Mainstreet Walking Tour
Discover Cabbagetown’s roots on an app-guided tour featuring local stories, historic charm, and hidden gems.
Download the Driftscape App below to start touring.
Explore the heart of Cabbagetown through a free self-guided walking tour that blends history, local flavour, and personal stories from the small business community that gives the neighbourhood its soul.
Whether you're a first-time visitor or a longtime local, this immersive tour invites you to slow down and take in the sights, sounds, and stories of Carlton, Parliament, and Gerrard Streets—our vibrant main streets lined with Victorian architecture, unique storefronts, and rich culture.
About The Tour
When: Available until the end of 2025.
Where: Carlton & Parliament Streets, in Cabbagetown Toronto.
How: Download the Driftscape app on your mobile device and let the app guide you.
Cost: Free
Duration: 30 mins - 2 hours. You decide on the pace
Distance: Approximately 1k
Tour Highlights:
Architectural Marvels with Historic Photos: Discover a variety of architectural styles in the neighbourhood, from the distinctive Bay & Gable to the elegant Queen Anne-style and an extensive collection of intact Victorian buildings, and see how they’ve changed over the years
Historical Buildings, Landmarks, and Attractions: Explore significant historical buildings that tell a story of how Cabbagetown and Toronto came to be, including the Jamieson House, where many Indigenous people found a sense of community, or the home of Dr Rowena Hume, a trailblazer who fought for women’s reproductive rights before her untimely murder
Scavenger Hunt Feature: With this new feature, tour-takers will need to search for clues at each tour stop in order to move on to the next one. Those who answer all the clues can enter to win a Cabbagetown prize.
An Immersive Tour Guide: Explore Cabbagetown at your own pace, thanks to the app's many features, including auto-play self-guided tours. The app uses GPS technology to deliver relevant information and engaging content as visitors move around the neighbourhood, ensuring a truly personalized and immersive experience. The Cabbagetown BIA team has enriched the sites and stories with images, audio guides, and written content, ensuring comprehensive and captivating information about each location
Exclusive Interviews: Hear interviews with local business owners as they share their personal stories of building their businesses from the ground up in these historic sites
Insider Tips: Get exclusive tips and recommendations from Cabbagetown Preservation Association’s Gilles Huot
Accessible and Offline Access: Enjoy offline access to content, and explore Cabbagetown even with limited internet connectivity; audio guides are also available to assist those with visual impairment
About Driftscape
Driftscape is a digital storytelling platform whose core product is a local discovery and travel app. The Driftscape app provides a platform for destinations, tourism, and cultural organizations to share their stories interactively and engagingly with a growing base of active users. We believe your stories deserve more, so we deliver more visitor engagement features than any other solution on the market. For users, the app is a personal guide that helps them explore their surroundings from the point of view of local experts. The app also helps users discover places of interest, events, and tours from a growing list of content partners. Available on iOS, Android, and the web, Driftscape is an ad-free platform dedicated to making local culture easier to discover. The Driftscape app currently offers over 7,000 points of interest, events, and tours across North America.