Oakville Downtown
Oakville Downtown
4
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Oakville Downtown a vibrant shopping and cultural district, with an extensive retail mix, professional services and exceptional dining. #community
Duration: 2-3 hours
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81 within 10 kms
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
69 reviews
Excellent
27
Very good
24
Average
9
Poor
3
Terrible
6
ALB
Oakville, Canada2 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Downtown is nothing special even after the expensive construction. Everything that has managed to remain open is overpriced, pretentious and there’s a complete lack of nightlife. Festivals are occasionally fun but it’s more about selling garbage than it is a community coming together. Hours are terrible for businesses and most places are closed early even on Friday or Saturday nights.
Being a pedestrian anywhere in Oakville is to risk your life because we boast the absolute worst and entitled drivers who speed, run yellow and red lights without second thought, fiddle on cellphones instead of paying attention to the road and will get hostile for almost hitting you. You need a constant, paranoid vigilance to avoid getting hit and Godspeed to those on bicycles.
Oakville is also 2 to 3 times the cost for any basic service compared to the surrounding cities. Avoid Kerr Street. They’ve attempted to gentrify and fix it up as “Kerr Village” but there’s a lot of run down buildings, drug addicts and mentally ill people roaming around harassing people. Most businesses are struggling because rent is astronomical. Lots of high turnover for shops and what is there is often barren and dying a slow death.
Being a pedestrian anywhere in Oakville is to risk your life because we boast the absolute worst and entitled drivers who speed, run yellow and red lights without second thought, fiddle on cellphones instead of paying attention to the road and will get hostile for almost hitting you. You need a constant, paranoid vigilance to avoid getting hit and Godspeed to those on bicycles.
Oakville is also 2 to 3 times the cost for any basic service compared to the surrounding cities. Avoid Kerr Street. They’ve attempted to gentrify and fix it up as “Kerr Village” but there’s a lot of run down buildings, drug addicts and mentally ill people roaming around harassing people. Most businesses are struggling because rent is astronomical. Lots of high turnover for shops and what is there is often barren and dying a slow death.
Written 16 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cheryl W
Oakville, Canada29 contributions
Jan 2020
What a nightmare the new section of downtown Oakville has become. The best option would be to close off the downtown and make it a walk area. Think of all the people that come down for midnight madness to walk and buy. Yes, they made the sidewalks wider but the parking is so tight that if you park your car and open up your drivers door you better make sure that a car isn't coming as your car door will be removed. What happened to this being great for bikes? Where? This is no bike lane at all. Good luck riding your bike. Now, there are two lanes and I have seen people stop their car right on the road put on there 4 way flashers and go shopping. Yes, I have watched people do this and walk into a store to browse. Cars can't get by because there is no middle lane anymore. As for delivery trucks they are doing the same thing. I have seen trucks just stop, put on there flashers and go delivering parcels. People honking at the delivery person and they just shrug and keep moving. I feel so bad for the stores who have to go through this. There are some great stores and restaurants but I wonder how long they will be able to stay. The next section is supposed to start next week and go till December 2021. I don't know how they could have ruined something that could have been so great but they did.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Toto' U
Toronto, Canada17 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
I usually don't write very negative reviews, unless I feel very strongly about something, but believe me when I say this . Stay away from the Bronte area of Oakville. They will tow your car away and you will have to pay $400 to get it back. Businesses like Sobeys and some other plazas in the area will tow your car even if you shopped and then need to leave the parking lot for any reason. Even if you buy a meal from Sobeys, and then go looking for a bench to sit on to eat what you just bought from Sobeys, they will tow your car as soon as you leave the parking lot. This is a crazy way of doing business. Stay away from the Bronte and Lakeshore area of Oakville.
Written 6 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
flyingdoc1
Emsworth, UK527 contributions
Jan 2020
Although partly obstructed by extensive roadworks and re-surfacing, this area of Oakville is nevertheless a wonderful area of shops, restaurants and boutiques, which are well worth visiting, Parking is always at a premium, especially until the road and access work is completed"
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Monica Z
1 contribution
Jul 2019
Downtown Oakville isn't the place to go if you're looking for something fun or entertaining. Being by the lake here means hundreds of tiny tiny little bugs flying in your face at all times. If you are just visiting family and are looking for a quiet place to stay with nice hotels and shops etc, then it is alright. However, everything is so overpriced and boring. Finding free parking is near impossible, and it is unfair to need to pay just to stay in a parking lot for a couple hours. There isn't much to do here and Oakville is just an average place to stay or visit.
