Top Ten Hidden Gems in St. Thomas

St. Thomas is in the midst of a significant reinvention. Considered for many years as a culturally sleepy community based on traditional manufacturing, the city has transformed over the past decade into an attractive destination for new homeowners, entrepreneurs, and artists.

Twenty minutes south of London, St. Thomas offers serious advantages: an expanding network of walking and cycling trails, great recreation amenities, and an impressive collection of street art, including a series of spectacular murals painted over the past year-and-a-half as part of the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project. The local food movement is evident at the Horton Farmers’ Market and a variety of nearby on-farm spots, plus there is a growing collection of eateries in the area that keep things interesting for residents and visitors. Craving a view of the water? The sprawling Main Beach in Port Stanley is only a ten-minute drive away. 

Our team at young & free devotes a lot of energy to highlighting our favourite St. Thomas attractions. Some landmarks seem to be fixed in the public imagination, notably the Jumbo monument, Pinafore Park, and the Horton Farmers’ Market; more recently, the St. Thomas Elevated Park and the downtown murals have captured a lot of attention. Still, we find ourselves encouraging people to look closer at other unique assets in the community. We thought that we should assemble our list of ‘Top Ten Hidden Gems in St. Thomas’ – our list actually swelled to more than twenty, which means that we might need to put together a sequel!  

10 / V.A. Barrie Park – Set in the Kettle Creek valley, this sprawling park is a lovely example of an urban-adjacent space that has been left mostly in a natural state. Surrounded by trees and the creek, the area is used primarily by a steady flow of disc golfers – the sport may not get a lot of attention as a tourist activity, but people come from all over the region to play at the park. If you visit, make sure to look up, especially in the evening as the steeple of the Old St. Thomas Church and the Elgin County Courthouse cupola are illuminated. Many visitors to the area miss this view as they fly by in cars along Sunset Drive, but the quiet stroll is there for all to enjoy – winter may be the best time for this, as there are no disc golfers to dodge and the fallen leaves permit the lights on the buildings to shimmer off the snow. Definitely a peaceful experience … 

Julie Couwenberghs & Emily Stage of young & free press in V.A. Barrie Park in St. Thomas.

9 / Jumbo Historical Plaque– The famous Jumbo monument on Talbot Street at the west end of the city may attract all the visitors looking for a perfect shot with the star-crossed elephant, but for those interested in historical accuracy, be sure to wander over to Woodworth Avenue to find the historical plaque that marks the approximate spot where Jumbo was struck by a train in 1885.

Go a few more blocks east to find Railway City Brewing Company on Edward Street, where artists SBU ONE has just added a memorable mural on panels featuring an elephant inspired by Jumbo – the design presents Jumbo in a dream-like state, perhaps a final resting place. Clues to the story (and mythology) of Jumbo can be found all over St. Thomas, for those who know the details. 

Andrew Gunn & Emily Stage of young & free press check out progress on the mural by artist SBU ONE at Railway City Brewery in St. Thomas in June 2021. The mural is now complete.

8 / Railway City Little Free Library Boxes — Over the past year and a half, our team at young & free has developed unofficial names for neighbourhoods around St. Thomas, and now we are gradually adding library boxes in each one! This has become one of our signature initiatives — nineteen units have been set up so far, and when the project is complete later this year, there will be more than thirty! We are deeply grateful to all the private sector donors who have supported this effort, as well as our community partners including the City of St. Thomas, Railway City Tourism, and the STEAM Centre. As the project has unfolded, we have attempted to find the most interesting settings possible for each box — some are placed in historically significant locations, while others offer impressive views. We love hearing stories of how people discover the boxes! Our goal is always to make the communities where we work more surprising and inspiring.

Andrew Gunn and Emily Stage of young & free press with the ‘Railway City Little Free Library’ box in Jonas Park in St. Thomas. The CASO Station makes a cool backdrop!

7 / Pinafore Park Tennis and Pickleball Courts – Pinafore Park is one of the most beautiful and well-known features of St. Thomas, a much-loved expanse of green that over the years has featured a boat club, golf course, summer theatre, horse track and zoo. Things are less frantic now – there is a walking path, multiple picnic shelters, and lovely Emslie Field for baseball – but the true gem may be the tennis and pickleball courts. Local lore maintains that there is always a breeze on the courts as the trees rustle at the edges, and the sunsets here can be spectacular as the lights come on for evening play. Once-upon-a-time, the main tennis courts in St. Thomas were located at Athletic Park, but were established long ago at the current Pinafore site. Canadian tennis legend Daniel Nestor came to open the courts officially in 2017 when the facilities were significantly upgraded. On a daily basis, the tennis and pickleball courts offer a glimpse of what St. Thomas is becoming – multicultural, active and festive, a community enjoying the process of reinvention based on smart investments. Keep an eye out for groundhogs and the occasional deer wandering by …

Tennis courts at Pinafore Park in St. Thomas.

Emily Stage of young & free press at Plaza Sushi.

6 / Plaza Sushi – There are some excellent food spots in St. Thomas tucked away in quiet locations. Top of the list for us is Plaza Sushi, which is built inside the Plaza Convenience store on Elm Street. There is no sign outside indicating the presence of this fantastic sushi take-out joint, and really the good vibes surrounding the menu items have been shared through social media and word-of-mouth. So, trust us! Drop by or place an order – we love the salmon burrito, but there are lots of terrific options.

