Toronto Things to Do Tips by CdnJane

Unfortunately my shots didn't really show it well, but there are new lighting on the CN Tower. I was downtown with my cousins and just happened to see it lit up last night.

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Address: 301 Front St. W.
Directions: In the heart of Downtown Toronto, right in between the SkyDome and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Front Street, just north of Bremner Blvd.
Website: http://www.cntower.ca/

The St. Lawrence Market is located in one of the oldest sections of Toronto. At one point the first police station and city hall of York was here. Now, it is a great place where the locals love to get fresh food, and the tourists are amazed to discover.
There are 2 buildings - the North building which on Saturday morning is a farmer's market with tables and rows of fresh produce, cheeses, meats, and flowers, and other wonderful things. Sunday there is antiques/books. The South building is where the permanent stalls are, with more produce, near the doors, and butchers, bakers, cheesemakers, and even, I think downstairs candlestick makers! Get a back bacon on a bun there, or some other goodie.
I did discover on touring with the VT Meeting group, that one of the producers of maple syrup at the farmer's market was selling it for far less than anyplace in the South building. The lesson learned was to look before you buy, or perhaps find a regular SLM shopper who can direct you to the "best of" stalls.

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Address: Front Street at Jarvis
Directions: Front Street east of Yonge.

Don't forget to see Toronto's castle - Casa Loma. Sir Henry Pellatt built this in hopes it would be where the British Royal Family would stay when they were in Toronto.
It sits on top of a hill, giving a beautiful view of downtown Toronto.
Casa Loma has made appearances in a number of tv shows and movies, and was home to the Antiques Roadshow a year ago or so.
It is a popular place for wedding, and banquets. I can remember as a very young child that it was all decorated up as a fairy wonderland at Christmas. Magical for a little girl.

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Address: Spadina Rd south of St Clair Ave W
Directions: Take the St.Clair streetcar west from Yonge to Spadina Rd. and walk south until you reach the end of the street or Austin Terrace
Website: http://www.casaloma.org/

Wander along King St west of University Avenue ... and see some of the amazing things decorating the outside walls of some of the restaurants.
N'Awlins has a player (or at least an upright) piano and Kit Kat has 2 halves of a cow going in and out of the wall.
Across the street at the corner of John and King St. is a Sports Collectibles store and there are some very stiff and unmoving sports shirts.

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Address: King St W. around John St.
Directions: West of University, keep walking past the theatres until you get to John St. Look to the right at the Northeast corner... and then cross John and look on the southside of the street.

One of the things I enjoy at the Toronto Zoo is the room the animals have, and the fact that they are not just in little concrete enclosures. You have to look carefully here to see that there is a railing and a large trench that separate the people from the giraffe area. It might not be the Serengetti Plain, but it sure isn't downtown Toronto either!

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Address: Meadowvale Road, Scarborough
Directions: Highway 401 exit at Meadowvale Road, and drive north, follow the signs to the Zoo. You will be exiting to the right off Meadowvale.
Website: http://www.torontozoo.com/

Gibson House is one of the Historical Homes of Toronto. It dates back to the 1850s and was built by David Gibson, a land surveyer, who came to Canada from Scotland. He had been involved in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, and had to escape to the US. The house was built on his return to Canada (Upper Canada). The Gibson property once reached from Yonge Street to Bathurst Street, which is quite extensive.
All the details you need on hours, entrance fees and upcoming events is on the website.

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Phone: Phone: 416-395-7432
Address: 5172 Yonge Street, at Park Home Avenue
Website: http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/culture/gibson_house.htm

If that title makes you think back to "One little chair for one of you, and a bigger chair for two to curl up in, and for someone who likes to rock, a rocking chair in the middle."... then you need to visit the CBC Museum in, not surprisingly, the CBC building. There is, of course, more than just the Friendly Giant to look at - lots of memories of CBC Radio and TV of days gone by.

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Address: 250 Front St. West
Directions: Right across the road from the Toronto convention centre between John and Simcoe Streets. (West of University Ave)
Website: http://www.cbc.ca/museum/index.html

One place that is always fun to show off, are the Twin buildings of "New City Hall" at Nathan Phillips Square. It is actually not really the city hall anymore as there is Metro Hall down on King Street at John Street. However, because of the older city hall with the more classical architecture of the 1800s across Bay Street from Nathan Phillips Square, known as "Old" City Hall - we still tend to refer to it as "New" City Hall.
I didn't really take a picture of the curved towers, or of Old City Hall - just took a picture of some of the architectural features.

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Address: Queen St between Bay St. & University Ave

When you cross (walking) University Avenue. Stop in the middle on the median. Look up or down at the different architecture of the buildings, and the wide street. It was initially designed for marching troops, so needed to be wide to allow them to march properly.
Right in front of me is a memorial for the Canadians who fought in the Boer War, and then you can look up to see the Provincial Parliament buildings at Queens Park.

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Directions: University Avenue at Queen Street.

I've been driving past the Science Centre for the past couple of weeks and realised that I needed a picture or two of it, and a tip to suggest that this is a great place to take kids of all ages.
Its been a few years since I was there last, and was without children, but I think I was missing part of the fun of it all. However, I must admit when the volume gets too loud and my head starts pounding, I head for the patch of serenity and silence - a little "tunnel" which is absence of sound. BLISS!
My pictures were taken from the bus as I went by.

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Address: Don Mills Rd just south of Eglinton
Directions: One block south of Eglinton on Don Mills Road. If going by transit - can get off at the corner of Don Mills & Eglinton on any of the Eglinton buses, or #25 bus which runs from the Pape Subway station to Steeles Ave (including the Don Mills subway station)