We took two trips to Toronto in the Winter of 2016. Why, you ask ... Hockey, Eh! Historically, Chicago and New York were my top two favorite "BIG" cities (and yes, in that order) until our visits to Toronto this past winter, I'm thinking Toronto is now at the TOP! An easy (6 hr) drive away from our home in Central Ohio, the European flair, current currency rate (30% discount in my eyes), great restaurants & shopping, friendly people, endless options of sights to see and ease of moving through the city are what I loved the most!
Traveling with a four year old who still naps, we fully appreciate a 2 bedroom apartment/condo and usually book through Airbnb. For trip #1 we stayed in a high rise condo near all the action (Queen Street/Spadina Ave) and enjoyed walking around and exploring the city. The shopping and restaurants were fabulous (my favorite food spot from trip #1: Cactus Club Cafe, 77 Adelaide Street W - they weren't especially thrilled we were visiting with a 4-year old, but it was mid-afternoon and they were very friendly. Food was AMAZING & we loved the atmosphere ... BEST restrooms I've ever seen)! We are great at finding "activities" everywhere we go ... check out the top two photo's on the right. The Lululemon Store at 318 Queen Street has a ping-pong table, lounge seating & even coloring so Mom can try on clothes ... Genius!
On trip #2 we stayed in the Casa Loma neighborhood - for our next visit, we would do the same as trip #2 and first see if our Casa Loma spot were available first! We appreciated the ease of location, the known amazing hosts, and extra amenities of being in a neighborhood. Here we had EASY (& free) parking right outside our door, a newly furnished 2 bed apartment and gracious hosts! The grocery was in walking distance and we could easily drive to the hockey rink (our main purpose of the trips) and other neighborhoods/areas we wanted to visit. Some great restaurants we enjoyed included: Sassafraz Restaurant, Yorkville; Dimmi Bar & Trattoria, Yorkville; Cactus Club Cafe).
When in Canada ... HOCKEY!
Avid fans of the AHL team, the Manitoba Moose, and Team USA (of course) there are lots of opportunities to travel! The Hockey Hall of Fame was a very fun and interactive museum. I was pleasantly surprised by how many fun exhibits there were to check out! My husband and I could have easily spent more time appreciating the exhibits and video's - not the most impressive time spent to a 4-year old! Ivan did especially enjoy the TSN SportsCentre Experience and State-0f-the-art interactive games! ... P.S. The 2017 Team USA u20 team won GOLD in the IIHF Championships!!!
When we weren't cheering for our team, we visited Ripley's Aquarium. This is not your average fish tank! With 1.5 Million gallons of water, Ripley's Toronto Aquarium is home to 16,000 animals and showcases 17 habitats. The long tunnel with moving floor was magical as you felt like you were walking underwater. There were several tanks kids could climb under and through ... Ivan was hesitant to climb through the shark tank tunnel at first (bottom photo, top left)!!
top left: Shark tank tunnel; top right: Niagra-On-The-Lake playground in the center of town
bottom left: REAL raindeer at Santa's workshop at the Casa Loma Estate; bottom right: the city of Tornoto at Legoland Discovery Center
Legoland was a bit of a drive (but not too far, no traffic on a weekend morning). We also like to get to our destinations when they open to avoid the mid morning rush. Ivan enjoyed Legoland, but it was a bit disappointing. Not sure what exactly I was expecting but this was not it. As the website says, buy your tickets before you get there! They only allow a specific number of people in every 15 or so minutes (this should also hint at it's size). In the first room examples of how plastic is melted down and formed to create Lego's is the main attraction ... Next, Toronto built of Lego's (this was my favorite part). The baseball diamond, hockey stadium and other parts had interactive buttons kids could push and make things move, light up and make noise. The main room included a smaller indoor playground, fair type ride and build/race Lego station. This Legoland is also part of a shopping mall ... Boxing Week is not the week to spend lots of time in a mall if you are not in the mood for fighting your way through crowds or shopping!! Ivan liked Legoland ... don't think I'd be offering to return!
Since we were staying in the neighborhood, we visited Casa Loma. What an amazing estate! Under-ground tunnels, towers you could climb multiple stories and look out of and REAL reindeer were all here! Christmas was over, but they still had Santa's Workshop set up in the stables ... it was extremely cute! There was also a bounce house, kids could decorate cut out cookies, in another part of the house there was a room set up for kids to make crafts. It was beyond impressive all the activities they had set up for the kids. I especially appreciated these added touches, it made checking out the house a possibility with kids! Definatly worth a visit.
Pit stop - Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls was a must stop for me on the way back home from trip #1. It is something I haven't seen since childhood and a force of nature whose beauty cannot be denied! We also had lunch at Niagra-On-the-Lake which is a super cute little town. Lots of wineries and little shops. Ivan also found a playground in the center of town!
We found a lot to explore, taste and experience in Toronoto ... hope you enjoy your visit too!