5 / St. Thomas Cemetery – Located along Sunset Drive and not far from the St. Thomas Armoury and Memorial Arena, the St. Thomas Cemetery is the longest continuously-operating business in the city, dating back to the 1850s. Walk or cycle through sometime and find a tranquil urban oasis – the neighbours use the area almost like a park, and justifiably so, as the trees and paths here are certainly inviting. We have noticed a plot or two where the provision was made to add a bench, inviting visitors to sit and relax for a moment … so, why not? We bike through occasionally and find a quiet spot to have a quick snack and think about life. Make sure not to leave any refuse behind. Special bonus: we will be installing one of our ‘Railway City Little Free Library’ boxes in the St. Thomas Cemetery soon! This is such a distinctive spot in the city … find the marker for the grave of Mitchell Hepburn, the only Premier of Ontario who was born in St. Thomas.

4 / Augmented Reality – Okay, this gem is definitely hidden! There are now five augmented reality attractions in downtown St. Thomas, invisible to the unaided eye, but if you download the Engage ARt augmented reality app, all will be revealed! Trains roll on the tracks, murals come to life, and the history of the community feels remarkably present … one of the key attractions is by the Veterans Memorial Garden on Moore Street, where stories of local veterans pop up on the screen of your smartphone if you direct the camera around the area. The remarkable ‘Heroes’ mural by artist Andrew Lewis serves as a gorgeous backdrop for the experience. Supported by our team through a donation from the Estate of Donna Bushell, the app is the product of a fun collaboration between EXAR Studios and the Elgin County Museum. Get the details here …

Emily Stage of young & free press stands near the Veterans Memorial Garden in downtown St. Thomas. The gorgeous poppy-inspired mural in the background is by artist Andrew Lewis. Visitors can now download the new ‘Engage’ augmented reality app to experience a whole new dimension of the setting.

3 / St. Thomas Elevated Park – The St. Thomas Elevated Park is much-loved and well-celebrated, but we still decided to include this stunning walkway in the sky on our list of ‘Top Ten Hidden Gems in St. Thomas’, primarily because visitors to the community (and even some residents) seem to struggle to find the entrance! For the record, the eastern approach to the Elevated Park is located at One Centre Street, just a short city-block south of the Jumbo monument on Talbot Street. The location is even easier to find now as artist Kristyn Watterworth recently added a colourful new mural called ‘Walking with Elephants’ on a rock wall by the entrance. Travel the trail to the Elevated Park, which rests atop the former Michigan Central Railroad bridge … the views are spectacular any time of day, but the sunsets are especially memorable. 

Kristyn Watterworth (at left) painted the ‘Walking with Elephants’ mural by the entrance to the St. Thomas Elevated Park. Emily Stage of young & free press popped by for this photo as Kristyn finished the piece.

2 / Pathway to Athletic Park – We feel like this spot has always been under-appreciated, but now that the City of St. Thomas has added a new asphalt trail in the area, we suspect that more people will take the time to discover this lovely path leading from Hiawatha Street down the hill into Athletic Park. The sunlight falls here in enchanting ways, especially at dusk.

Athletic Park is used now primarily for soccer and other recreational uses, all playing out against the backdrop of the Canadian National Railway trestle bridge toward the north. Long ago, this whole low-lying piece of ground was under water and known as Mill Pond, but eventually the area was drained after being given for public use by W.K. Cameron, a local lawyer and sportsman. There was an amphitheatre in use at the site until 1949, and the park has hosted everything from military cadet inspections to outdoor games such as ping-pong, volleyball, tennis, rugby, and football. These days, when the soccer fields are full, the park hums with activity. The pathway is a true hidden gem of St. Thomas …

1 / Architectural Gems – For the top spot, we decided to introduce a category that includes a multitude of sites. There are some lovely homes in St. Thomas, perhaps best discovered on a bike or by walking. One cluster of beautiful houses is in the Courthouse Neighbourhood at the west end of the city, and moving east there are some remarkable structures, particularly on Wellington Street and Roseberry Place. We enjoy spotting the unique details of each building, but on this one we defer to our friend Nikolina Hiddink, who manages the popular Victorian Vibes account on Instagram – check out the page here and make sure to follow along! Nikolina has built up more than 37,000 followers by highlighting the most impressive Victorian-era homes in St. Thomas and Elgin County, and she travels regularly to discover distinguished buildings in other cities, too. Her approach is captivating, as she gives each structure a name and describes the architectural features in detail. This is an excellent way to use Instagram, inspiring viewers to look deeper at real-life surroundings.

Check out the photo below … Emily Stage of young & free highlights the Courthouse Neighbourhood, but more importantly, there is the magnificence of One Wellington Street in the background. This home was built in 1878 for Archibald McLachlin, a former Mayor, publisher, and Secretary of the first executive committee of Alma College (the resemblance between One Wellington Street and the former school for girls is evident). On Victorian Vibes, Nikolina nicknames this house ‘The Stoic Queen’, and maintains that this is her all-time favourite home in St. Thomas. The large central door and gothic brick porch are stand-out features. 

Emily Stage of young & free press in the Courthouse Neighbourhood in St. Thomas with the McLachlin House at One Wellington Street in the background.

So, that’s our list of Top Ten Hidden Gems in St. Thomas … the COVID-19 pandemic has been a brutal experience, but perhaps one of the silver linings is that we have all taken the time to look more intently at our surroundings and find the beautiful things close to home. We had fun putting together this list!