge National Urban Park300 m outside town, to the northwest
Theme parkSplash Island2.2 km outside town, to the southwest
Art galleryDoris McCarthy Gallery4.5 km outside town, to the southwestEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Where to go
The dashed line is Pickering’s municipal boundary; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · Statistics Canada 2021 outline
A breakdown by kind
Zoos, ski hills, theme parks or other days out lead the count with 6; 4 are museums or galleries.
Green: inside Pickering. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
In the care of Parks Canada: Rouge National Urban Park.
The whole list for Pickering
Splash Island
Educational water park at the Toronto Zoo in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Doris McCarthy Gallery
Art gallery at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
The 2 inside Pickering come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Provincial and city parks are on the Outdoors page instead.
Historic places in Pickering → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Pickering →
Further afield
Big drawAttractionCN Tower32 km southwest · 1.5M visitors a year
Big drawMuseumRoyal Ontario Museum31 km southwest · 281.4M visitors a year (2025)
Big drawArt galleryArt Gallery of Ontario32 km southwest · 873K visitors a year (2016)
Historic houseCasa Loma31 km southwest
Big drawTheme parkCanada's Wonderland36 km west · 3.2M visitors a year (2025)
Art galleryThe Aga Khan Museum23 km southwest
MuseumBata Shoe Museum31 km southwest
CathedralSt. Michael's Cathedral31 km southwest
GardenHigh Park37 km southwestArt galleryArt galleryThe Power Plant32 km southwest · 130K visitors a year
MuseumDesign Exchange31 km southwest · 225K visitors a yearMuseumMuseumOshawa Community Museum23 km east · 10K visitors a yearPlaces well known beyond Pickering (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a Parks Canada property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Asked about places to visit in Pickering
What are the main attractions in Pickering?
Only Xeriscape Garden is on the list inside Pickering’s municipal boundary.
Does Pickering have a museum?
Yes, Doris McCarthy Gallery, Latcham Gallery and Gallery 1265, all in Pickering or within 5 km.
Is there a Parks Canada property near Pickering?
Yes: places in or within 5 km of Pickering are in the care of Parks Canada; the chart above names them.
What are the best-known days out near Pickering?
Further out, up to 40 km: Royal Ontario Museum (31 km), Art Gallery of Ontario (32 km), Casa Loma (31 km), Canada's Wonderland (36 km).
How is this list made?
A single list is built from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, ODCAF and the heritage registers, each site counted once. To appear, a historic building must show it takes visitors (hours, a fee, a website, a heritage operator, a Wikipedia article), and hotels, restaurants and tour operators are left out. Places in the town’s 2021 outline, or within 5 km of its edge, are the ones shown.
Places to visit: Canada publishes no open tourism list, so this one is assembled from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0), Statistics Canada’s ODCAF museums and galleries (2020, Open Government Licence – Canada), the federal and Québec heritage registers and CPCAD’s national parks, and it reflects what mappers and editors have recorded. Forts, houses, lighthouses and churches count only with a sign that visitors are welcome. Places sit in each town’s 2021 census outline; visitor counts are Wikidata’s latest, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (14)
- Toronto Zoo: Maelwys at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Rouge National Urban Park: Paul Gierszewski ( Gierszep ), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Splash Island: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Doris McCarthy Gallery: Silver Dovelet, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- CN Tower: Chris Woodrich, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Ontario Museum: Staka, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Art Gallery of Ontario: Owen Byrne from Ottawa, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Casa Loma: Evelyncyuzu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canada's Wonderland: Mathew Ingram, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Aga Khan Museum: JohnOyston, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bata Shoe Museum: Gisling, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Michael's Cathedral: Oleg Yunakov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- High Park: Chensiyuan at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Design Exchange: nodomain.cc, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).