1 day in Toronto

Peen

Hi everyone. My family and I are taking a trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto and we'll basically have one day in Toronto itself. We've never been, so I'd love to hear what you all would suggest are the most important things to see or do. It'll be me, my wife, and my two kids (8 and 6) and we're open to whatever!

Forar

It's very much a tourist thing to do, but the view from the CN tower is, imo, spectacular enough to give a shot, assuming nobody in the family is deathly afraid of heights. I suppose also a consideration is the altitude; have the kids ever flown, or is the change in pressure going to be a bigger deal than giving them some gum and letting it sort itself out?

In that area is also the Ripley's Aquarium, and being in the downtown core you're not too far from a number of restaurants, including the Rec Room, which is a mix of restaurant/bar and arcade, though perhaps a bit raucous for children of that age. In that vicinity would also be Union Station, which is an impressive landmark, and you're not too far off (a short uber, subway trek, or walk, depending on how the little ones were holding up) from the Eaton Centre, Old and New City Hall.

This is just off the top of my head, but in terms of density of stuff to see/do, I think it's a fair starting point.

Gaddez

Personal favorites of mine for visits in Toronto are the science center which is some superb edutainment (I'm sure your kids will love it if they have interests in basically anything) and the toronto Zoo which has a wide variety of animals from around the world in addition to a sizable children's section.

Also, there is the ROM, which is neat as a museum since it has a mix of natural history and human history.

Toronto island might be another good spot, since it has a sizable children's park and being near the lake it'll be cooler in the summer.

KetBra

If your kids would be interested in seeing a quasi-real castle, there's Casa Loma, which apparently does escape rooms now, too?

Peen

Thanks everyone; Toronto Island was already on our radar but we'd like to see stuff in the city too and of course the CN tower was on the list. The idea of going up the elevator on the outside of the building gives me the heeby jeebies but I think there's one inside so we'll probably do that.

Cello

The aquarium is great and can be done in about 30 minutes to an hour, fyi

It might be easy to slot in between other stuff

Mugsley

Peen wrote: »

Thanks everyone; Toronto Island was already on our radar but we'd like to see stuff in the city too and of course the CN tower was on the list. The idea of going up the elevator on the outside of the building gives me the heeby jeebies but I think there's one inside so we'll probably do that.

In that case, you get an absolute kick out of the room at the top with the glass floor.

bloodyroarxx

With kiddos that age the Aquarium is a must

Forar

Oh hell I'm a member, how the hell did I overlook the ROM? That's a great idea!

dlinfiniti

If
6/2 ,6/5, 6/7, or 6/10
goto Jurassic Park

Figgy

dlinfiniti wrote: »

If
6/2 ,6/5, 6/7, or 6/10
goto Jurassic Park

Eh, might be a bit chaotic for a 6-year-old.

For those confused, it's what they call the outdoor viewing area for the Raptors games.

Peen

Nope, we'll be there later than that or I'd consider it.

Gaddez

Oh yeah, just thought of another one that could be fun: kensington market. It's a bit of a hipster pit, but as parts of toronto go it's both beautiful with all of it's public art and loaded with neat little shops. You should definitley consider getting something to eat from there

Forar

If you're already downtown (CN Tower/Ripley's/Etc), St. Lawrence Market is in the area as well. Interesting food, including a pemeal bacon sandwich that's simply wonderful, diverse cheeses, fresh produce, all kinds of neat stuff if you feel like a snack but don't necessarily want a sit down restaurant (or want to get something to take home with you, depending on what it is of course).

SilverWind

My favourite ice cream place in the city is Ed's Real Scoop. If you go near any of the locations, you should have some (burnt marshmellow / espresso!!). You could go to the Beaches location then walk over to the waterfront if the weather is super lovely. Strolling Queen Street is really nice for a casual activity too

Psykoma

I would second the aquarium, there's a ton there for kids to do and it's still an enormous amount of fun for adults.

If you weren't scared of heights I'd also enthusiastically suggest the CN Tower Edgewalk (this one only if you can get some kind of discount)

Gaddez

Also, I'm not sure on how soon you're planning on coming, but it occurs to me you might want to reconsider toronto island; theres been a ton of rain in the past few weeks and it's actually dealing with flooding issues atm; Assuming the rain lets up for a few weeks it should be alright but if you're planning to come within the next week or so it could be... less then stellar.

Peen

We'll be there a week from Monday but thanks for the tip about the weather, I'll keep an eye on that.

dlinfiniti

fyi 6/17 would place you a day after a theoretical game 7 (in toronto)
if the game happens and the raptors win, there might not be a city left to tour

dlinfiniti

so the raptors just won the title and the parade has been scheduled for Monday. Getting around downtown will now be ridiculous while this is going on and likely for the rest of the day

Peen

Thanks for the heads up, I meant to check that.