Toronto ideas

[Bubba1]

My family is discussing vacation destinations this summer, and Toronto came up. I assume we'd be driving up, so a stop at Niagara Falls would be probable.

Can you guys recommend any must see/must do stuff in or around Toronto?

[frapjap]

The original buffalo wing!







(actually its pretty lackluster. just go to Hooters)

Also, fill up your tank before you get there. The dollar is not in our favor.

[WDRacing]

Bring guns, they love guns up in Canada.

[Jesda]

There's the underwhelming CN tower.

You could see where they film scenes from Flashpoint.

Umm... driverdriver please chime in

[darylzero]

I went up there more than a few years ago to see the Cubs play the Blue Jays. Holy crap what a horrible stadium, probably the worst I have been to. The CN tower is right next to it. We were going to go up to the top of it, but it was like $30 and we can go up to the top of the Sears Tower for free, so we said screw it.
Otherwise if you have been to Chicago, Toronto is pretty close to it, even our cab driver said it.

[Bubba1]

Okay, we're now looking at Ottawa as well. Any thoughts about there?

[addicted4life]

Bring guns, they love guns up in Canada.

That we do hahah

Okay, we're now looking at Ottawa as well. Any thoughts about there?

Where are you from and why Canada?

[asoomal]

Pshh T dot.

Go visit the Maritimes, wayyyyy nicer out there and way nicer people. Seriously.

Might as well go to India if you're gonna go to Toronto.

Or China if you're gonna visit Hongcouver.

[Bubba1]

Where are you from and why Canada?

Not from Canada, though I've consumed and excreted a lot of Canadian beer over the years.

We want to do a summer road trip. My son suggested Toronto as he has a good friend there. Plus nearby Niagara Falls has always been on my bucket list but we never considered as a destination by itself. It's also about the same length of drive from here as VIR (to which I go regularly). I was also in Toronto once back in the 1980's on biz, but was not there long enough to get a good flavor. At a BBQ yesterday, a good friend suggested that Ottawa might have more interesting things to check out than Toronto.

I

[Impul]

I was raised in Niagara and now live in Toronto.

Depending on your budget and what your into will make a big difference on what cities you should visit and for how long, ect.

Niagara Falls is kind of a tourist trap... Clifton Hill (the main strip) is all neon lights, over-priced attractions and cheesy souvenir shops... The must do thing in the Niagara Falls is the horse carriage ride to the actual falls and back. I think its worth the price and the wife will love it. Ditch the son for this one. All and all the falls is good for one day / night. Imo. If your into gamb|ing you could spend a couple nights and do the Casino thing.

Niagara-On-The-Lake is much nicer than the falls. It's about 15mins away, a short drive down the very scenic Niagara Parkway. Very beautiful and lots of War of 1812 history. As it was once the Capitol of Canada. It's pricey there, but good food and lots of gorgeous old inns. And it's part of the wine region. So lots of wine tour options, ect. Good for a couple nights... Your son might find it boring there though.

With traffic Toronto it's at least 1.5 hours from Niagara... So no sense in staying in Toronto as a base to explore Niagara. Niagara is very nice, with lots to do, and an expansive wine / golf region. You could stay in the Falls for a few nights and use that as a good base to explore Niagara on the lake and Niagara escaprtment. This way your son can chase tail / keep busy, while your off doing the adult stuff.

Toronto has a million things to do for the people with big or small budgets... Must see places in Toronto for me are the Distillery District, St. Lawrence Market, Bayview Brickworks, and "the Beaches" area. Downtown Yonge street is like walking up and down a carnival mid-way at night. I would give Toronto at least 3 days.

Ottawa is very clean, historic and aesthetic. Lots of old churches, art galleries, and museums. Must see attraction there is the Museum of Civilization! You could spent a couple days here no problem. A tour of Parliment would be another must for tourists to learn about us Snow Mexicans.

If your gonna head all the way up to Ottawa, you gotta spend some time in Montreal, one of my favorite cities. Culturally I would consider it the most unique metropolis in North America.



Regards and safe travels.

[Jesda]

Friends of mine visited Montreal for their honeymoon and adored it. Give it a shot.

