Ontario’s dynamic capital ranks among Canada’s most exciting destinations for families traveling with kids, crammed with curious historical sights, beautiful green spaces and some of the country’s headlining museums. Many of Toronto’s family-friendly highlights have an active, outdoors-focused spin, too, from canoeing on inky blue Lake Ontario to spotting baby-pink spring blossoms in High Park.
Here’s our guide to making the most of Toronto en famille.
What makes Toronto good for kids?
Toronto knows how to delight families with kids in tow. While it’s true that costs can add up quickly in this lively urban hub, most attractions have discounted entry for children (check age restrictions), while the convenient TTC public transportation network offers free subway, streetcar and bus rides for kids up to 12 years old. Galleries, museums and sights generally have stroller-friendly access (or storage), too.
Landmark attractions such as the CN Tower and the Distillery District are bound to enamour travelers of all ages. The city also has a wealth of stimulating galleries that are truly switched on to families (both local and visiting), many of them with dedicated, sensory-driven kids’ centers and events. Plenty of family fun awaits among Toronto’s many parks and gardens, and there’s even a taste of Canada’s wild nature in the forested Toronto Islands.
Many families choose to visit Toronto in spring or summer, when outdoor activities are in full swing. On the flipside, cooler months bring festive markets, typically fewer crowds and often better value on accommodations.
Where is best in Toronto for kids?
Downtown Toronto makes an extremely convenient base, particularly around the Entertainment and Financial Districts, which have plenty of family-friendly hotels and restaurants, excellent public transportation and a stash of attractions that will appeal to both younger visitors and their parents. Families seeking a quieter urban setting can take advantage of rolling green spaces in neighborhoods like Trinity Bellwoods, the Waterfront and the West End (especially near gorgeous High Park), as well as the easily reached Toronto Islands, though none of these areas have much in the way of accommodation options.
Several family-travel highlights are located at the northern part of Toronto’s downtown core, like the Royal Ontario Museum and the Bata Shoe Museum, both on Bloor St. Beyond Toronto itself, the natural spectacle of Niagara Falls is a rewarding, popular and easily reached add-on for families.
Best things to do in Toronto with kids
Zip up the CN Tower
Taking the 58-second, glass-fronted elevator ride up to the 346m-tall (1135ft) Main Observation Level of Toronto’s worth-the-hype star attraction, the 553m-high (1814ft) CN Tower, is bound to thrill visitors of any age. As you step out, wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows reveal wonderful 360-degree views of the sprawling urban jungle, Lake Ontario’s deep blues and the Toronto Islands just offshore. On clear days you might even spot distant Niagara Falls across the lake. Daredevil kids can walk across the famous glass floor on the Lower Observation Level. Book tickets ahead online to avoid the worst of the queues, and check weather conditions beforehand to maximize on those views.
Look for dinosaurs and mummies at the Royal Ontario Museum
Endless surprises for young minds await discovery at the exceptional ROM, one of North America’s largest museums. Make a beeline for the much-loved dinosaur galleries, which burst with showstopping dinosaur skeletons (some fossilized, other casts), many of them unearthed out west in Alberta. Then head upstairs to find the ROM’s collection of Ancient Egyptian mummies, each sensitively presented with their personal stories. You can even walk into a replica Egyptian tomb here.
Other highlights to tempt kids include the free-access First Peoples Gallery with its intricately built birch-bark canoes; four totem poles carved by the Nisgaa and Haida peoples of Canada’s Pacific Northwest Coast; and a re-created walk-through bat cave (complete with sound effects, though no real bats). A superb program of family-friendly activities and events includes the hands-on WonderWorks space for children aged three to eight.
Step into footwear history at the Bata Shoe Museum
Who doesn’t love a pair of head-turning shoes? At the fabulous Bata Shoe Museum on Bloor St (the museum is designed to look like a shoe box), you can learn all about the history of human footwear, from Ancient Egyptian sandals to the rise of the sparkling stiletto. Only a small part of the 14,000-piece collection is on show at any one time, which means exhibitions are fascinatingly specialized, and there’s even a dress-up space where kids can try on vintage footwear.
Hit the beach on the Toronto Islands
Just over the water from downtown, Toronto’s top summer haunt is a back-to-nature world of rustling willow trees, traffic-free pathways and golden lake-washed beaches. The 15-minute ferry journey over to the Toronto Islands from Jack Layton Ferry Terminal is half the fun, with everyone ooh-ing and aah-ing at the best skyline views around. Centre Island, with its bike-hire stalls and summer-only amusement park, is a popular pick for families. But there’s a refreshingly quieter charm to Ward’s Island, where you can kick back on relaxed Ward’s Beach and wander along the lakeside boardwalk.
For families with older kids, Toronto Island SUP on Ward’s Island rents kayaks and paddle boards, runs superb sunset tours and also offers beginner-friendly classes.
Discover sporting legends at the Hockey Hall of Fame
Housed in the Financial District’s landmark Beaux Arts-style Bank of Montreal building, the Hockey Hall of Fame holds a special place in Toronto’s heart. It’s an immersive wonderland for anyone even slightly intrigued by Canada’s favorite sport, with the world’s largest single hockey collection. The many experiential exhibits are particularly great for kids, including the chance to shoot pucks at animated NHL goalies. Glimpsing the original authenticated Stanley Cup is a memorable only-in-Toronto moment.
