ISC / SCI Conference - 2009
Congrès de la SCI / ISC - 2009

Welcome to Toronto!

This page lists major attractions across Metropolitan Toronto (city and suburbs). For more information, particularly on the conference venue and its immediate vicinity, please visit all of our city pages:

    • Venue and Accommodations – St. Michael's College and residence
    • Getting Around - airport connections, taxis, transit, PATH, streets/highways
    • University of Toronto – attractions on the downtown campus
    • Area Attractions – attractions in the U of T area

Toronto Tip: Remember to dial the area code for all phone numbers, even local ones. Toronto adopted the 10-digit dialling system when a new area code, 647, was added within the city limits.

Quick Links • Tourist Attractions • Tours and Walks • Museums and Galleries
Performing Arts • Public Art • Parks and Gardens • Read More About It!

Quick Links

Arts events City of Toronto (official Web site) Currency conversion (XE.com) Dine.TO (restaurant / dining guide) Gas prices Parking PATH (underground pedestrian system)

Toronto.com (Toronto Star Web portal) Toronto Life restaurant guide Tourism Toronto Transit Transit - Subway map Weather Wikipedia entry on Toronto

Did you know ...? Although it was long thought that "Toronto" meant "meeting place," an interpretation of the Huron word toronton suggested by historian Henry Scadding, it is now believed that the name originated in the Mohawk word tkaranto, which means "where there are trees standing in the water." The name originally applied to the area where the city of Orillia is now located, but travelled south over time all the way to the mouth of the Humber River, where a French fort was identified as "Fort Toronto."

Tourist Attractions

Modern Attractions

• Canadian National Exhibition (Please note: Closed during conference period, but some venues on the grounds remain open.)
• City Hall (for Old City Hall, see Historic Buildings below)
• CN Tower
• Harbourfront
• Ontario Legislature, Queen's Park: see Area Attractions
• Ontario Place
• Ontario Science Centre (North York)
• Paramount Canada's Wonderland (Please note: located just north of Metro Toronto in Vaughan)
• Toronto Zoo (Scarborough)
• University of Toronto – St. George campus buildings: see University of Toronto

Historic Buildings, Structures, and Venues (all are of architectural significance as well)

• Black Creek Pioneer Village (Jane St. at Steeles Ave. W., North York)
• Campbell House (northwest corner of Queen St. and University Ave.)
• Casa Loma (1 Austin Terrace, Spadina Rd. at Davenport Rd.)
• Colborne Lodge (High Park)
• Enoch Turner Schoolhouse (106 Trinity St., just east of Parliament, south of King)
• Fort York (100 Garrison Rd. - off Fleet St., just west of Bathurst St.)
• Gibraltar Point Lighthouse (Toronto Islands)
• Gibson House (5172 Yonge St. at Park Home Ave., between Sheppard and Finch Aves., North York)
• Gooderham Building (the famous "flatiron" building - Wellington St. E., just west of Church St.)
• The Grange (317 Dundas St. W., immediately south of the Art Gallery of Ontario): see Area Attractions
• Mackenzie House (82 Bond St. at Shuter St., just east of Yonge)
• Montgomery's Inn (southeast corner of Dundas St. and Islington Ave., Etobicoke)
• Old City Hall (northeast corner of Bay and Queen Sts.)
• Ontario Legislature, Queen's Park: see Area Attractions
• Osgoode Hall (130 Queen St. W., immediately west of City Hall)
• R.C. Harris Filtration Plant (end of Queen St. E. at Nursewood Rd., The Beaches)
• Spadina House (285 Spadina Rd., immediately north of Casa Loma)
• St. Lawrence Hall (157 King St. E. at Jarvis St.)
• Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum (67 Pottery Rd., east of the Bayview Ave. Extension, just west of Broadview Ave.)
• Toronto's First Post Office (260 Adelaide St. E., one block east of Jarvis St.)
• University of Toronto – St. George campus buildings: see University of Toronto

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• City Hall – take a virtual tour, or print the self-guided tour and visit in person!
• Discovery Walks (self-guided walks throughout Toronto designed by city staff)
• Heritage Toronto Walks (April to October each year)
• ROM Walks (similar to the Heritage Toronto Walks, hosted by the Royal Ontario Museum)
• Ontario Legislature tours
• University of Toronto campus tours

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• Art Gallery of Ontario – see Area Attractions
• Bata Shoe Museum – see Area Attractions
• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Museum (Canadian Broadcasting Centre, 250 Front St. W.)
• Design Exchange (in the former Toronto Stock Exchange building, 234 Bay St. south of King)
• Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art – see Area Attractions
• Hockey Hall of Fame (in BCE Place - 30 Yonge St. at Front)
  
• Inuit and Native Gallery (Guild Shop, Ontario Crafts Council - 118 Cumberland St., in Yorkville)
• Justina M. Barnicke Gallery (Hart House, U of T)
• Market Gallery (South St. Lawrence Market, 95 Front St. E. at Jarvis, second floor)
• McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Please note: located just north of Metro Toronto in Kleinburg, Ontario)
  
• MZTV Museum of Television (550 Queen St. E., east of Parliament)
  
• Redpath Sugar Museum (95 Queen's Quay E., on the harbourfront)
• Royal Ontario Museum – see Area Attractions
• Textile Museum of Canada – see Area Attractions
• Toronto Aerospace Museum (in Downsview Park, at Keele St. and Sheppard Ave. W.)
• Toronto Dominion Gallery of Inuit Art (Toronto Dominion Centre, 79 Wellington St. W., ground floor)
• Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre (in Toronto Police Headquarters, 40 College St., west of Yonge)
• University of Toronto Art Centre (in University College, U of T)

For information on small galleries in Toronto, please see the Art Dealers Association of Canada Web site.

