Perth (Ontario)

Perth is a small, historic town in eastern Ontario, Canada, home to around 6,500 people (2021).

Understand
Established as a military settlement in 1816, Perth-upon-Tay was first settled by military veterans of the War of 1812 as the seat of Lanark County. The Scottish, Irish and European stonemasons who constructed the Rideau Canal (opened 1832, Kingston to Ottawa) built many local historic stone buildings which have been preserved in their original condition or carefully restored.

The seven "Marks Brothers", Canadian kings of theatrical repertoire who toured North America from the 1870s-1920s, hailed from Christie Lake just outside of Perth. The Balderson Theatre building at 12 Gore Street East (still standing, now a furniture store) was the largest theatre between Montreal and Toronto in its time; the brothers were called (Maclean’s Magazine, 1958) "the most remarkable theatrical family in Canadian history. The dazzling Marks Brothers were the greatest impresario performers of our small town stage in the era before the nickelodeon." The two-century-old downtown huddles around the Tay Basin, the end-point of the Tay Canal that connects Perth into the Rideau Canal system. Large boats arriving from the Rideau via the Tay Canal will get no further than the Last Duel Campground due to very low bridges between the campground and the Tay Basin but smaller boats, canoes and kayaks should be able to navigate under these bridges to the Tay Basin in downtown Perth.

Local arts and crafts can be found throughout the town. Paintings, prints and art cards of Nostalgic Realism artist Craig Campbell (available at many downtown stores) are internationally known for their nostalgic portrayal of the steam train era.

The town is named for Perth (Scotland), one of its two sister cities, which is built on a Tay River. County Lanark is also named for a Scottish town Lanark (from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade") in the former Lanarkshire.

Visitor Information

 * Town of Perth
 * A Visitor Information Centre is located in the Perth Museum (see below).

Get in

 * By car:
 * From Ottawa (and the Highway 417 on the mainline of the Trans-Canada Highway), Perth is 83km (52 miles) west on Highway 7. Exit on Wilson Street and follow the "business section" signs. This portion of Highway 7 is part of a branch of the Trans-Canada Highway that passes through the area, traveling between Sudbury and Kanata (near Ottawa) on Highway 69 and 400, then Highway 12, then Highway 7, then Highway 417.
 * From Kingston and Highway 401, take County Road 10 north through Westport.
 * By bus:
 * By boat:
 * The Tay River branches from the Rideau Canal between Smiths Falls and Newboro. There are two locks (#33 Lower Beveridges, #34 Upper Beveridges) which bypass the river to join Perth to the main canal. Parks Canada operates the canal seasonally, late May to Thanksgiving.
 * By boat:
 * The Tay River branches from the Rideau Canal between Smiths Falls and Newboro. There are two locks (#33 Lower Beveridges, #34 Upper Beveridges) which bypass the river to join Perth to the main canal. Parks Canada operates the canal seasonally, late May to Thanksgiving.


 * By train or aeroplane:
 * The closest rail station is in Smiths Falls, on the Toronto-Brockville-Ottawa VIA "Corridor" service.
 * The closest major airport is Ottawa.

Get around
The downtown core, situated on a few square blocks, is easily toured on foot. Parking in downtown lots is $4/day; one may park on-street for free for no more than two hours in any five-hour period. Portable wheelchair ramps have been retrofitted to some of the older-style stores.

The "big box" stores, strip mall, fast food and motels are out on Highway #7 and best accessed by motor car.

Local taxis are provided by K+K Cab (+1 613-264-4001), Access Taxi (+1 613-264-1212) and Charlie's Taxi (+1 613-267-3757).

Maple syrup
Various farms around Perth/Lanark (locally) and around Delta (north of Brockville) produce maple sugar and maple syrup seasonally; sap normally starts flowing at the beginning of the spring thaw (late March-early April) while the last of the winter snow is still on the ground.



Go next

 * Brockville — the "City of the Thousand Islands", along Highway 401 and the St. Lawrence River.
 * Carleton Place — a fast-growing town on the edge of Ottawa.
 * Smiths Falls — toward Ottawa, the half-way point of the Rideau Canal, and home of the canal's museum and visitor centre.
 * Westport — a small village, but a shopping and service hub for boaters on the canal, toward Kingston.