Along Ajax’s historic main street, Old Kingston Road, bike-friendly restaurants, shops, spas, salons, yoga, baked goods, ice cream, and more await. Pickering Village, settled in 1807, still contains many heritage buildings: The Gordon House, built in 1881, was a hotel known for its excellent food; Casa Verde, a popular Italian restaurant is housed in an 1890 building that once served as a birthing house, and later as a rum runner’s hideout. Originally constructed as church in 1871 and beautifully retrofitted in 2011, the St. Francis Centre hosts concerts, live theatre, and international films. For more than a decade, Pickering Village has been home to JamFest, an annual summer street music festival.