Toronto
Toronto is North America’s fourth largest city and the most multicultural diverse city on the planet, with over 140 languages are spoken. Toronto is a vibrant, big-time city abuzz with activity. Some of the world’s finest restaurants are found here, alongside happening bars and clubs and eclectic festivals.
Toronto offers several cultural hotspots including art galleries, museums, and performance centers. Shoppers will delight in Queen Street West, where chic boutiques replaced this old warehouse area and Kensington Street, where retro style abounds.
Toronto Hightlights
Royal Ontario Museum
Opened in 1914, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) showcases art, culture and nature from around the world and across the ages. Among the top 10 cultural institutions in North America, Canada’s largest and most comprehensive museum is home to a world-class collection of 13 million art objects and natural history specimens, featured in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces. As the country’s preeminent field research institute and an international leader in new and original findings, the ROM plays a vital role in advancing our understanding of the artistic, cultural and natural world. Combining its original heritage architecture with the contemporary Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, the ROM serves as a national landmark, and a dynamic cultural destination in the heart of Toronto for all to enjoy.
Casa Loma
Completed in 1914, it took 300 men nearly three years to complete the almost 200,000 square foot castle at a cost of $3,500,000 (at the time). Situated on 5 acres, Casa Loma was once the largest private residence in Canada. Sir Henry Pellatt with his wife Lady Mary enjoyed Casa Loma for less than ten years before financial misfortune forced him to abandon his home. The 98 room castle, designed by architect EJ Lennox, features secret passageways, elaborately decorated rooms with authentic period furnishings and breathtaking views of the Toronto skyline from its towers.
Today, Casa Loma is one of Toronto’s top tourist attractions. Each year over 650,000 visitors tour Casa Loma and the estate gardens.
The Distillery District
Opened in 2003, the Distillery Historic District is widely regarded as Canada’s premier arts, culture and entertainment destination. A place brimming with creativity and creative people. A place that can inspire dreams. And a place that can help them come true. What you will find is a dramatic fusion of old and new. An inspired blend of Victorian Industrial architecture and stunning 21st-century design and creativity. The result is an internationally acclaimed village of one-of-a-kind stores, shops, galleries, studios, restaurants, cafes, theatres and more.
Toronto Islands
The Toronto Islands – also called the Island, or Toronto Island Park – is located in Lake Ontario, a 13-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. Boats to the Island leave from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay St. and Queen’s Quay. The Island is actually a group of 15 islands inter-connected by pathways and bridges. You can walk from one end of the Island to the other.
Hockey Hall of Fame
Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame is an ice hockey museum dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup. The Hockey Hall of Fame has 15 exhibit areas covering 60,000 square feet. Visitors can view trophies, memorabilia and equipment worn by players during special games. The Esso Great Hall, described as “a Cathedral to the icons of Hockey”, contains portraits and biographical information about every Hall of Fame honored member. The centerpiece of the Great Hall is the Stanley Cup; for part of the year, a replica is put on display when the presentation cup travels outside of the Hall of Fame. The original version of the Cup and the older rings, as well as all of the current National Hockey League trophies, are displayed in the bank vault, an alcove off the Great Hall.
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