What to do for a day in Toronto?

Hi kodi,
When you say Niagara Falls is out, are you including NOTL? If not, why not make a day of going there, having lunch or dinner and a matinee or evening performance with a bit of a walk on the main drag. I think that including a Festival play makes it far less of a tourist experience.

Or is she a birder or a nature-lover? You could plan a day on the Leslie Street spit or the Scarborough bluffs; or if she's interested in plants and gardening, there's Allen Gardens or Edwards Gardens. And, of course, there's the Butterfly Conservatory, if you're willing to travel.

And don't forget -- the zoo isn't just for kids!

Hi kodi... how about a tour of the Beamsville, Jordon, or NOTL wineries? It's beautiful countryside and only an hour's drive from Toronto. Also, the Shaw Theatre is in full swing in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Make sure you get her to the Brewery District in Toronto, too.

Have you considereed a day at the Stratford Festival http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/ ?I have seen four performances so far this year and all were excellent in their own way: Macbeth, Cyranno, West Side Story, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. West Side Story was particularly good - so much so I am going back to see it again in the fall - and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was delightfully silly.

It may be short notice to get tickets but I am sure if you contacted the Stratford Fesitval they could help you out.

Thank you all for your great ideas... I love them all.
I had actually thought of Scarborough Bluffs and Edwards Gardens.. I haven't been to either for years.
Stratford and NOTL are good ideas...
You've given me enough to get started on a plan.

Allen Gardens and Edwards Gardens are closed because of the strike.

I would think the came of the parks out in Scarborough.

You could take a watr taxi to Toronto Island, but the ferry boats are strike-ridden.

I was in St. Catharines yesterday; there's a good museum along the canal, if she happens to love freighters.

I do not know a a nice restaurnat by the water in either Port Hope or Cobourg, which is not to say there is not one.

If we had a clue about her home town and tastes, we could be more helpful.

Drive to Muskoka and take the Segwun boat tour from Gravenhurst. There are lots of variations, including lunch and dinner, to pick from.

Info at
http://www.realmuskoka.com/steamship.php

BAK

Thanks BAK. I had forgotten about the strike... darn it .

I just emailed her... she is from California, so is not deprived of beautiful scenery. It's a hard act to follow!
I also found out she likes scenery, gardens, art, and just about anything, but not fussy on wineries. ( which is ok, because I'm not either. )

Thanks for the website. I'll have a look at it.

Perhaps I could show her our very own Oakville and Burlington... the Botanical Gardens..

The Bluffs can be reached by driving down Brimley Road from Kingston Road - people live down there in float houses - you can still walk along it, I expect - as you can walk along the Boardwalk in the Beach despite the strike - and there's a restaurant at the Bluffs (called Bluffers, what else!) 416-264-2337 for the hours; I also saw an ad stuck on a hydro pole for boating trips down there. But maybe it's not so interesting if you're from California unless she lives inland. http://www.toronto.ca/waterfront/tour/scarborough_bluffs.htm

Are you sure about Edwards Gardens - how do they close it? http://www.toronto.ca/parks/parks_gardens/civicedwardgdns.htm

Also on the Bluffs is Rosetta McClain Gardens - right on Kingston Road and worth a visit - a couple of blocks east of Birchmount Road. http://www.toronto.ca/parks/parks_gardens/rosettagdns.htm

Today my son, mother and myself went on a drive to find the Thomas Foster Memorial which is not too far from Uxbridge - we took the 404 and found the Uxbridge Museum where they had a pamphlet on the Memorial with a map on how to get there, - it's worth a visit, $4 admission, but only open certain days. http://www.uxbridge.com/people/tfoster.html

Maybe if your visitor knows the book Anne of Green Gables, or even if she doesn't, the Foster Memorial is also close to Leaskdale (where Foster grew up)- Lucy Maud Montgomery's husband was a Church Minister in this hamlet and they have preserved the Manse there - the Uxbridge Museum looked like it might be interesting, too, but we didn't stop there.

The countryside in that area of Durham is lovely and you'll find just-picked strawberries to buy...we did and now I have to do something with all of them.

The Toronto Music Gardens on Lakeshore west of Spadina: http://www.toronto.ca/parks/parks_gardens/tomusicgdns.htm - concerts some days.

There's a Victorian Garden beside St. James Cathedral on King Street East - it's just north of the St. Lawrence Market.

The Market has a small art gallery upstairs that shows Toronto "stuff" (gosh, I can be eloquent)...right now it's art about and/or by Toronto Island artists. You can't get to the island by you can look at art about it. http://www.toronto.ca/culture/the_market_gallery.htm

The Guild Inn area might be worth a visit....http://www.toronto.ca/waterfront/tour/guild_inn.htm

What about Black Creek Pioneer Village. Or Upper Canada Village.

Is the AGO closed? If not, she might be interested in that, both for the art and the new Frank Gehry architecture. There are some nice places on Baldwin Street, just a block away, for lunch or dinner. I particularly like Cafe La Gaffe and the one right next door to it on the corner (the name escapes me...Bocca?). A little more upscale is La Bodega. Or you could always eat at the new AGO restaurant, Frank.

Their site says they aren't affected by the strike. http://www.ago.net/

The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit is on now at the ROM. http://www.rom.on.ca/

Take her to Kensington Market - and have lunch at Wanda's Pie in the Sky - wonderful salads and really, really good pies with lots of choice. Wanda's doesn't serve meat. Sit outside and people watch.

...or you could do a nice boozy patio lunch and a half spa day.