While in Toronto during the winter months, enjoy one of Canada’s oldest and most popular recreational activities: ice skating.
While there are about 51 outdoor skating rinks in Toronto, the Natrel Rink located at the Harbourfront Centre is a really pretty place to skate. The trees surrounding it are lit, and you get a great view of Lake Ontario. Open until March, the rink offers skate rentals and heated indoor changing rooms with lockers and washrooms. The rink-side restaurant, Lakeside EATS offers hot chocolate and other goodies as well. And back by popular demand, DJ Saturday nights begins in December and runs until the end of February: depending on the DJ, you can skate to Top 40 pop tunes, rock, old school hip hop and Latin, among others.

Admission is free. Skate rentals are CDN $8 for adults and CDN $6 for children.

www.harbourfrontcentre.com/thenatrelrink/
235 Queens Quay West Harbourfront Centre Toronto, Canada
+1 416 973 4000
Google map: bit.ly/TS4of6

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If you’re an animal lover, the Toronto Zoo is a great place to visit. Located in the city’s east end, it is the largest zoo in Canada with over 5,000 animals over 10 kilometres of walking trails.
The zoo is divided into seven “zoo-geographic” regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, Americas, Tundra Trek, Australasia, Eurasia and the Canadian Domain. Animals can be seen in their natural habitats, with some located indoors in tropical pavilions and others outdoors. There are also zoo keeper talks, scheduled feedings, hands-on discovery areas and special exhibits.

www.torontozoo.com
2000 Meadowvale Road
+1 416 392 5929
Google map: bit.ly/Okwy46

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One of my favourite places to visit – on weekends or a night after work – is the TIFF Bell
Lightbox, an avant-garde cultural centre and home to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Opened in 2010, it houses a cinema complex, galleries, workshops, two restaurants, and a roof-top terrace.
With different events every day of the week, TIFF offers screenings, lectures, festivals, great food, special exhibits and, of course, great cinema. There are 5 public cinemas with insulated sound space and the first in North America to show 16 mm, 35 mm and 70 mm film in addition to digital movies.
I love brunching at LUMA restaurant. With attentive service and great food, this is the perfect spot for a small or large group. LUMA also has a great dinner and cocktail menu. The Canteen restaurant, located on the ground floor, is a great spot for more casual and quick dining.
My favourite films to watch are those offered by the Contemporary World Cinema programme, where you can see some of the best films from around the world, many of which are unlikely to be widely released.
Ever since its opening last year, the space has featured outstanding exhibits, from Tim Burton to Federico Fellini and now the Grace Kelly exhibit.

www.tiff.net
350 King Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 3X5
+1 416 968 3456
Google map: bit.ly/ycH4AC

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The Royal Ontario Museum has millions of items on display in over 30 galleries and one of my favourites is the “Teck Suite of Galleries: Earth’s Treasures.” It is composed of the Gallery of Minerals, the Gallery of Gems and Gold and the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Gallery.
The mining industry in Canada is extremely important, and it’s only fitting that a large part of the second floor is devoted to such exquisite treasures. The exhibits showcase wonderful specimens of minerals in a variety of colours and shapes, including fluorescent green. There are several cases filled with gold, diamonds, garnets, opals, and jade, as well as exquisite pieces of jewellery. Throughout the exhibits, there are about 40 interactive touch stations that provide in-depth information on several specimens. I can spend hours browsing here, admiring the beauty of so many pieces, all while learning so much about geology.

www.rom.on.ca/
100 Queens Park Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada
+1 (416) 586 8000
Google map: bit.ly/sYw4d0

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Nathan Phillips Square, located at the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, hosts numerous events throughout the year, and starting November 26 until the middle of March, the famous outdoor skating rink will be open to the public.
Visitors can rent skates, get them sharpened, and have access to the indoor changing rooms.
This is the perfect way to end a winter day in the city. Skate rental includes 2 hours of skating. Adults = $10.00, and children = $5.00.
If you’re in town on November 26, be sure to attend the Cavalcade of Lights, beginning at 7pm in the Square. The event features the official lighting of the city’s Christmas tree, fireworks at 8pm, live musical performances by award-winning Canadian artists, and a skating party on the rink.

www.cityskaterentals.com
100 Queen Street West, Toronto, Canada
+1 416 304 1400
Google map: bit.ly/vcZFli

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Since its opening in 1969, this science museum has been attracting families, teens and adults.
The Centre has several hundred interactive exhibits, featuring everything in science and nature, including geology, astronomy, human anatomy, communication, Toronto’s only planetarium, and KidSpark, a play area designed specifically for kids aged eight and under.
Until November 30, there is a special exhibit of Leonardo da Vinci’s workshop, with 20 scale physical models of his inventions, including a mechanical lion, a robot soldier and the self- propelling cart. Visitors can also interact with his famous paintings by zooming into details on the Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. There are also interactive touch-screens to help you turn the pages of his notebooks, with sketches and 3D models leaping from the page.
The IMAX has some great screenings, too. Catch “Rocky Mountain Express”, where you take a steam train through the Canadian Rockies, learning about train travel while seeing spectacular mountain scenery and gorges along the way. Also on IMAX, “Under the Sea” where spectators visit the beautiful underground world of the Great Barrier Reef.
Finally, there are various food options, from snacks to beverages to full meals, ranging from fast food to healthy options.

