Bell Homestead - Brantford, Ontario

Munazzah M.

Visited the site during 2025 Victoria Day long weekend. We were blessed as it was a beautiful day with no rain but a slight overcast, so it wasn't too hot either!

Countryside is always beautiful and a treat for the eyes. It is a quaint neighborhood, and I'm always curious how people in these small towns spend their time. Whereas we living in the main city/downtown literally have everything at a short walking distance!

Spring and summer are the six months where most Canadians make the most of outdoor activities.

Skye S.

Drove by late night when closed. I thought, let's stop. I'm in town and may as well. It was lovely and an opportunity to dream about the past and the Canadian who invented such a revolutionary tool, serving as a launching pad to the device so many of us carry. He would be so blown away! A beautiful homestead lovingly preserved. Antique lovers will appreciate its ambience. A link to the past, history is a journey back in time. Magic!

SRIRAM S.

We had the pleasure of visiting Bellstead in Brantford, and it was truly one of the most enriching and memorable experiences we’ve had in Canada. Standing in the very place where Alexander Graham Bell lived and where the world’s first long-distance phone call was made felt nothing short of magical. The house is beautifully preserved, and the storytelling throughout the tour brought history to life in the most engaging way.

A special note of appreciation goes to our guide — a kind and knowledgeable lady (I believe her name is Katie / she’s also featured in our pictures posted here) — who patiently answered every question and took the time to ensure everyone in the group felt involved and informed. Her passion for history truly made the tour unforgettable.

For anyone interested in innovation, history, or simply a quiet, meaningful outing, Bellstead is a must-visit. Thank you for preserving this treasure and for making our visit so special.

Joseph V.

Visited the homestead on Family Day 2025 and my family and I had a great time. Brian, the tour guide, was informative and very knowledgeable. He had an answer for every question we had. He also was very patient with our two year old son who didn’t grasp the hands off concept at first. We visited right after a bad winter storm and the pathways around the property were very clear and safe.

Soner P.

We had such a great time. We did the 5 senses program with my homeschooling group. Friendly and engaged staff.

We had to guess which rooms were which based on the hints of what was in the room. The story reading part was fun but too long. Definitely needed to be cut down or some how more interactive.
Would love to actually have the kids try an old phone system.

The Braille section was far too boring explaining the eye and how it sees differently. Kids were at the end of the tour and getting quite antsy. It's certainly interesting but again needs to be far more interactive/ hands on like a model of the eye or glasses that they can wear that shows different ways people can see.
The Art station wasn't what I expected. That was the most disappointing. Painting some sort of landscape would be much more interesting just like Eliza would have. That requires much more work but would flow well with everything offered.

Overall it was really good and fun to learn and discover about the Bell homestead. I highly recommend making the trip.

Frank Z.

It was a surprise to see the founder of Bell company in this small town. His former residence is here. I also didn't expect that this was the site of the history of such a great country. Although I couldn't go in today due to the break, I have already felt the era. It was not easy for him to invent the telephone. It was very meaningful for me to come here to visit. T

EV N.

A place I highly recommend to visit for so many reasons:
- great staff, helpful, very informed and eager to answer your many questions
- book the place in advance as they have limited places (under 10 people per group) and there are a few tours per day: you cannot visit the houses on your own
- surely you can check the place from outside, is after all a great location with the river at the back and I noticed they have some classes for children
- history: our guide was the best - she surely know everything about the house, the family and how Bell's mother influenced his life. You have a huge percentage of original items brought by the Bell from Scotland to Canada and he even visited the house from the USA when it became a museum. Lots of old books, furniture, that amazing cooker to rival today's cookers perhaps and the whole house structured like a typical British house (just like George Washington's house and yes, not make of bricks and mortar as is done in Europe, Middle East, Asia etc)
I highly recommend this place. Thank God Bell's name was not supercallifragilisticexpialidocious.

Richard L.

One of the must see spots in Brantford!!!

As a child in school, when I used to hear that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, I was always fascinated to learn more about him. This trip was the answer to my desire for that.

The Bell house has been maintained really well. There is a guided tour and it is advisable to book prior to going there, since they take only few people at a time. There is a small entrance fees, but I was able to visit free since I used canoo app.

The guided tour was one of the best tours I have ever attended. There is a small video show prior to the tour and also a souvenir shop. They also have a small cafe with a mini menu.

Now about the tour...

The tour starts with the explanation of the Bell family s story of migration from Scotland to Canada. They take through the house which has been maintained amazingly well. The art work of Bells mother is simply great.

The house gives you an insight of an upper middle class family back in the day. From the visitors room to kitchen to bedroom all have amazing stories to tell.

The equipments in the house are also fascination. They have olden day washing machine, stove, etc. They also explain the functioning of everything.

They also have set up in the nearby house in the compound with a small mini telephone exchange to see how the telephones worked back during the day.

We also bought a small olden telephone as a memory.

Truly worth the money and time.