[driverdriver]

Must see things to do in Toronto (in no particular order):

(1.) CN Tower- yeah its a bit of a tourist trap, but it gives you a good aerial view of the city.
(2.) If you're a hockey fan, The Hockey Hall of Fame is worth a trip
(3.) Royal Ontario Museum-If your into the whole museum thing, this is pretty good. The architecture is pretty awesome.
(4.)Dining at RealSports (In Maple Leaf Square next to the Air Canada Centre). The restaurant features 2 and 3 storey TV screens. ESPN called it the best sports bar in North America.
(5.)Casa Loma, a real castle with amazing gardens and some beautiful views, just north or the downtown core.
(6.)If you like ethnic foods and immersing yourself in ethnic cultures its a worth a visit to places like Chinatown, Greektown, Koreatown, Little India amongst others.
(7.)Art Gallery of Ontario, it was throughly renovated a few years ago and boasts one of North America's largest art collections. Next to the Art Gallery is the Ontario College of Arts. Take a look at the structure. Its one of a kind. Looks like a pencil box suspended 4 storeys in the air and supported by pencil crayons.
(8.) Kensington Market (little west of downtown) interesting neighborhood to walk, with many one of kind stores, cafes and restaurants.
(9.) Harbourfront-A very scenic walk along the Toronto waterfront especially at evening and night. Start at Yonge and walk west parallel to Queens Quay. You will find beaches, places to eat/shop, food trucks, music venues (often free-with major international artists playing), interactive exhibits and a few galleries.
(10.) The Distillery (east of the downtown core), renovated turn of the century property with a mix of shops, restaurants, condos, galleries and a fully functioning brew pub.

Some Miscellaneous places:

(1.) Dundas Square- Yonge and Dundas. Kind of a miniaturized Times Square.
(2.) High Park-The largest "in city" urban park in the world. Somewhat like Central Park in New York.
(3.) Queen west (Bathurst to Yonge) a pretty interesting mix or shops, nightclubs, live music venues, cafes and restaurants.
(4.) Toronto Islands. Take the Ferry to Centre Island from Queens Quay Ferry Terminal at the harbourfront. The Islands are a network of parks, beaches, homes, marinas, lighthouses and an amusement park (that's a bit like Coney Island).


Getting Around?

(1.)Toronto is a walk friendly city. Its super safe to walk the streets at any time of day or night.
(2.)Biking (you can rent BIXI bikes almost anywhere downtown). The majority of Toronto streets have dedicated bike lanes.
(3.)TTC (subway or streetcar)-Cheap, clean, safe and easy to follow.

Shopping?

(1.)Yorkville or The mink mile (its more than a mile). Bloor street east of the Royal Ontario Museum to Yonge Street. All your high end and luxury retaiilers ( a bit like Fifth Avenue or Madison Avenue in New York).
(2.)Hudson Bay Company (HBC) flagship store at Yonge and Queen. HBC is the oldest retail chain in the world.
(3.)The Eaton Centre (across from HBC) at Yonge and Queen.
(4.)The PATH network. This is the world's largest underground network of paths that virtually connects every downtown office building, most subway stations, hotels and most downtown tourist attractions. It's its own subterranean world of shops and restaurants. It's air conditioned. Toronto with the humidity can feel like its in the high 90's in July and August.

Walking Tours:

There are a couple that worth it. The Toronto historic walking tour leaves various parts of downtown Toronto several times a day. Its put on by Heritage Toronto.

Toronto Ghost Walks. Two or three walking tours per day. First tour starts at late afternoon.

Big Summer Events:

(1.) Toronto Inetrnational Jazz Festival (mid July)
(2.)Toronto Beaches Jazz Festival (end of July)
(3.)Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival (Last week of July first week of August). This is a huge event. The city swells by at least close to a million tourists every year. Events happen all over the city. Most are free.
(4.)Fan Expo (end of August). It's the Canadian edition of San Diego's Comicon
(5.) Toronto International Film Festival (last week of August, early September). North America's largest film festival. The streets are choked with many Hollywood A listers, movie events and parties. Many streets are closed. Its a nightmare driving in the city.