London is the most important town in the Canada Lake Erie area and blends a fair bit of industry and manufacturing with its insurance company head offices and one of the country's largest universities. The overall ambiance is quiet, clean and conservative. Even though the town has its own Thames River, Hyde Park and Oxford St, that's the extent of the London, England resemblance. There are a few things to see in and around town, and it might prove a convenient stopover, as it lies roughly halfway between the US-Canadian border at Detroit- Windsor and Toronto.
Orientation The main east-west street is Dundas St; Richmond St is the main north-south street. The central area is bounded by York St to the south, Talbot St to the west, Oxford St to the north and Waterloo St to the east. The northern end of Richmond St is the hip strip with a host of shops, eateries and cafes to hang out at. There are some pleasant tree lined streets and elegant Victorian houses around the edges of the downtown area. Information There is a downtown tourist office, on the main floor of City Hall, on Dufferin Ave on the comer of Wellington St. It's open from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday. A second office (with the same telephone number) is at 696 Wellington Rd S between Hwy 401 and Commissioners Rd heading north into town from the highway. It's open daily from 8 am to 8 pm in summer (weekends only otherwise) and also has provincial information.
London Museum of Archaeology 8&Lawson Indian Village Both an educational and a research facility affiliated with the university, the museum displays materials and artifacts spanning 11,000 years of Native peoples' history in Ontario. Adjacent to the museum building is an active dig of a Neutral Indian village of about 500 years ago. Parts of the village, including a longhouse, have been reconstructed. Special events are scheduled through the year and some displays in the museum are changed regularly. A gift shop offers crafts such as baskets, quill boxes and pottery. Well, worth a visit, the museum is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. The Indian village is open daily from May to September.
An adult ticket is $3.50 and there are senior, student and family rates. The address is 1600Attawandaron Rd, north-west of the university. Take the Orchard No 31 bus from downtown. Fanshawe Pioneer Village On the eastern edge of the city, at the 22- building Pioneer Village, staff in costume reveal skills and crafts and give a sense of pioneer village life in the 19th century. There is a tearoom at the site, or you can bring your own picnic. Tickets are $5 for adults, less for students and kids, and there is a family rate too. The Canada tourism site is open Wednesday - Sunday from 10 am to 4.30 pm I May to 20 December. The entrance is off Fanshawe Park Rd just east of Clark Rd.
