Must see in Toronto?

[akhenaten]

We are heading up to the Toronto area for a roller hockey tournament....
we will probably only have time to see a few things in Toronto..what would you consider the must sees??

Any suggestions welcome...

I do want to stop and see Niagara Falls too....

 

[mommasita]

Nothing. NO JUST JOKING!

The CN tower. The Hockey Hall of fame. Those 2 things come to mind.

 

[akhenaten]

Nothing. NO JUST JOKING!

The CN tower. The Hockey Hall of fame. Those 2 things come to mind.

Thanks LOL

Oh you know the hockey hall of fame was already on the list LOL!!

I will check out the CN Tower...

 

[npmommie]

The CN tower is cool, i loved the glass floor,
also shopping and eating on Queen st. ( i think that was the street) it was a really funky district couple blocks up from the lake.

we were there briefly a few years back for a U2 concert
loved the city.

 

[*JoGo*]

Casa Loma!!
http://www.casaloma.org/Main/MainDyn.asp

I LOVE Casa Loma. We once drove all the way up there (from Eastern Central Oh) just to show 4yr old ds this castle. I went there on a field trip in 7th grade and fell in love.

And the Harbourfront is beautiful and fun.
There's also a zoo (I've never been) and museums and just a neat city. Last time we went, we stayed in Mississauga b/c it was cheaper and close.

I love Toronto.

I also love the falls.
My fave place to stay is the Marriot Fall's View. Every room has a view of the falls. There's also a tram-thing that goes down the incline from the hotel to just across the street from the falls. We were there in March, so it wasn't running... Fall's View boasts it's proximity to the falls, but if you visit in winter, and decide to walk down, it's the furthest.

Have fun!!

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

Cullen Gardens.
Black Creek Village.

 

[autumnpalm]

The Toronto Islands are really beautiful. The ferry is cheap and a really nice ride. Definitely the CN Tower... the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) has an exhibit that just opened up with the Dead Sea Scrolls and the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) was recently designed by Frank Gehry and is really amazing. The St. Lawrence Market is a fun way to spend an afternoon, as is the area of Kensignton Market and Chinatown.

Then there's the Bata Shoe Museum... the Eaton Center for shopping... Queen Street West is a really awesome shopping district with lots of unique stores and restaurants. The Harbourfront/Queen's Quay area is very nice as well. The zoo is great and Casa Loma is gorgeous, especially in the summer with all the gardens!

You will have a great time, I love Toronto.

 

[Footnotegirl]

I used to live in Toronto (when I was in high school.. boarding school)
The ROM if you like museums, yes!
The CN Tower.
Casa Loma as previously mentioned.
I remember the zoo being pretty spectacular.
There was a good theater district (it's been years).
Toronto Eaton Centre if you like Shopping.

 

[Northstar]

When are you going?

If soon, there's a GARBAGE COLLECTORS STRIKE looming. Summer. Garbage strike. Not pretty.

(I'm going myself the first week in July. Packing noseplugs just in case)

 

[akhenaten]

When are you going?

If soon, there's a GARBAGE COLLECTORS STRIKE looming. Summer. Garbage strike. Not pretty.

(I'm going myself the first week in July. Packing noseplugs just in case)

Uh oh...thanks for the warning!

Would the strike only affect Toronto or Mississauga too?

We are going July 9-14 and staying in Mississauga...the rink is the Hersey Centre.. I have to check and see what town that is in....

 

[akhenaten]

Thanks Everyone!!

I really appreciate your suggestions.... it has given me great ideas for the trip!!

 

[CindyCan]

First off, Cullen Gardens closed a few years ago (it's now a Town park...no miniature village), so everyone can cross that off their list!

Check out this site:

http://www.citypass.com/city/toronto.html

All 5 of these attractions are winners. I took my 3 kids & my niece & nephew to all of these one summer. We live here, so we were frequent visitors to the zoo & the science centre, so that may have some bearing on this list. However, for the 5 kids ages 13 (boy) 12, 11, 11 (girls), 9 (boy-rep hockey player), their favourites were in order (and all in agreement):

Casa Loma
the ROM
CN Tower
Science Centre
Zoo

I didn't think they'd like Casa Loma, but they loved it! We were done after about 2.5 hours, though, so it's not an all-day thing.

If you have time to do a few things, the City Pass was WELL worth it.

Have fun, and good luck at the hockey tournament!

 

[akhenaten]

First off, Cullen Gardens closed a few years ago (it's now a Town park...no miniature village), so everyone can cross that off their list!

Check out this site:

http://www.citypass.com/city/toronto.html

All 5 of these attractions are winners. I took my 3 kids & my niece & nephew to all of these one summer. We live here, so we were frequent visitors to the zoo & the science centre, so that may have some bearing on this list. However, for the 5 kids ages 13 (boy) 12, 11, 11 (girls), 9 (boy-rep hockey player), their favourites were in order (and all in agreement):

Casa Loma
the ROM
CN Tower
Science Centre
Zoo

I didn't think they'd like Casa Loma, but they loved it! We were done after about 2.5 hours, though, so it's not an all-day thing.

