Parkwood National Historic Site — Attraction in Oshawa

We had pretty bad experience there today. Purchased a Groupon for four people and called in advance to ensure they took walk ins for tours and they confirmed they did.

We go into the gift shop to sign up for a tour and find out that the tour starting in a half hour was too full to accomodate the 4 of us and that we would have to wait for an hour and 15 mins. We expressed our concerns over that as it was 40+ degrees outside and my mother uses a wheelchair and we were worried about having to wait outside all that time in the sun or in the hot car. There was really no where to sit near the office to wait. Especially not with air conditioning on such a hot day.

The employee helping us suggested we sign up for the next tour and go to this Tea House Cafe they had on the grounds to wait. Sweating, hungry and thirsty we decided to go check it out. We travelled an hour and a half to get there and didn't want to just turn around and leave.

They offered to give my mom a ride in a golf cart to the cafe as it was at the back of the grounds and a bit of a walk. We really appreciated it because it would be hard to push her all the way there with the gravel paths and the heat. A man took her, the wheelchair and one other person from our group down to the cafe while my boyfriend and I walked.

When we finally found the cafe, there was no sign even stating it was the right place but we went up to it anyway hoping to find the rest of our group. We walked through the little outdoor restaurant to look for them and not one person greeted us. We got some looks by customers and staff like we didn't belong there. We found my mom and friend out back of the restaurant left on the gravel (mom in the wheelchair so they literally just dropped her and left) by the garbage area and in the hot sun, not even in the little cafe.

We walk inside covered in sweat and so thirsty and hungry. Again, just stares. Like we didn't belong there, like we weren't wanted. Before we had even all sat down, a waiter came rushing over to tell us that we couldnt be served, that it was reservation only... and despite the empty tables.. that we had to leave. The sun was scorching, we had gone all the way to the back of the estate and we weren't even offered so much a glass of water or to sit down for 5 minutes.

They called us a go kart back though. How nice of them.. They wanted rid of us awfully quick.

The gentleman who picked my mom and I up (I rode back with her that time to watch the wheelchair on the back) was lovely, he was one of the only positive things about the experience and a big reason for my two stars instead of one. We told him we were thinking of leaving without doing the tour because of our treatment and he felt bad. He showed us a few things on the grounds on the way back so we would at least get to see something.

When we arrived back at the gift shop, we still had 45 mins to wait and we were so hot we just wanted to get out of there. We told the girl in the shop about what happened and she apologized, saying she has no idea about the restaurant. She was sorry we were choosing to leave without taking the tour and gave us a voucher for the value to return for a tour and gave us our drinks for free we had grabbed on the way into the gift shop. She was nice too, but the whole thing is very disorganized it seems.

We left hot, frustrated, disappointed, thirsty and hungry.

We stopped somewhere to eat on our travels home where we were actually wanted, unlike at that unwelcoming and fancy cafe.

Will we go back and use our vouchers? Maybe. The lot is beautiful, the mansion is beautiful, but it's very inconvenient the ways the tours work and with all the other stuff. I am not sure why they couldn't just have let the four of us tag along rather then expecting us to wait 1 hour 15 mins in 40+ degree weather. I have to decide if the $30 paid for the Groupon is worth the drive and the...

The ground and the gardens are gorgeous and are definitely worth a visit at least once in your lifetime. Everything is so beautiful and well maintained. The flowers and plants are spectacular. A lot of people do have photoshoot or people book the place for a wedding. The water fountain is breathtaking. It makes a pretty backdrop for pics and videos. I suggest to go during a weekday instead of a weekend to avoid the busy crowds. A lot of movies an tv series were filmed there. The staff was limited but nice. The gift shop was small but had a lot of interesting stuffs for sale. I tried to join their museum tours a few times but they seemed to always be sold out quickly as spots are very limited. Got to book early.

Though the ground and estate is a wonderful day trip excursion, their outdoor Tea House was just a so so experience. While dining outside with the beautiful backdrop seems like a good idea, I didn't expect the experience was marred with constant attack from the wasps. My friend and I had to constantly fight with the wasps for our food. The wasps just kept hovering non stop every few minutes. The staff kept saying it is the season and there was nothing they could do. Well, they finally now put up a message on their website addressing the matter that they have taken a variety of measures to reduce them at Parkwood (not sure what they mean by that). However, I wouldn't be surprised if someone gotten bitten and ended up suing them.

If you do proceed with the afternoon tea, it is highly recommended to make a reservation and in the reservation, need to indicate that you are booking for afternoon tea because if you do not clearly indicate it, they assumed u are there for their regular menu. Also if you would like a table by the Water Fountain, please mention it in the reservations. Their afternoon team menu was honestly quite disappointing and too expensive to be worth it at that price tag. The sandwiches weren't fresh and felt stale, scones were hard, desserts were nothing special and also, the biggest no no is that they were serving the tea in a tea bag. Yuck. For that high price point, you would expect the tea to be loose leaf. I can't believe they are now charging $68 plus tea plus 18% gratuity for the afternoon tea set. I haven't tried their regular lunch or dinner menu so I can't rate how the food is but it seems that it may be an alternative option over the afternoon set but reading the other reviews, it looks like the food is terrible overall I would rate the afternoon tea a 2.75 just for the scenery. Our waitress was friendly and even provided us extra cups as per our request as my friend and I were trying to find ways to contain the wasps situation. However, our waitress was forgetful. They were supposed to surprise my friend as it was her birthday but the waitress forgot about my special request so I had to remind the waitress in front of my friend about that request, which ruined the surprise.

There is very limited free parking so Parkwood Estate does suggest paid parking garage (located on the west side of the estate if space runs out. They also update their website frequently if there is no on-site parking on a particular day. Recommend to check their FAQ often before taking a long road trip. Overall, 4 stars for the ground estate and 2.75 for...

DO NOT GO HERE!

I am writing to formally express my deep disappointment and concern regarding the treatment I received at your restaurant today. I had planed my shoot form 3 weeks ago with your manager Maggie stating that I will be using the resturant on Thursday August 21st

When I arrived, I expected to be seated, but your blonde waitress ignored us for over 7 minutes. As a pregnant woman, I expected at least basic courtesy and timely service. We eventually seated ourselves at a dirty table which had no “reserved” sign on it and I personally wiped it clean.

After waiting another 10 minutes for service, the same waitress approached and abruptly told us the table was reserved. I was very respectful I politely explained that I would move after taking two quick photos, and that I intended to order a full meal including drinks, finger foods, dessert, and tea. Instead of showing professionalism, she gave me attitude, walked away, and escalated the situation by calling security.

To my shock, four security guards arrived and demanded that I leave. Their behavior was extremely rude, disrespectful, and humiliating especially in front of my three guests. This experience left me overheated, out of breath, thirsty, and still not even offered a glass of water. The audacity of refusing service to a pregnant woman who was simply trying to order food, then publicly embarrassing me with security, felt not only unprofessional but also discriminatory.

This incident ruined both my dining experience and a planned shoot, and your restaurant lost out on at least a $400 bill from our group of four. More importantly, the behavior of both your waitress and your security team was completely unacceptable. Their lack of respect and basic human decency reflects very poorly on your establishment, and in my opinion, such conduct should not be tolerated from any staff member.

I strongly urge you to take this matter seriously and take corrective action with your team. No guest let alone an expectant mother should ever be treated in such a disgraceful manner. You need an entire new team who is professional and understanding of hospitality through your security and your unprofessional waitress.

I DO NOT RECOMEND...