Written 29 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mgracafrazao
Lisbon, Portugal24 contributions
Aug 2019 • Friends
Wonderful village, very nice houses and lovely gardens full of flowers. Great waterfront on lake Ontario.
Written 13 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patricia D
7 contributions
Sept 2018
I was very disappointed. Hardly any stores were open. Only one store, SHE IS was the only store that had some good buys. Only one band in the whole place. Nowhere to sit. Nowhere to park ( as usual ) nothing t buy or eat. I won’t go again.
It sure was madness. It was almost like the stores were picketing the whole event. I feel badly for the businesses
Who are at the mercy of exhorbidant rent by landlords. Not all Oakville are millionaires!
It sure was madness. It was almost like the stores were picketing the whole event. I feel badly for the businesses
Who are at the mercy of exhorbidant rent by landlords. Not all Oakville are millionaires!
Written 2 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NoKidsWillTravel
Oakville, Canada392 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
20-30 empty stores, hyper active parking enforcement, most of the non-clothing shops are gone and restaurants generally lack customer service. Do yourself a favour and check out the Kerr Street restaurant scene. The street isn't as polished but the restaurants are far more varied with better customer service. Check out Jac's, Maro's and Gingerman on Kerr to name a few.
Written 10 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hkloban
St. Catharines, Canada592 contributions
Jan 2017 • Couples
When I last walked through there were 21 empty stores. Compare this to Burlington or Mississauga along the Lakeshore. Something is definitely wrong. Here are some suggestions...
1) Parking problems. Get rid of those short term meters, those ridiculous bike racks, and those Al Fresco boardwalks, they all take up valuable parking spots. Next do a survey on how many accessible parking spots are actually required. They always seem to be empty suggesting there are too many now. The parking machines are very inconvenient for the people trying to support the downtown business. It is much easier to simply eat outside of town. Nothing is ever done for the public convenience only to cut operating costs. These parking hassles have driven away the consumers.
Stop those lazy people from parking in the middle of Lakeshore Road. The delivery trucks are not the problem, it is the lazy entitled housewives who are abusing the system. The meter readers simply look the other way when these people park illegally IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD while they ticket some poor guy following the rules who's meter has just run out.
Stop the police from ticketing during special events. Give the public a break while they are supporting the town and helping pay the police wages. One just has to go to events like Midnight Madness or Jazzfest to see the vultures handing out parking tickets. Shame on all of you! Do you really think anyone who gets a parking ticket during these events will every return?
2) Give property tax breaks to the stores along Lakeshore to encourage growth. Only give tax breaks to restaurants and retail stores on the portion they dedicate to sales and storage, not to the apartment rentals above.
Personally, I'd rather shop in the malls and dine on Kerr Street.
1) Parking problems. Get rid of those short term meters, those ridiculous bike racks, and those Al Fresco boardwalks, they all take up valuable parking spots. Next do a survey on how many accessible parking spots are actually required. They always seem to be empty suggesting there are too many now. The parking machines are very inconvenient for the people trying to support the downtown business. It is much easier to simply eat outside of town. Nothing is ever done for the public convenience only to cut operating costs. These parking hassles have driven away the consumers.
Stop those lazy people from parking in the middle of Lakeshore Road. The delivery trucks are not the problem, it is the lazy entitled housewives who are abusing the system. The meter readers simply look the other way when these people park illegally IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD while they ticket some poor guy following the rules who's meter has just run out.
Stop the police from ticketing during special events. Give the public a break while they are supporting the town and helping pay the police wages. One just has to go to events like Midnight Madness or Jazzfest to see the vultures handing out parking tickets. Shame on all of you! Do you really think anyone who gets a parking ticket during these events will every return?
2) Give property tax breaks to the stores along Lakeshore to encourage growth. Only give tax breaks to restaurants and retail stores on the portion they dedicate to sales and storage, not to the apartment rentals above.
Personally, I'd rather shop in the malls and dine on Kerr Street.
Written 5 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rana S
1 contribution
Jun 2021 • Couples
I am giving 1 star because they hate Muslims they don't respect who wear hijab disgusting!
#BanIslamphobia
#BanIslamphobia
Written 9 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I’m going to the Oakville Film Festival. Taking Uber from Hamilton. Where should I go on Saturday June 22. Dinner onward.? From Film ca Speers Road.
Written 21 June 2019
Harper's Landing on Cross Ave...2 miles away from Film
Written 24 June 2019
I’m going to the Oakville Film Festival. Taking Uber from Hamilton. Where should I go on Saturday June 22. Dinner onward.? From Film ca
Written 21 June 2019
Many choices in downtown Oakville. Much will depend on your budget.
Written 24 June 2019
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