If you have time to do a few things, the City Pass was WELL worth it.

Have fun, and good luck at the hockey tournament!

I had looked up the mini village online..too bad its gone now.. it looked cute!

Thanks for the city pass suggestion... I have to figure out if it will pay for us... we probably won't have much time and My son does not like heights... so i don't think we will be going up in the tower..

The castle is most likely a go... it looks beautiful!!

Thanks for wishing him luck! Of all the years he's played ice hockey , we never got to canada... it's roller hockey that is getting us there LOL

 

[crashbb]

The Art Gallery of Ontario. I think it is worth going just to see the newly designed (well, newish) building. It was designed by Frank Gehry.

For art, I really like the McMichael Gallery, though it is in Kleinburg (just north of the city). It has a lot of Group of Seven and Tom Thompson art (famous Canadian artists), as well as Inuit and First Nations art. The entire gallery is only Canadian artists.

If you are into spectator sports, the Toronto Blue Jays (baseball) and Toronto FC (soccer) will be playing in July (haven't checked to see if they have games on your dates).

Toronto has a very decent theatre scene and it's ballet company (National Ballet of Canada) and Opera company (Canadian Opera Company) have some good shows in their programmes.

I love High Park or the Toronto Islands for picnics/bike rides/runs/outdoor stuff.

What sort of things do you like? We can give you more specific advice, if we know what you like (e.g. I love the Science Centre - but I'm a geek).

 

[minnie56]

Uh oh...thanks for the warning!

Would the strike only affect Toronto or Mississauga too?

We are going July 9-14 and staying in Mississauga...the rink is the Hersey Centre.. I have to check and see what town that is in....

It will not affect Mississauga..and that is where the Hershey Center is.
Enjoy!

 

[Partridge4ever]

We enjoyed the Science Center.

You probably already know this, but US citizens need passports or at least that card that's good for North America.

 

[akhenaten]

The Art Gallery of Ontario. I think it is worth going just to see the newly designed (well, newish) building. It was designed by Frank Gehry.

For art, I really like the McMichael Gallery, though it is in Kleinburg (just north of the city). It has a lot of Group of Seven and Tom Thompson art (famous Canadian artists), as well as Inuit and First Nations art. The entire gallery is only Canadian artists.

If you are into spectator sports, the Toronto Blue Jays (baseball) and Toronto FC (soccer) will be playing in July (haven't checked to see if they have games on your dates).

Toronto has a very decent theatre scene and it's ballet company (National Ballet of Canada) and Opera company (Canadian Opera Company) have some good shows in their programmes.

I love High Park or the Toronto Islands for picnics/bike rides/runs/outdoor stuff.

What sort of things do you like? We can give you more specific advice, if we know what you like (e.g. I love the Science Centre - but I'm a geek).

I love so many different things!! Thanks for the offer for more specifics..but we probably already have too many things to see ...LOL

I will certainly get near the ghery museum..just to see the architecture... even if I do n ot have time to get inside...

My son is 15 and DD7 so we have to choose carefully to please all ages..

Of course we have to visit the Hockey Stops... hall of fame and outrageous hockey stores , which we have heard tell of... LOL

 

[akhenaten]

It will not affect Mississauga..and that is where the Hershey Center is.
Enjoy!

Thanks...hope the strike ends quickly!
I read the last one was 2 weeks...
I live outside of NYC and I know that Garbage strikes are not pretty...

selfishly i am happy that it is not occurring where we are staying...

 

[akhenaten]

We enjoyed the Science Center.

You probably already know this, but US citizens need passports or at least that card that's good for North America.

Thanks for the warning... I do know and had to pay extra to get my passport quickly... thats what I get for procrastinating...

Do you know anything about customs... we may buy some hockey equipment while we are there... we only traveled out of the states on our honeymoon and we did not buy much...

 

[DutchsMommy]

Do you happen to know how much time you will have? Coming in from Mississauga, it might be fun to drive to a TTC station (Toronto Transit Commission) and take the Subway downtown. If you are going to the Hockey Hall of Fame it is right on the subway line, as are most of the attractions mentioned. If you have lots of time (which I think you don't but just in case....) Canada's Wonderland would likely be a great time for your kids. But, it is outside of the city and can get expensive. The CityPass is a great deal and definately worth it. There is also a Family Pass for the TTC which you might want to check out. The garbage strike is on, but if you are just visiting tourist sights hopefully it will not seem really evident to you. The Science Centre is out in Scarborough (not on Subway line) so you would either drive or take the bus (driving is likely easier). I like it there, but if you only have a short period of time, I would stick with stuff downtown. Same for Centre Island - fun but more of a day trip, so may eat up too much time. Niagara Falls is neat, and the town itself is fun in a cheesy sort of way (lots of cheap touristy stuff incl. wax museums etc.). Chinatown is also a fun place to walk around - although with the garbage strike it is likely pretty ripe down there!! We'd be happy to give you more details if you have any questions - and feel free to post on the Canadian board too!