Stratford Walking Tours returns with new women’s history experience and much more

Lauri Leduc walks through downtown Stratford while leading one of the guided experiences offered through Stratford Walking Tours, now in its third season.

Now entering its third season, Stratford Walking Tours continues to offer residents and visitors an opportunity to explore the city’s rich history, architecture and cultural heritage through guided walking experiences.

Founder Lauri Leduc, who grew up in Perth County, said the idea for the tours was inspired by the 18 months she spent living in the United Kingdom, where she frequently participated in walking tours.

Leduc’s tours blend architectural details, historical stories and lesser-known facts about Stratford’s past.

One of the newest additions this season is Step into HERstory, a women’s history walking tour that highlights the accomplishments of women who helped shape Stratford.

“The first tour is in collaboration with Kerry from Fresh Idea Collective, but after that I will continue to offer it publicly once a month,” said Leduc.

“I’ll talk a bit about Rose McQueen, who’s slowly getting some recognition,” said Leduc. “I also found out about some women who were involved with saving city hall. It almost got torn down in the 1960s and there was a plan underway to get rid of it and build a brand new 10-storey hotel on the site.

“So a group of seven women founded the Save City Hall League. Two of them were former councillors, some of them were from churches and some were on the board of education. They worked really hard and managed to get 2,000 names on a petition. They had rallies, they had meetings, they petitioned the councillors, and eventually, over the course of five years – it took five long years – they changed the council’s mind and they saved city hall.

“The early newspaper said, ‘a group of women got together,’ like they seem to always define them as a handful of women gathered petitions, so that was also interesting to learn,” said Leduc.

“So, I’ll be highlighting stories like that.”

Another new collaboration this year is Plants, Parks and Patterson, a guided Stratford history and nature walk offered in partnership with Gabrielle from Singing Nettle Herbs.

The tour explores the plants growing along the Avon River, the history and geography of the waterway and its significance to Stratford. Participants will also learn about the history of the Stratford Festival and how founder Tom Patterson helped bring the internationally recognized theatre festival to the city.

This season’s lineup also includes the popular Ghost Walks in Stratford and another one in St. Marys, a Sunday Stroll and River Cruise in partnership with the Boathouse and a general “History and Heritage” tour.

All walking routes are paved and accessible. Children and leashed dogs are welcome, and participants are encouraged to ask questions and take photos.

Tour schedules and booking information are available through www.stratfordwalkingtours.ca