Have you ever heard a player piano, play its own tune? Or watched a master printer use a printing press to print a newspaper? Do you know what a turnkey was used for? Hint: it isn’t for unlocking doors – It is the tool doctors used to pull out a tooth!

These are just a few of the fun and educational videos you can watch when you visit Westfield Heritage Village’s new Virtual Tour Experience. The 360˚ photos on the tour will make you feel like you are really there. Explore the village and see the charm of the buildings up-close, and learn about the spirit of early Canadian history, all from the comfort of your home or classroom.

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Videos, Photos and More!

Westfield comes alive due to the countless hidden gems on the shelves, including trinkets, toys, tools – you name it! Learn more about these items by seeing them up close through the use of high resolution photos, or videos. Our costumed interpreters and Pete the Collection Guy will bring you with them on their journey through the historical buildings, sharing their knowledge and stories with you.

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How It Works

The virtual tour is simple to use, and is FREE. It is compatible with all devices, including: smartphones, tablets, computers and virtual reality sets.

Directional arrows will guide you around the village. If using a smartphone, simply move your phone around, and your view of the village with move with it. For example, if you want to look left, point your phone left. If you want to look right, point your phone to the right. Select the directional arrows on the ground to take a step forward or back.

The directional arrows are labelled to indicate which buildings they are guiding you to. And for the best view in the house – click the home button in the bottom left hand corner. This will always bring you to the bandstand, in the middle of the village.

Inside each building are icons to click on, which will pop-up  a text box, videos or photos. Simply click away to close the pop-up and continue exploring.

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Supplement In-Person Visits

Typically, buildings in the village are open to the public on Sundays only. However, the village and trails are open to hike 7 days per week. If you visit us at a time when the buildings are inaccessible, the virtual tour can be a great supplement to your hike.

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Explore Westfield’s Virtual Tour Today!

The staff and volunteers at Westfield are thrilled at the chance to share with you our knowledge and stories of our historical buildings. We intend to use this Virtual Tour Experience as a way to embrace modern technology to bring the past to life. This form of digital storytelling is one more tool we have to create a meaningful and educational link to our past, and we will continue to build on this initiative over time. We hope you enjoy it!

Click here to take the virtual tour!