We are planning our 1st visit to Toronto and Niagra Falls next week from Michigan. My children (4 & 6yrs old) are very excited for their first trip to Canada. We will be driving. Some of the places we would like to visit are Casa Loma, Chinatown, CN Tower and Eaton Centre besides the Falls. Any suggestions for travelling with a family in those areas? Any recommendations of other places to see or do would be appreciated. I understand avoiding rush hour traffic (I do that anywhere). Is there ample (and inexpensive) parking available in the sites I mentioned? (There will be 5 of us, including my mother-in-law.) Any suggestions for family-appropriate restaurants in those areas? Which areas are not as geared for kids? Thanks!

When you go up in the CN Tower, they have this glass floor thing where you can stand on a thick piece of glass or plastic or something and look down to the street - about a million feet down. Your kids will like to jump on it and scare you half to death. It was so creepy to me that I could not put 2 feet on it at once - even your mother-in-law will like that. Your kids will love walking around Chinatown and looking at all the unusual dried things for sale. (My kids loved the whole dried squid). My kids thought Niagara Falls was about the best place they had ever been. Take the tour where you walk "under the falls" and get soaked. Window shop all the tacky amusement (Ripley's Believe it or Not type stuff) in Niagara Falls. Try riding the subway - my kids liked that too and it is clean and efficient enough for adults.

The 4-kid will like the Children's own Museum, next door to the "real" museum. the 6-kid is just on the edge between the two museums. I'd suggest 6-kid go with 4-kid, and then if there's time, both go to the Royal Ontario Museum, too.<BR><BR>Favorite kid's restaurant with dffood partents like is Swiss Chalet --it's a chian, there are lots of branches. My seven-year-old ate there this week.<BR><BR>Toronto zoo involves a lot of walking for relatively few animals. Put it near the bottom of your list.<BR><BR>They'll enjoy the park behind Chapters Book Store on Bloor Street, one block east of the Museums. There's a huge rock to climb.<BR><BR>French Fries and hot dogs from the street vendors are good and the kids will enjoy eating outside.<BR><BR>There's a civil service strike on, and the Science Center is closed. If it opens up by the time you arrive, both kids will enjoy it.<BR><BR>There are severl Chinatowns -- the most interesting will be in the Dundas and Spadina area.<BR><BR>Take a subway ride, and go in the first or the last car, so they can see down the tracks.<BR><BR>Depending on where you are staying, you can do a fair bit of walking, and won't have to worry about parking.<BR><BR>Pay attention to the time limits for parking on the street. You can usually park on the street within a couple of blocks of the CN Tower, but make sure you get back to your car before the deadline for towing. (3:30 or 4, depending on the street) Same applies for Chinatown. Parking lots at Casa Loma are fine; on-street parking close to the Eaton Center is much harder to find, and the best bet is to park in the underground garage beneath Toronto City Hall.<BR>BAK<BR><BR>BAK

Another good parking spot is below Bell Trinity Square on Bay Street across from City Hall. It's very handy for the Eaton Centre. On Sunday, parking is $5/day. Maybe the same on Saturday. We've often parked there and then walked to wherever we're going.

Thanks so much! We can't wait for our trip. Look forward to taking your suggestions.