The Waterloo Region of Ontario in Central Canada is rich in history and culture, much of it comes directly from its original European settlers - a number of Mennonite families who migrated from Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. In more recent years the cultural diversity of the Waterloo region has been shaped by immigration from all corners of the globe. This immigration is due in no small part to the prosperous, diverse economic activity of the region and the presence of two highly respected Universities.

From 1800 to 1803, Swiss Mennonite pioneers came from Pennsylvania to the Waterloo area where they found lush, fertile land to settle on and to farm along the banks of the Grand River. The Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower monument was built in 1923 to commemorate these first pioneers. Located near the little town of Doon just east of the Grand, the tower spire has the distinctive Swiss architecture representative of the original settlers' cultural background..

Doon Heritage Crossroads is a place where you will be able to see Waterloo County just as it was back in 1914. Come by to witness the daily lives of people back then, along with their businesses, homes, and farms.

Joseph Schneider Haus Museum and Gallery recreates life as it was in the area in the 1850s. This is the house that Joseph and Barbara Schneider built in 1816. They were among the early Mennonite pioneers who trekked to the new frontier from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the early 1800s.

The artist Homer Watson was well-respected in his local area of the Waterloo Region. He was often referred to as the "Man of Doon" because he lived and worked in Doon. Watson's studio has been preserved at the Homer Watson House and Gallery and people may take art classes or workshops there. The gallery also hosts an exhibition of contemporary art.

Canada's 10th and longest serving Prime Minister was William Lyon Mackenzie King who was born in Berlin in 1874 (before its name was changed to Kitchener during WW1). His boyhood home at Woodside National Historic Site has been restored to the beauty of the early 1890's on 4.65 hectares of land.

James Livingston erected Castle Kilbride in Baden in the year 1877. Its name was derived from the place in Scotland where he was born. As you drive by, you view a most imposing structure, of Italian design and featuring a belevedere which seems to reach for the sky. But however impressive the castle may seem on the outside, it is yet more so in its interior decoration, which in itself merits a ranking among the highest international artistic achievements.