Evergreen Brick Works Site Tours
Site Tours
Learn the story of Evergreen Brick Works and discover how Evergreen reclaimed and revitalized this former industrial site into an award-winning environmental community centre and green-technology showcase. Tours touch on key themes related to the site, such as sustainability, art and geology. Keep reading to learn more about our weekly public site tours and private tour option.
Public Site Tours
Dates & Times
Saturdays:
11:00am-12:00pm
1:00-2:00pm
Cost
$5 suggested donation per person
Meeting Location
Tours meet at our Welcome Desk in Building 14 and take place rain or shine.
We can accommodate 20 people per tour, and its first come, first served.
Planning to come with a group of 10 or more? Since this is a freepublic event we ask that you do not bring a group.
Private Site Tours
Dates & Times
- Private tours can be booked on any day of the week between 9am-5pm, and run for approximately an hour.
Cost
- The rate is $20+HST per person, with a minimum booking fee for 10 participants. We also offer a discounted rate of $15+HST per person for GTA public schools, community groups, and non-profits.
- At this time, payment can only be made online by Credit Card.
Group Size
- Each guide can accommodate a group of up to 30 individuals. Groups under 30 people are preferred.
- After 30 participants, a second guide will need to be scheduled. This is subject to guide availability. Due to our limited roster of guides, please note that booking requests for groups larger than 60 are not likely to be accommodated.
Theme
- We are currently offering the Brick Works Story Tour, which covers the fascinating tale of our site from deep history to modern day. Some of the topics include geology, ecology, Indigenous land connection and active presence, industrial heritage, and sustainability.
- At this time, we are not conducting custom tours.
Booking
- Interested in booking a private tour? Please fill out this form to submit an inquiry.
Contact
- Any questions? Please reach out to tours@evergreen.ca
City of Toronto Policy on Group Use of Park Space
Please note that the Weston Family Quarry Garden and Don Valley Brick Works Park (the park, trails and ponds behind Evergreen Brick Works) is maintained by the City of Toronto. Access to this natural area is carefully managed in order to protect the sensitive and valuable ecosystem.
If you are visiting as a group of 25 or more, and would like to access the park trails on your own (i.e., outside of a tour or walk organized by Evergreen), you are required by the City of Toronto to book a gathering. Contact greentoronto@toronto.ca for more information, or to request a permit
Accessibility
Evergreen is committed to making Evergreen Brick Works an accessible destination for our diverse community, including people with disabilities. Please visit our Accessibility page for more information. There is no charge for personal care workers on private tours and walks.
Private Tours Policies and Procedures
Refunds & Personal Cancellations
Tour bookings are non-refundable. However, should your group be unable to attend your original booking date, we will do our best to reschedule you. Any requests to reschedule must be made with at least 10 business days notice ahead of the original booking date. Requests made within 10 business days will only be considered under extraordinary circumstance and must be accompanied by supporting documentation where relevant (i.e. doctor’s note, positive Covid test, proof of fever). If you or any members of your group are experiencing cold-like symptoms, please refer to Toronto Public Health Guidelines to determine if you can attend the booking. Groups are only permitted to reschedule their appointment once.
Missed Appointments and Changes to Booking
We do not issue refunds for no-shows, nor do we offer retroactive refunds if members of your group do not show up and your original number of participants is reduced.
If you need to increase the number of participants attending your tour, please be in touch ahead of your tour date and we will pass along an updated invoice.
On the day of the tour, if your number of tour participants is greater than previously indicated, you will be invoiced after the tour a charge reflecting the cost of the extra participants.
At the moment, our guides are trained to run the Brick Works Story Tour. At this time, we cannot accommodate requests for custom tours.
Evergreen Cancellation & Inclement Weather
Tours run rain or shine, but in the case of weather that poses a threat to the safety of participants, Evergreen may cancel a private tour. Examples of extreme weather include extreme cold (-20 degrees Celsius with windchill or colder), extreme heat (humidex value of 40 degrees Celsius or higher), snowstorms, or heavy rain that poses a risk of flooding on our site. In the event of a cancellation made by Evergreen, we will aim to let participants know with 24hrs notice, or as soon as the forecast allows us to make an informed decision. Any private booking cancelled by Evergreen is entitled to a rescheduled tour or a refund, at the preference of the tour group. If you have any accessibility/mobility related concerns about weather ahead of your booking, please be in touch.
Booking Times
Booking requests must be made at least 10 business days ahead of the requested date and are subject to staff & volunteer availability. Tours can be booked anywhere between the hours of 9am-5pm and can be booked Monday-Sunday. Please note that booking requests for weekdays are preferred and are more likely to be approved.
Paid Parking
Parking passes are not available for tour groups. Parking on our site is limited, especially on weekends. We ask that, when possible, those visiting our site use alternative methods of transit (TTC, free shuttle bus from Broadview station, hike here through the ravines). Visit our “Getting Here” page for more information.
If your group is arriving by a coach or school bus, please make this information known ahead of time so that we can inform our Site Team. We can only accommodate tour buses on weekdays due to crowding in our parking lots.
Code of Conduct
All tour participants are expected to behave respectfully towards their guide and all Evergreen staff. Similarly, groups are asked to respect our site and the nature that surrounds it. This includes staying on path, listening to the directions of the guide, handling plants gently, leaving all animals be, and refraining from climbing on heritage structures. Tours guides have the discretion to cut tours short should they find the behavior of a group unmanageable.
As part of this request for respect, tour groups are asked to be punctual. If your group is running late, please be in touch ASAP so that we know when to expect you.