www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
770 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada
+1 416 696 1000
Google map: bit.ly/tHQkNT

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The Gardiner Museum is the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to ceramic arts. Since its $20 million makeover in 2006, the museum is a great example of modernist architecture. Spread over three floors, the permanent collection of over 3,000 pieces cover several millennia. Items include ceramics from Ancient American works, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, Dutch Delft pottery, Maiolica from the Italian Renaissance, and Canadian and international contemporary collections. Free guided tours with admission are offered every day at 2pm. You can also catch the exhibits for free every Friday night, from 4pm to 9pm.
Upcoming exhibits include The Tsar’s Cabinet, October 13, 2011 to January 8, 2013, featuring a selection of imperial Russian porcelain and decorative arts, most of which were specifically designed for and used by the tsars and members of the Russian imperial family.
Complementing these exhibits, the museum offers clay classes for adults and children; Family Sundays, from 1pm to 4pm, the Gardiner Café, with a lunch menu.

www.gardinermuseum.on.ca
111 Queen’s Park, Toronto
+ 1 416 586 8080
Google map: bit.ly/o1zHCp

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Also known as “The Ex”, Canada’s largest fair takes place this year from August 19th to
September 5th at the Exhibition grounds. This is a bittersweet time of year for most Torontonians, who are sad the summer is drawing to a close but excited to attend this annual tradition which wraps up on Labour Day weekend.
The grounds are on a 192-acre site, and with such a variety of entertainment and events to
choose from, there really is something for everyone. Besides the large carnival midway with rides, games and food, there is also a smaller children’s midway. Some of this year’s events include aerial acrobatics and ice skating, a human cannonball, a sand sculpting competition, daily Mardi-Gras parades, hypnotists, music concerts and garden shows. The international air show takes place on the last three days of the fair.
Animal lovers can watch horse shows and competitions, as well as dog and cat shows. There is also a working farm, which gives city kids an idea of what it’s like to live on a farm. Animals range from the common cow to the exotic alpaca.
The casino has 84 gaming tables including Blackjack and Texas Hold’em Poker area with 24 tables.
The Ex is a shopper’s mecca, with over five shopping pavilions to choose from featuring
Canadian arts and crafts, clothing, jewelry and leather goods, furniture, appliances and home décor, international handicrafts, a warehouse outlet with specially discounted products from major Canadian retailers, and an outdoor market.
And it wouldn’t be a carnival without fast food. Besides the usual carnival fare of candy apples, cotton candy and pizza, the Food Building includes artery-clogging food like deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, deep fried coca cola, deep fried butter, and for the first time this year, the donut cheeseburger: a ground beef patty with cheese sandwiched between two glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Getting here: There are several ways to get to the CNE via public transportation: from Union subway station, take the 509 Streetcar westbound; from Bathurst subway station, take the 511 streetcar; and from Dufferin subway station, take the 29 Dufferin bus southbound.

www.theex.com
210 Princes' Boulevard, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3, Canada
+1 416 393 6300
Google map: bit.ly/mXDeqt

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The Toronto Islands are a chain of small islands, located a mere 15-minutes ferry ride from the city centre.
I love taking the ferry over on a hot summer day; the wind blowing in my face; the gentle rocking motion of the waves, the sounds of the birds, and the view of the islands in the distance, all offer a wonderful respite form the city. The islands are a great getaway.
The main island is home to the Centreville Amusement Park and a petting zoo. With over 600 acres of parkland, there are various rides and attractions for families with children. Also on Centre Island is the Franklin Children’s Garden, based on stories by Franklin the Turtle, it is an interactive garden where kids can participate in gardening and storytelling.
I like to head over to Ward’s and Algonquin Islands, where there are about 250 residential homes, all very different from each other. From the Victorian to the eclectic, with sizes ranging from estates to toolsheds, some of the homes are conservative, while others boast pink shutters with purple trim, brightly coloured doors, one even has flowers sprouting out of a toilet bowl on the front lawn.
And there’s Hanlan’s Point Beach, well-known to nudists in Toronto, where clothing is optional.
All of these islands are connected to the mainland by several ferry services.
Once on the islands, you can rent a bicycle or a canoe, take a leisurely walk through the
gardens, or even have a picnic.

www.toronto.ca/parks/island/index.htm
Via Ferrydocks at 9 Queen’s Quay West
+ 1 416 397 2626
Google map: bit.ly/oT2iiI