Detour: A block further east, take your little ones to spy a fountain decorated with 27 sculpted dogs and a single cat at Berczy Park.
Wander through the Distillery District
During the festive winter months, Old Toronto’s Distillery District lures local and visiting families alike with its famous Winter Village Market, packed with craft stores, magical lights, a designer-label Christmas tree and even a dedicated Santa mailbox. But this beautifully converted 19th-century whisky distillery is a fun spot to explore with the family at any time of year, as you stroll around the cobbled alleys hopping between colorful galleries, creative boutiques, and independent cafes serving steaming hot chocolate.
Bike along the waterfront
One of Toronto’s most enchanting areas is its largely traffic-free waterfront, which has flower-laden parks, skyline views and a smattering of small golden beaches. The best way to explore is on two wheels, ideally following the locally loved Martin Goodman Trail that extends all along the city’s shoreline; the section between Queens Quay and the Humber Bay Arch Bridge (in the west) is a highlight, as is wild Tommy Thompson Park on the eastern side of downtown. Download the Bike Share Toronto app and take advantage of handy docking stations dotted along the waterfront.
Those with tiny tots in tow can rent multi-person family bikes or ebikes from outlets along Queens Quay, or simply relax in central lakefront havens such as the Toronto Music Garden.
Pick up a picnic at St Lawrence Market
In the thick of Old Toronto, mid-19th-century St Lawrence Market is one of the city’s most-loved addresses. Its two sweeping floors are filled with irresistible shop counters, from fragrant bakeries and colorful fresh-vegetable shops to specialized delis where you can pick just-cooked bites channeling cuisines from across the globe. Flavors to lure little ones with more sensitive palates include oven-warm Montréal-style bagels from St Urbain Bagel and fresh pastas that you can see being expertly made by hand.
Enjoy your market goodies at bench-style tables dotted around the market’s outdoor terrace or head down to pretty Sugar Beach on the waterfront, a 10-minute walk away.
Get crafty at the Art Gallery of Ontario
The city’s unmissable art museum, in Chinatown, has a spectacular 120,000-piece collection housed across an original early-20th-century building and a futuristic Frank Gehry-designed extension, so there’s easily something for everyone in the family to ogle at here. Entrancing local landscapes by Canada’s celebrated Group of Seven, an intimate Infinity Mirror Room by Yayoi Kusama and the century-spanning Indigenous Collection (with a sharp focus on works by First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities) count among the highlights.
Roving art carts keep kids entertained and there’s an experiential center where children can channel their creative energies and connect with the art around them, all included with admission. Family-focused tours are sometimes hosted too.
Relax in lovely High Park
Conveniently reached by subway or streetcar, High Park is Toronto’s premier green haven. This 399-acre (0.6-sq-mile) West End retreat, inland from Sunnyside Beach, is a favorite among families for its walking trails, picnic spots, several playgrounds and small zoo. People also come here in spring to catch the famous marshmallow-pink cherry blossoms in bloom, which typically peak in late April or early May. Bring snacks and a blanket and make a day of it with the kids, who might also enjoy paddling in the summertime pool (free for all).
Meet furry friends at an urban farm
Tucked away in Cabbagetown, just east of Toronto’s downtown core, Riverdale Farm is a charming, under-the-radar treat for the whole family. Kids will adore meeting the resident horses, cows, pigs, chickens and goats at this working city farm founded back in the 1970s. These days, farmers host engaging talks about different animals every morning. The tree-shaded space is stroller-friendly and free to access, and there are over 3km (1.9 miles) of trails to roam.
The surrounding Riverdale Park West area is perfect for a post-visit picnic (catch the farmers market here on Tuesday afternoons in summer), while the slopes of Riverdale Park East (just across the Don River) morph into a favorite tobogganing spot during colder months.
Explore Canada’s largest aquarium
Easily combined with the next-door CN Tower (there’s even a joint ticket option), Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada houses thousands of underwater creatures, from gliding rays and rippling jellyfish to sharks, sea turtles and giant Pacific octopus. The meandering glass-walled tunnel, where sharks cruise right overhead, is always a hit with the kids. For a quieter visit, skip the 11am to 2pm (til 4pm on weekends) rush.
Shop for vintage treasures in Kensington Market
Teens and tweens with an eye for preloved fashion will love browsing their way through the vintage boutiques in Kensington Market, one of downtown Toronto’s most colorful and creative neighborhoods. Head to Kensington Ave, where shops sit inside pastel-painted Victorian-era buildings; well-established favorites include Courage My Love and Hi. This also happens to be one of Toronto’s most exciting culinary pockets, so save time for a post-shopping bite at no-fuss Gus Tacos or Seven Lives.
Catch the Canadian National Exhibition
Hugely popular with local families, the CNE (also called the Ex) takes over the historical expanses of Exhibition Place, near the lakefront, for almost three weeks every August to September. It has its roots in a 19th-century agricultural fair, but now pulls in over 1.6 million visitors with a raft of fairground rides, streetfood stalls, live music, entertainment shows (everything from magic to acrobatics) and other wholesome family-friendly fun. The Ferris wheel, with its city views, is a big hit. Some rides have a minimum height requirement for kids, so it’s worth planning ahead.
