maclaren art centre

Went here for a wedding as well as a baby shower. The upstairs is perfect for a wedding and beautiful. The main floor is great and modern looking with the cafe right there to serve your guests.

MacLaren Arts Center is worth visiting if you are interested in local and Canadian artists. It is well laid out and with natural light and gorgeous windows. A great place to hold an event. I recently attended a birthday party held in the Carnegie room and it was awesome. There is a licensed bar, cafe and also art academy. The art gallery is quaint so don't expect the ROM. Nice to see local and Canadian artists recognized. Easy access to all amenities downtown and great restaurants.

Expected much more of this art gallery in downtown Barrie. There were only a handful(less than 6) of exhibits. More space than content. Not worth a visit. My first and last.

This little gallery is located downtown and is easy to find: North of the Hooters or kitty-corner from City Hall. The building is neat as it incorporates an old Carnagie Library. The portions are well executed. The collection has a local/Canadian focus. You shouldn't need a lot of time to see the works.

The MacLaren Arts Centre is a combination gallery, cafe, patio, dinning hall, and art school spanning two buildings in downtown Barrie. I had a chance to visit it for the first time recently and I was pretty impressed. Its small (half an hour should be enough to tour the majority of the galleries) but well laid out and has some interesting pieces on display, mainly by local artists. I particularly liked the watercolour works by John Hartmann depicting the Georgian Bay Islands. Admission is free with donations encouraged. Overall a nice little place to stop in if you’re in the area.