Evergreen Brick Works officially opened in September 2010 and continues to be a vibrant social enterprise where city building ideas and strategies are imagined and tested by Evergreen's entrepreneurs and experts, who engage visitors of all ages through their year-round programs. (Evergreen also has an on-site restaurant, Cafe Belong, led by chef Brad Long of Food Network's Restaurant Makeover, and an urban bike shop, Sweet Pete's.)
Today, the ponds and meadows surrounding the recently accredited LEED Platinum-certified headquarters offer city dwellers an oasis to explore, including one of the best views of the iconic Toronto skyline. “Everyone thinks the best view of the city is from the waterfront,” says Terrence Eta. The founder of Toronto Bicycle Tours regularly leads tours of the area and the lush forestland below. “This is the skyline view that best represents what the city truly is.”
High Park lovers. Toronto’s largest public park (400 acres) is as popular with Frisbee throwers in the summer as it is with snowshoers in the winter. The park's small zoo, accessible hiking trails, and playgrounds (including Jamie Bell Adventure Playground, which was designed in part by local kids) make it popular with young families; gardens and a greenhouse appeal to those tired of the concrete jungle city life; and historic sites and summer theater productions keep culture lovers happy.
The park is most popular midday. Come early or late to take advantage of quieter spaces and fewer people on the laneways and benches. For a serene setting don’t miss the Japanese cherry trees in bloom in spring.
Don Valley trail system, starts at Lake Ontario in the south and takes you well past the city limits in the north, if you stick to it. Your reward: a distinctly different view of the city than you’d get from a tour bus. The less athletic will prefer to pick a section. Download a walking guide and explore it on foot or book a guided bike experience with local specialists.
There isn’t a bad season to hit the trail, but you’ll be most rewarded in the fall when the gold and auburn leaves of the maple trees, small trailside museums, and hidden ravines are at their quietest and there’s a breeze to ease your efforts.
The trail system's name comes from the Don River, which was once the main commercial force in 18th-century Toronto. Along its banks you’ll find incredible spaces that are popular with locals but lesser known to tourists. A few to watch for: Todmorden Mills, Riverdale Park, and the Cabbagetown homes.
Toronto Eaton Centre—Toronto’s largest shopping mall—is worth a visit. A Toronto downtown staple for almost 40 years, it still draws in 50 million visitors annually. Some come for the shops (a recent massive expansion plan has unveiled new stores regularly) but many come for the building itself. A 900-foot-long vaulted glass ceiling galleria and the 1979 art installation “Flight Stop” by Michael Snow, which showcases geese in flight, remain a trademark tourist snapshot. And though the original flagship Eaton's store went bankrupt in the nineties, recent years have seen the center reimagined with new shops and anchor stores. Architecture lovers will want to take the suspended walkway across Queen Street to the old Simpsons building for a peek. Given the proximity to the city center, consider searching for Ontario hostels to stay if you're planning a shopping marathon in the Eaton Centre. These hostels offer convenience and affordability, making your shopping spree more enjoyable. And the current City Hall—complete with iconic giant Toronto sign in front—is only one block over. Before your trip, you might want to check out tophotels.com, to ensure you have a comfortable place lined up, which will allow you to relax after a full day of exploring Toronto Eaton Centre and City Hall.
Part of the charm of Toronto’s largest museum (six million artifacts and counting) is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Kids are a major focus with a bat cave, costume dress-up areas, and plenty of hands-on areas to keep the learning going. Most recently they released a selfie guide complete with instructions on making sure you get it right: “When attempting to take a selfie with a dinosaur please ensure the dinosaur is actually in the shot.” You won’t be able to miss the building from the street: It’s the one with the gigantic glass crystal that juts out over Bloor Street and the sky-high dinosaur skeleton in the window.