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New business at Orangeville’s Old Mill Hub offers fully-immersive Virtual Reality experiences

March 5, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Joshua Drakes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Following a grand opening event on Sunday, March 1, Teleport is officially open and offering a multitude of virtual experiences, from tours to games.

Virtual Reality (VR) is one of the newest ways to enjoy video games and other media, donning a headset instead of a screen and digitally stepping into a new world for a far more immersive experience than a TV could provide.

This experience doesn’t come cheap, however. A VR headset is expensive, and the accompanying equipment, such as haptic gloves and motion controllers, further increases the cost. This makes such a uniquely focused technology unfeasible for many.

But a new startup in Orangeville is changing that by offering affordable VR experiences. The Teleport, operated by general manager and entrepreneur Joe Day, doesn’t break the bank. He said his goal was to give Orangeville a truly unique experience it has never had before.

“I’m super excited to bring this type of experience to Orangeville. I don’t think we really have any other VR experiences in town,” he said. “The big idea was bringing something truly different to downtown, helping to bring traffic to all the other businesses around, and supporting each other and supporting the downtown core.

The Teleport is a VR experience that offers a wide range of opportunities for customers.

For fans of video games, a virtual arcade is ready and waiting, loaded with a library of popular, entertaining games. For those seeking a bit more of a thrill, a unique Star Wars experience awaits you.

Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series is offered by The Teleport, bringing players to a galaxy far, far away and face-to-face with the famous Sith Lord Darth Vader himself.

But the Teleport is much more than just video games. Day wanted it to be an experience that everyone could enjoy, not just gamers.

“We didn’t want to be an arcade. We wanted to be a virtual reality experience studio,” he said. “For instance, we have our immersive travel experiences. They’re guided tours of big cities that we want to see. So, for instance, right now we have France, we put you in Paris, and it’s a whole guided VR 360 tour through Paris. And then we will move you to Nice, (France) and so on.”

For tourists that might not have the time or money to travel, the guided tour series offers a substitute experience that comes equipped with more tools to help you feel more immersed, such as fans for wind, heat lamps for temperature control and more. For history enthusiasts, a Titanic experience is also available, with vapour dispensers that mimic the mist rising from the ocean.

The entire experience is designed to be affordable and accessible, with individual bookings costing $34 and lasting up to an hour, depending on the programs chosen.

The entire experience is also curated and guided to make sure all users remain comfortable.

“Instead of them coming in and someone’s like, ‘Okay, yeah, cool. Here’s your headset. Go have fun,’ I want it to be like a theme park, where… we give you that experience that I think people want more of, that I think is kind of lost,” Day said. “People want an experience… that makes them feel like it’s important that they’re there, not just ‘whatever, go sit down.’”

“We want to curate it so it’s as comfortable as possible. We’re making sure they’re feeling okay, that they don’t suffer from motion sickness. We’re taking breaks, making sure you’re energized and hydrated,” he added.

The Teleport is set to make VR access in Orangeville affordable, accessible, and accommodating, offering a variety of experiences, from games to tours to interactive events.

For a complete list of programs offered, go to teleportorangeville.com.

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