Cool Places to Go in Toronto

Toronto is a wonderful city that any Toronto Maple Leafs Fan can behold with great pride. It is a vibrant world class city with many exciting points of interest for visitors and residents alike. Home to 6.2 million people and located on the shores of Lake Ontario, Toronto is the cultural, financial, and entertainment capital of Canada. Compared to other cities of the world, Toronto is very clean and safe. It has has a very expansive network of parks, entertainment, recreational, and cultural facilities. Toronto is also one of the worlds most ethically diverse cities, with over 80 different ethnic communities.  

Whether you are new visitor to Toronto or are a resident wanting to further explore the city, this article will aid you in finding the cool places to go to in Toronto.

See a show at the theatre

The theatre scene in Toronto has sometimes been referred to as “North Broadway”. While not as extensive as it’s neighbor to the south, Toronto does have a very impressive theatre scene. Two of the most prominent theatre venues are the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, with three different stages in former tank houses, and Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, the only double-decker theatre complex in North America.

Go to the market

St. Lawrence Market, recently included in Food and Wine Magazine’s List of the world’s 25 best food markets, is located in the historic Old Toronto Neighborhood at Jarvis and Front Streets. The market contains over a dozen lunch counters and 50 gourmet food vendors and has a gallery with archival art and photographs from city collection. The market is also home to the 200 year old Saturday Farmer’s Market and Sunday Antique Market.

Head to School

Toronto has a well deserved reputation for being an intellectual and academic center, laying claim to many Nobel prize winners, including Sir Frederick Banting and J.R. Macleod, pioneers in isolation of insulin, Arthur Schawlow, co-discover of the laser beam, and Lester B. Pearson, a Nobel Peace Prize winner for helping resolve the Suez Canal crisis.

One can experience this first hand by visiting or enrolling in classes at one of Toronto’s universities or colleges. Toronto is home to three universities, incudling the University of Toronto, Canada’s largest university. Toronto also has four colleges of applied art and technology, an art and design college, and many private academic institutions. One can also enroll in a wide assortment of online classes.

Sports venues

As a passionate Maple Leafs fan, undoubtedly you are quite familiar with Toronto’s rich sporting history. The Maple Leafs alone have 13 NHL championships. The Toronto Argonauts, of the Canadian football league have 15 championships, the Blue Jays have two MLB championships, and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League, have five championships. Other professional sports teams include the Toronto Raptors (NBA) and Toronto FC (MLS).

One can soak up the sports history and ambiance at one of Toronto’s excellent sporting venues. This includes the revolutionary designed Air Canada Center (Maple Leafs, Rock, Raptors), the Rogers Centre (Blue Jays and Argonots), with its stunning retractable roof, and BMO Field (Toronto FC).

Take a Journey to the Sky

Rising to the height of 553 meters, the CN Tower held the bragging rights as the tallest structure in the world for 30 years, before being eclipsed by the Burj Dubai several years ago. While locals sometimes complain about the architectural style of this hollow concrete structure, the views from various stop-off points along the tower are quite amazing. A basic ticket will take you roughly 2/3 of the way up the tower, where there are both indoor and outdoor observation decks, a cafe, and a rotating restaurant. For an extra ten dollars, you can rise up another 30 stories to a height of 447 meters, with breathtaking views of the Toronto skyline. On windy days, you can feel the building sway back and forth.

A walk along the water

Toronto has one of North America’s largest recreational waterfronts, with beautiful Lake Ontario posing as a backdrop for the city.  Stretch out your legs and go on a walking tour along the shoreline or take a ferry to the scenic Toronto Islands. The waterfront is also the setting for many prominent events, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Canadian National Exhibition, and Scotiabank Nuit Blanche.

A great place to work

Toronto is a fantastic city with much to offer not only in the way of cool places to visit, but also for job opportunities. For more information on degree programs that can enable to secure a great job in Toronto, check out www.onlineuniversities.net. 

Sources

Time Out Toronto

Toronto.ca

http://www.math.toronto.edu/toronto/

http://www.seetorontonow.com/