List of Tolls
To be collected at this gate · Davenport Road at Bathurst
- Admission, drop-inBy donation
- TodayNext open: Saturday, September 12, 12 noon – 4 pm
- Booked group visits$6 per person$7.50 with tea and cookies — arranged in advance
- Guided walksBy donationroute leaflet $5
- Saturdays12 noon – 4 pmyear-round
- Next Sunday openingOctober 4: 1 – 4 pmusually the first Sunday of the month
- Winter closingMid-December to early Februarywe close after Cookie Day and reopen the first Saturday of February
Tax receipts are issued for donations of $20 or more, including donations given on our walks. Booked group visit fees are not eligible for a receipt. The Cottage is operated by the Community History Project, a registered non-profit.
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750 Davenport Road at Bathurst
By TTC
Bus 7 from St Clair West Station or Bus 127 from Dupont Station — both stop right at our door.
By bike
Dedicated bike lanes run past the museum from Avenue Road to Christie Street. There are bike rings on the sidewalk and a Bike Share station within sight.
By car
Parking on Davenport Road is limited but free.
Look for the park
The Cottage stands in Tollkeeper’s Park at the same address — the park was named for the Cottage after it was moved here.
While you’re in the neighbourhood
The Wychwood Farmers’ Market runs Saturdays 8–1 at 13 Benson Ave., beside the Wychwood Barns Park playground. Wychwood Park itself is a Heritage Conservation District — pick up our $5 self-guided walking leaflet at the museum.
An hour in 1861
A docent in period dress walks you through the cottage as the Bulman family knew it — no electricity, no plumbing, and plenty of stories. Plan on half an hour to an hour or more; children and adults alike are intrigued by how Torontonians once lived. There’s a small gift shop with books and our walking-tour leaflets.
The Cottage is a small 1830s building. If you have accessibility questions, email us at tollkeeperscottage@gmail.com and we’ll do our best to help you plan. The entire cottage is wheelchair accessible.
Something different every season
Activities change with the interests and skills of our volunteers — here’s the shape of a typical year. Dates land in the newsletter first. Click any photo to see it larger.
Closed — and planning
The Cottage rests while docents meet inside, working up the year’s programming. We reopen the first Saturday of February.
Mending & making
Bring a favourite garment for mending — or learn to do it yourself. We also teach knitting and crochet. Like our tours, these are by donation.
–Apr
Speaker series
Talks on local history, conservation and sustainable living — like Mark Stabb on the legacy of post-glacial Lake Iroquois. $10 at the door.
Egg dyeing & spring crafts
Natural vegetable dyes, the old way — fun for adults as well as children. Some years we add a Passover craft.
Victoria Day Tea & the garden
Tea in fine china at lace-covered tables, with home-made scones and clotted cream. May is also when our volunteers wake up the pollinator garden.
Book sale on the lawn
Previously loved books and treasures find new homes — our commitment to reuse, in the good weather.
–Aug
Summer crafts outdoors
Wool dyeing, maker afternoons, and sometimes a book reading in the garden — like children’s author Catherine Little.
–Nov
The Davenportage
Hardy paddlers portage their canoes along the old Davenport Road and stop at the Cottage for pea soup and biscuits before pressing on to the Don.
Ghostly Tales & Cookie Day
Victorian ghost stories by lamplight — visitors welcome to add their own — then our beloved Cookie Day fundraiser to close the year.
Exact dates go to newsletter readers first.
Get the newsletterClasses, clubs, and curious walkers
School & daycare visits
Hands-on 19th-century daily life, paced to your students’ age and built around your curriculum. A recent daycare group churned cream into butter and ate it on fresh baguette.
Plan a class visit $6 per child, or $7.50 with a snack. Large bookings are split into morning and afternoon sessions.Seniors’ & community groups
Private guided visits for seniors’ residences, clubs and other community groups — unhurried, seated where needed, with time for questions. Add tea and home-made squares and it becomes an afternoon out.
See group visit details $6 per person, or $7.50 with tea and cookies. Group visit fees are not eligible for a tax receipt.Guided neighbourhood walks
Two-hour docent-led walks in eight areas: Wychwood Park, the West and East Annex, Seaton Village, Christie Pits, the Casa Loma area, Tarragon Village, and the Garrison Creek ravine. History, geology, architecture — and a little gossip.
Join the walks list Walks go by donation — whatever you feel it was worth — and donations count toward a tax receipt. The route leaflet is $5. A walk goes ahead once four or more people sign up, and our walk coordinator emails the meeting point then. We walk in light rain, but not a downpour, and sit out days above 30 °C.Rent our resource room
Birthday parties, showers, book clubs and community groups — $40 an hour with a three-hour minimum, for up to 35 people. A working kitchen (oven, small fridge, microwave), one washroom, and heating and cooling. No internet or phone line, so bring a hotspot and a cell phone; a volunteer is on site during your rental. The heritage Cottage itself is not available for rental.
See rental detailsSend us a note about a group visit, a walk, or a rental
Send us a note
Tell us roughly what you have in mind and we’ll write back, usually within a few days. The subject is already ticked for you, and nothing is booked until we reply.
The gate is open — no booking needed
Next open: Saturday, September 12, 12 noon – 4 pm
Open Saturday 12 noon – 4 pm
Usually the first Sunday each month 1 – 4 pm. Come when it suits you; a docent will be at the door.
- Where 750 Davenport Road at Bathurst Bus 7 or 127 stops at our door · bike rings and Bike Share in sight
- Admission By donation cash or e-transfer · tax receipts for $20 or more
- How long Half an hour to an hour arrive any time while we are open
A question before you set out? Write to tollkeeperscottage@gmail.com