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| | Ontario | Toronto | |||
| Toronto City Center | |||
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CN Tower Rise to the heights. Start early to avoid lines at the world's tallest freestanding structure (1, 815 feet, 553 meters), the CN Tower. Street level, walk through the Observation Pre-Show display of historical building techniques. Zoom up to the Look Out Level: 1,136 ft above the street with the best view of the whole city. Kids, keep your eyes peeled: lightening strikes the tower during summer months more than any other spot in Toronto. | ||
| Next stop, one level down and probably kids' most popular spot: the Glass Floor, 256 feet of glass designed to "withstand the weight of 14 hippos." What kid can resist jumping around seemingly suspended 1,122 feet in the air? | |||
| Back down on the ground floor is the Ultimate Roller Coaster, a virtual reality ride through mountains and forests. For really little ones, try the tamer "Easy Glide." | |||
| Hungry after all that jumping and zooming around? Two restaurants at the top have spectacular views, a cafe on the ground floor has kid menus. | |||
| Tip: To avoid waiting in line, use your Toronto CityPass. | |||
| Union Station in the middle of town is a great way to get almost anywhere: access to the rail, subway, and PATH systems. | |||
| Getting Around the core is easy in all kinds of weather because of the PATH system: a 10 kilometer underground pedestrian shopping area running below street level from Union Station to City Hall, with signs indicating streets above. Kids like the strangeness of a subterranean world, and may be a little more willing to walk and shop here. Reach the PATH from any downtown subway station and many major buildings, including hotels and shopping centers. Click here for a PATH map. | |||
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Virtual Hockey Play Virtual Hockey at the Hockey Hall of Fame, in downtown's BCE Place. Dedicated to Canada's favorite sport, kids will have a blast putting on masks & gloves to "play" against Wayne Gretzky or Mark Messier. Admission prices are a bit stiff, but it is a day pass with in-and-out privileges, and this really is a must-do for hockey fans. In the TSN Broadcast Zone try your skill at a play-by-play of famous games. The Bell Great Hall holds the holy grail of hockey: the Stanley Cup, along with other NHL trophies and other hockey memorabilia. Finally, walk through a replica of the Montreal Canadiens dressing room. Click here for schedule and ticket info. | ||
| Museums | |||
| Visit on "Family Sundays," with special kid-oriented activities (they may get to work with painting, sculpture, printmaking or dress up like the figures in famous paintings!). Super Sundays are the first Sunday of every month and include performances, authors, illustrators, family tours and films. | |||
| Theater Toronto is only behind London and New York in the English language world for number of theaters and performances: no matter what your taste or the ages of your kids, there are likely to be several choices that will fit your family. | |||
| Tip: Don't miss out on a locals favorite: several public libraries in town, such as the Woodside Square Library and the Barbara Frum Library, often mount (free) performances for kids! | |||
| Chinatown Chinatown in Toronto is one of the largest Chinese communities in North America. Start on Spaldina Avenue (behind City Hall): sculptures of mythical figures "guard" the entrance. Explore Chinese herb shops with their huge displays of medicinal herbs, get a great meal in the food court or the many really authentic restaurants here (you'll find vegetarian and Vietnamese as well). This is a great place to bargain hunt for Chinese-made clothes, toys, and things for the home. Tip: Take a streetcar and make getting there part of the fun. | |||
| Parks | |||
| Riverdale Farm Riverdale Farm is one of the great family sites in Toronto. Incredibly, it's a working farm in the heart of the city! (In the Old Cabbagetown area on Winchester Street.) There are daily farm demos (milking, butter making, wool spinning, etc.) as well as special events all year long. At the 1858 barn, you'll find cows, horses, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, geese the whole range of typical farm animals. | |||
| Harbourfront is its own little world, filled with shops and cafes, a great place to just stroll around: | |||
| Ontario Place Ontario Place is a huge amusement park right at the foot of the city. You'll find the IMAX theater, an amphitheater, lots of places to eat, and then there's mini-golf and peddle boat rentals (peddle boats are included with the Play All Day Pass), the Thrill Zone with its interactive games, as well as some more unique experiences: | |||
| The Water Park alone has a ton of choices: Rush River, a huge waterslide 873 feet long, The Pink Pipeline shoots you on two-man tubes along twists and through dark tunnels, the Hydrofuge is like the world's longest slip-n-slide, dunking you into a six foot pool. | |||
| Rides of the motorized kind abound as well. Pre-schoolers can try the Mini Bumper Boats, and there's Bumper Boats for bigger kids and adults too. Whole families can jump into the Adventure Ride that takes you through "forests and canyons" in a simulated river trip. | |||
| Sports Toronto is a big sports town, with several major league teams. If you love watching the stars play live, check out the locals. The Skydome Stadium is just a couple blocks from the CN Tower, the Air Canada Centre is near Union Station. If this is a "must do" for your family, you may want to buy your tickets well in advance to be sure of getting in. |
Fun food |
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Stock up on snacks at the St. Lawrence Market, the city's largest, housed in a huge 19th century brick building. Open Tuesday-Friday, there are delis, produce shops, gourmet foods, cheeses, to-go, or the Market Gallery if you want to stop a while. On Saturdays, there's a farmer's market across Front Street, offering farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. |
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Eaton's Centre offers a food court and several restaurants: an easy stop in the middle of doing 101 things in downtown Toronto. At the Hockey Hall of Fame you'll find a buffet with Italian, deli, oriental, etc. but much better than your typical mall food court. |