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The CN Tower is the tallest free-standing structure in the Western hemisphere, standing at 1,815 feet.
This communications and observation tower, located in downtown Toronto, is a familiar icon of the city’s skyline. Its name refers to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower.
In 1995, the CN Tower was declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Taking the glass floor paneled elevator up to one of the observation decks is an exciting
experience in itself. It takes about 1 minute to reach the Look Out Level at 1,135 feet.
Other observation levels include the Glass Floor Level, at about 1,120 feet, which allows you to see straight down to street level. Brave children can sometimes be seen jumping on the glass floor, while those with less nerve remain on the sidelines. Also on this level is the Outdoor Observation Deck, where you can get a bird’s eye view of the city. The Sky Pod level is one of the world's highest public observation galleries, at an elevation of 1,465 feet. In June 2007, the tower installed 1,330 super-bright LED lights inside the elevator shafts, which shoot upwards to light the tower from dusk until 2am. The tower changes its lighting scheme on holidays and to commemorate major events.
If you want to be pushed to your limits, literally, the CN Tower opened EdgeWalk on August 1, 2011, where thrill-seekers attached to a safety harness can walk full circle and hands-free around the 5-foot ledge encircling the main pod of the tower, at 1,168 feet.

www.cntower.ca
301 Front Street West, Toronto, ON
+1 416 868 6937
Google map: bit.ly/okKTb1

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The Harbourfront Centre is a non-profit cultural organization that hosts over 4,000 events each year relating to literature, music, film, craft fairs, theatre and dance performances for adults and children. The 10-acre site houses galleries, performance spaces, craft studios, gardens, and a long stretch of boardwalk along the water’s edge where you can watch busker performances or shop at their International Market place. Free outdoor concerts are held every weekend throughout the summer and in winter there is a free open-air ice rink. Harbourfront Centre is located in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront. All events and programs are offered at reasonable prices and most are completely free of charge. A series of large, cultural festivals are held every weekend in the summer; some of them are the Fortune Cooking Food Festival, August 12 – 14, the Hot & Spicy Food Festival, September 2 – 5, the Vegetarian Food Fair, September 10 – 11, and the Caribbean Tales Film Festival, September 1 – 17.
Seasonal events include the Ice Canoe Race in late January, Celebrating Black History Month in February, a jazz festival in June, Canada Day celebrations in July, the Authors' Festival and Harvest Festival in October, and Mexican Day of the Dead in November.
The Toronto Music Garden, designed in association with Yo-Yo Ma, offers free concerts most Thursdays at 7pm and Sundays at 4pm. The Garden design was inspired by the first suite of Johan Sebastian Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, and each movement corresponds to a different section of the Garden.
New this year, Harbourfront hosts an all-ages dance party with live bands, social dance clubs, DJs and instructors, where every Thursday night you can learn about dance trends from around the world.

www.harbourfrontcentre.com
235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON
+1 416 973 4000
Google map: bit.ly/rc0QJT

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I love heading out to the island to watch this dragon boat regatta. This year, the 23rd Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival expects about 180 to 200 teams, with over 5,000 athletes. The Festival will welcome teams from across Canada, the US, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. This year’s event will showcase vendor displays, on-site workshops, food, and entertainment from the Latin American and Caribbean ethnic backgrounds.

www.dragonboats.com
Centre Island, June 25th and June 26th, 2011
Google map: bit.ly/kwQee6

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The Spaghetti Factory is a quirky restaurant that is excellent value for money - a loaf of freshly baked sour dough bread, free refill soft drinks, starter, ice cream and tea and coffee, are included with the price of your main course. Fantastic for feeding a whole family!

The restaurant itself is a treasure trove of Tiffany glass panels and lights, mismatched furniture means you may be seated on a grand wooden throne or inside a reclaimed streetcar, and should you glance up check out the many artefacts and trinkets that adds to the family atmosphere.

#54 The Esplanade
Toronto, Ontario
M5E 1A6

(416) 864-9761

Parking available; Meter & pay parking

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If you’re a sports fan with a few hours to kill go and watch the Blue Jays baseball team. Tickets start at £4.50, it’s a great day out with a great family atmosphere.

The Rogers Centre is next door to the CN Tower

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A special type of haven from city life on the waterfront, inspired by Bach's music for cello and involving the great player Yo-Yo Ma in its design. It can be appreciated for its musical invention, or simply in terms of ingenious garden design, and it's free. Summer open-air concerts are a special treat.

At Queen's Quay West, not far from the main harbour front area;
www.toronto.ca/parks/music_index.htm

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Toronto Island is a must see and it is basically free, an oasis in the middle of the city. The island is a like a large peaceful park with beaches (there's a nude beach, gay beach as well as regular beaches), rollerblading, biking and walking paths, and even an amusement park and free petting zoo for children.

Ferries leave every 15 minutes from Bay St and Queens Quay at Harbourfront, just south of Union Station. There's plenty of parking too. www.toronto.ca/parks/island/index.htm

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This downtown area by the lake is a great place to visit in the summer. As well as a great place to walk by the side of Lake Ontario, you can catch the ferry across to the Toronto Islands, watch an open air performance for free, browse a craft fair and eat food from various ethic menus.

www.harbourfrontcentre.com/noflash/frontpage.php

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Eat a fantastic, hearty Canadian breakfast in a genuine North American style diner with original 1940s decor. Sit in one of the booths and enjoy the atmosphere.

249 Victoria St, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8 Canada; tel: 416 364 7517; www.thesenator.com/

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