Attractions in Toronto

Toronto is a city rich in history; yet, it is also a city that never grows old. Canada's most cosmopolitan city is the cultural heart of south central Ontario and of English-speaking Canada. One of the greatest benefits of living in or visiting Toronto is its location. From the United States, it is just a 90-minute drive along the Queen Elizabeth Way. Weather-wise, the location is ideal. Toronto is situated on beautiful Lake Ontario. A walk along the waterfront leads to beaches, marinas, boating facilities, parkland, bike trails, and tennis courts. The lake's influence keeps the winters in Toronto from being severe.

Black Creek Pioneer Village
1000 Murray Ross Pkwy. Downsview at Steeles Ave. and Jane St.
Life here moves at the gentle pace of rural Ontario as it was 100 years ago. You can watch the authentically dressed villagers going about their chores, spinning, sewing, rail splitting, sheep shearing, and threshing. Enjoy the villagers' cooking, wander through the cozily furnished homesteads, visit the working mill, shop at the general store, or rumble past the farm animals in a horse-drawn wagon. The beautifully landscaped village has more than 30 restored buildings to explore. Special events take place throughout the year, from a great Easter egg hunt to Christmas by lamplight.

Design Exchange
234 Bay St.
Located in the old Stock Exchange Building, this has become Toronto's design center. It showcases professionals' work, but the main purpose of the institution is to nurture designers of all types: graphic, industrial, interior, landscape, and urban. It also serves as a clearinghouse and resource center for the design community. Small free exhibitions on the first floor are open daily, while those in the upstairs Exhibition Hall are usually on view for 3 to 6 months and require admission. There is also a good bookstore and a café.

Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
Toronto Centre formerly the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts
This fairly new gallery is charged with collecting and exhibiting the best Canadian art created since 1985. Currently, the collection includes works by Stephen Andrews, Genevieve Cadieux, Ivan Eyre, Betty Goodwin, Micah Lexier, Arnaud Maggs, and Roland Poulin. Special shows approximately six times a year.

The Bata Shoe Museum
327 Bloor St. W. at St. George St.
The museum houses the Bata family's 10,000 item collection. The building, designed by Raymond Moriyama, is spectacular. The main gallery, "All About Shoes," traces the history of footwear. It begins with a plaster cast of some of the earliest known human footprints discovered in Africa by anthropologist Mary Leakey , which date to 4 million B.C., then takes the visitor through the fads and s of every era. A smaller gallery houses changing exhibits.

The Museum for Textiles
55 Centre Ave.
This fascinating museum is internationally recognized for its collection of more than 8,000 historic and ethnographic textiles and related artifacts.

The Pier: Toronto's Waterfront Museum
245 Queens Quay W.
This is one of the city's newer museums. It explores the history of nautical travel. Many exhibits are strictly hands-on, so it is popular with children. You can explore a shipwreck, guide a vessel through a series of canals, or watch special exhibits about the ancient art of shipbuilding. Waterfront tours.

Casa Loma
1 Austin Terrace
416/923-1171
This authentic castle-residence is complete with Elizabethan-style chimneys, Rhineland turrets, secret passageways, and an 800-foot underground tunnel. Sir Henry Pellatt, who built the castle between 1911 and 1914 at a cost of $3.5 million plus $1.5 million for furnishings , had a lifelong fascination with castles. He studied medieval palaces and gathered materials and furnishings from around the world, bringing marble, glass, and paneling from Europe, teak from Asia, and oak and walnut from North America. He imported Scottish stonemasons to build the massive walls that surround the 6-acre site. It's a fascinating place to explore. Wander through the majestic Great Hall, with its 60-foot-high hammer-beam ceiling; the Oak Room, where three artisans took 3 years to the paneling.