downtown Toronto

Family Travel Bloggers Reveal: Things to do With Kids in Toronto

Admit defeat. There are so many cool things to do with kids in Toronto you’d have to move there to be able to do them all. Since we only managed to do a five out of possibly hundred, we enlisted the help of family travel bloggers to helps us choose kids’ all time favorites. So you can decide wisely from the array of things to do: Toronto zoo, Canada’s Wonderland, Royal Ontario Museum to CN Tower or Legoland.

downtown TorontoToronto Zoo

One word comes to mind immediately – huge. Rightly so, as it is one of the largest zoos in the world. Toronto Zoo is home to over 5,000 animals representing over 500 species. There are 10 kilometers of walking trails, so the best thing to do is – plan to spend the whole day exploring and enjoying this lovely place. Don’t be nervous and try to include more than you can handle.

Go in knowing you won’t be able to see it all. So, let the kids decide what they want to see.

Canada’s Wonderland

With over 200 attractions and 69 thrilling rides, it is one of the best amusement parks we have visited so far. It has the perfect balance of rides suitable for kids and high adrenaline rides older kids and brave adults will enjoy.

Coolkidz’s Top three amusement parks: Canada’s Wonderland, Europa Park and Universal Studios Sentosa.

Also plan the whole day to enjoy this treat, because your kids will not want to leave.

Royal Ontario Museum

It is one of Canada’s largest museums, where one minute you can be in awe with the huge skeleton of a dinosaur and the next speechless at the sight of mummies. There are five floors of extraordinary galleries and exhibits to explore.

Here are some useful tips on how to take kids to a museum.

If your kids are younger, then it’s best just to pick a few things to see and then explore the city.

CN Tower

The famous Toronto landmark is a must see. The elevators take you up to the top of the 553.33 m-high tower in only 58 seconds. CN Tower offers breathtaking views of the city and a chance to test your bravery – do you dare to walk over glass floor and look down without your knees giving in?

You’ll soon learn kids are much braver than you.

CN Tower - things to do with kids in Toronto

Then there is EdgeWalk – known as Toronto’s most extreme attraction, which as the name suggests lets you walk around the skyscraper to get even better views.

[tweetthis]Family Travel Bloggers reveal top places to visit in Toronto. [/tweetthis]

Art Gallery of Ontario

Lisa from Gone with the family loves Sundays at the Art Gallery in Toronto.

“The AGO is one of the largest art museums in North America but it’s also one of the most family-friendly that we have visited.”

There are many activities the kids can try such as drawing stations, play space for kids to create and special kid’s gallery.

Legoland Toronto

Kerrie from Family Food and Travel recommends a visit to Legoland Toronto, because the hands on nature of Legoland is perfect for kids who like to touch and do rather than just observe.

“I was (and so were the boys) absolutely mesmerized by the MINILAND the tiny lego recreation of Ontario’s landmarks with interactive Rogers Centre baseball and Air Canada Centre hockey there is so much to see and marvel at.”

Make time to try out Earthquake Tables, Duplo Village, Lego’s Fire Academy…

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Erin from Travel with Bender has put together a great list of 13 things to do in Toronto with kids in the Summer and one of the places she recommends is the amazing Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada.

“Playgrounds, multiple touch pools, hands-on displays, plenty of crawl-through tunnels with close-up views inside tanks and well-presented pools filled with aquatic life of all sizes and colors – Ripley’s had everything you could ask for.”

Don’t miss your chance to come face to face with thousands of fascinating fish and menacing sea creatures. They have everything from barracudas, to rays, to jellyfish and to giant sharks.

Children’s Discover Centre

Sarah from Solo Mom Takes Flight has a Mother of all lists – 50 Things to Do in Toronto This Summer With Kids. Among them I chose one of the newest Toronto attractions – Children’s Discovery Centre. Why?

Because it is Toronto’s only children’s museum designed specifically for kids aged 0 to 6 years, to play, create, explore and use their imagination.

Kids can build, ride around, go camping, paint, dress up, sing, make music, cook, help animals, read…

Things to do in Toronto with kids

Centreville Amusement Park

According to Corinne from the Have Baby Will Travel blog you shouldn’t stick to the city. Just across the harbor from Toronto you have a lovely Centre Island and there is the Centreville Amusment Park, which she says is a Toronto with kids must-visit.

Just getting there with the ferry is fun for the kids.

“Some other things we love about Centreville that set it apart from other amusement parks: it’s free to enter – you only pay for rides either with an all-day wristband or tickets (they never expire), and that you are free to (and actually encouraged to) bring in your own food.”

More than 30 attractions include silly Twirling Tea Cups, Log Flume, Bumper Boats and Bumper Cars, Antique Carousel. After this head over to Far Enough Farm where the kids pet farm yard animals such as horses, mini ponies and sheep.

Toronto Islands

But that is not all that Centre Island has to offer. Amy from Pitstops for Kids recommends taking time to visit Toronto Islands.

“While a few islands are largely residential (or home to sailboat slips) or wildlife refuges, Centre Island is all about family fun.”

Besides Centreville Amusment park kids will definitely enjoy Franklin Children’s Garden and Park, Gibraltar Point Lighthouse and Centre Island Beach.

Kew Garden Beach

Speaking of beaches Caroline from Parent Club suggests a trip to Kew Garden Beach.

“Dip your toes in Lake Ontario, walk the boardwalk or play in the Kew Gardens playground there are lots of FREE things to do in the beaches area.”

There you have it. Check the blogs of all these wonderful bloggers to get more ideas… and pin this for later:

Toronto with kids

 

 

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