Waterloo Region is a diverse, vibrant community with a wide range of things to see and do. It's that small city vibe with big-city energy. We love hanging out in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and the townships to experience art, culture, history, adventure, and more.
We stayed home to keep each other safe, and now the move to Stage 3 of Ontario's reopening in July, we've been out and about revisiting our favourites.
Here's what our team at BitBakery said are their favourite places to go and things to do in Waterloo Region.
Supporting our favourite local shops
We love our community and the small-business owners who make living here unique. From providing a hometown feel to working hard to know their neighbours and offer personalized customer service, these small companies do a lot to help others who live nearby in many different ways.
Our marketing lead Alex Kinsella said he's ready to shop in his favourite local gift shop. "I'm so excited to check out the new location for Gifted. They're now on Belmont Avenue next to Arabella Park Beer Bar," said Alex.
"Sylvia is the owner and she has the best selection of gifts in town. It's not just the selection, it's their service. I once had a secret Santa to buy for, so I went to Gifted and said 'I need to spend $25 for an extreme introvert,' and Sylvia came back with the perfect presents. It's a real-world Room of Requirement from Harry Potter."
Movie theatres and indoor dining
As I'm writing this, I realize that I have enough SCENE Movie points to see free movies at Cineplex for life! While we all love the multiplex, there's something beautiful about seeing a film in a small, independent cinema. In Waterloo Region, we have the Apollo Cinema in Downtown Kitchener and the Princess Cinemas and Princess Twin in Uptown Waterloo. The small theatre feel is unmatched — and you can get fantastic local craft beer at the Apollo too!
Speaking of films, Ryan Sweny, our Director of Application Development, counts the days until October for the highly anticipated sci-fi film Dune. The release will be streamed for a limited time online via HBO Max, but Ryan said there's just something about actually going to see a movie in the theatre that makes it unique.
Dining out in Waterloo Region
When it comes to local food, Waterloo Region has plenty of options — and our team has plenty of opinions. In no specific order, here's where our BitBakers are dining out:
- Rainbow Caribbean Cuisine
- Variedad Latina Restaurant
- The Kitchener Market
- Union Burger
- Cafe Pyrus
- Arabella Beer Park
- Casa Rugatino
- Lady Glaze Donuts
- Vincenzo's
- Red House
- The Duke of Wellington
For Software Developer Yi Mo, T&T Grocery Store is his favourite place to pick up treats, especially for this must-have — the seaweed pork floss roll.
Family fun and staying active
If you're looking to keep the kids active, parks and playgrounds are great options to explore. For Attila Schmidt, Kiwanis Park is the place to take the family for a day of fun.
"The pool is graded as you'd have at a beach rather than a regular pool that you have a precipice. There's lots of room off to the sides so you can lay out and have a picnic," said Schmidt. "Nearby is a great play structure and beach volleyball courts, a dog park, a canoe launch, and walking paths if you want to explore further."
Andre Diniz, one of our software developers, said he was excited to travel to LA finally — LA Fitness, that is. "I didn't have the equipment to exercise at home, so it was great to be able to get back to the gym to use the equipment there."
No matter how you choose to stay active, the benefits of doing so are huge, even for a simple change of scenery!
Live music!
Last but not least, we'd like to highlight a favourite from our newest BitBaker, Peter Kingsbury — going to experience live music.
"In the past, I've loved taking in concerts at Maxwell's in Waterloo with my wife. I'm looking forward to being able to do that again," said Kingsbury. "We've watched a few live-stream concerts during a pandemic but it's certainly not the same experience at all."
There's a lot to look forward to with shows planned into December featuring artists like Dizzy, Ruby Waters, The Zolas, Crown Lands, and more.
In addition to indoor concerts, Waterloo Region has a lineup of outdoor shows like Create Waterloo's Patio Lanterns Concert Series. There's also the City of Kitchener's Neighbours Day on September 18. Over 20 local musicians will lend their unique talents by staging small, intimate pop-up concerts in neighbourhoods all over Kitchener.
With so much to do and more coming with the change of the season, we're excited to continue to explore and support our community more than ever. What are your favourite things to do in Waterloo Region?