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What's on? Luminato, Toronto's festival of arts and creativity, opens the day after our conference, running from June 5 to 14. Inaugurated in 2007, Luminato showcases all aspects of creative expression, with presentations of music, dance, theatre, film, literature, and visual arts.

Venues

• Air Canada Centre (40 Bay St., just south of Union Station)
• Canon Theatre (formerly Pantages Theatre - 244 Victoria St., south of Dundas)
  
• CanStage Theatres
     • Bluma Appel Theatre (in St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E., east of Yonge)
     • Berkeley Street Theatre ("the Gas Works" - 26 Berkeley St. at Front)
     • The "Dream in High Park" (Shakespeare under the stars at the ampitheatre in High Park)
• Convocation Hall, University of Toronto – see University of Toronto
• Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres (189 Yonge St., north of Queen)
• Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (Canadian Opera Company / National Ballet of Canada - 145 Queen St. W. at University)
• George Weston Recital Hall (Toronto Centre for the Arts)
• Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles St. W., on Victoria College campus, U of T)
• Massey Hall (Shuter St., south of Dundas, one block east of the Eaton Centre)
• The Music Hall (147 Danforth Ave., east of Broadview)
• Princess of Wales Theatre (300 King St. W., between Spadina and University)
  
• Royal Alexandra Theatre (260 King St.W., between Spadina and University)
• Roy Thomson Hall (60 Simcoe St. at King, west of University)
• Second City (51 Mercer St., south of King St., east of Spadina)
• Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (formerly O'Keefe / Hummingbird Centre - southeast corner of Yonge and Front)
• St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (includes the Bluma Appel Theatre; 27 Front St. E., east of Yonge)
• Toronto Centre for the Arts (includes the George Weston Recital Hall; 5040 Yonge St., north of Sheppard, in North York)

Groups

• Canadian Opera Company (Four Seasons Centre - 145 Queen St. W. at University)
• Famous People Players (110 Sudbury St., south of Queen St., east of Dufferin)
• National Ballet of Canada (Four Seasons Centre - 145 Queen St. W. at University)
• Soulpepper Theatre Company (Distillery District - Young Centre, Mill and Cherry Sts.)
  
• Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir (Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W., west of Spadina)
• Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. at King, west of University)
• Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. at King, west of University)

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Toronto is home to a great many works of public art, both individual pieces and groupings or installations. Some of the more notable places at which to view public art are government and institutional settings, including City Hall and Queen's Park — not to mention the Toronto subway system. Public art is also on display in park or garden settings such as The Guild and the Toronto Sculpture Garden (listed under Parks and Gardens below), as well as High Park and smaller venues, or "parkettes."

Selected examples of public art in Toronto are listed below (alphabetically by title, subject, or venue). Please see our Area Attractions page for information on statues and monuments at the Ontario Legislature. Some of the many artworks installed on the U of T campus are mentioned on our University of Toronto page, and the seven outdoor sculptures on the St. Michael's College campus are described on our Venue and Accommodations page.

• The Archer (Henry Moore) - sculpture in Nathan Phillips Square
• The Audience (Michael Snow) - sculptures portraying fans at the northeast and northwest corners of the Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome)
• Flatiron Mural (Derek Besant) - famous trompe d'oeil mural on west side of Gooderham Building
• Flight Stop (Michael Snow) - Canada geese flying high in the atrium of the Eaton Centre
• Garden of the Greek Gods (Elford Bradley Cox) - grouping of figures from mythology located on the CNE grounds
• Glenn (Ruth Abernethy) - sculpture of Glenn Gould in front of the CBC Broadcast Centre
• Ned Hanlan Monument (Otto Emanuel Hahn) - Hanlan's Point, Toronto Island
• Hockey Knights in Canada (Charles Pachter) - murals at College subway station depicting the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens
• Metropolis (David Partridge) - nail mural inside City Hall near the main entrance
• Queen Elizabeth Monument (Frances Loring) - formerly located at the entranceway to the QEW, the "lion monument" was later moved to Sir Casimir Gzowski Park
• The Seven Lively Arts (York Wilson) - mural in Sony Centre lobby
• Spadina Summer Under All Seasons (James Sutherland) - mosaic at Dupont subway station depicting a flower in cross-section
• St. Anne's Anglican Church interior (including work done by members of the Group of Seven)
• Two Large Forms (Henry Moore) - sculpture at entrance to Art Gallery of Ontario
• Al Waxman statue (Ruth Abernethy) - salute to the "King of Kensington" in Bellevue Park, Kensington Market

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There are some 1,500 parks and almost 20,000 acres of parkland in the city, as well as 187 km (116 miles) of bike paths, 7.8 km (4.8 miles) of pedestrian paths, and 3 million publicly owned trees. High Park, stretching over almost 400 acres in the west end, is one of the city's natural treasures, but there are other unique parks and ravines throughout the city, including lands along the Humber and Don River floodplains — the legacy of Hurricane Hazel. Historic Mount Pleasant Cemetery in midtown Toronto also serves as an arboretum in which many rare species of trees have been planted over the years. An interactive map of Toronto's waterfront allows you to take an online tour of lakeside attractions, from Marie Curtis Park in the west to the Rouge Beach Park in the east.

Did you know ...? Toronto is located at latitude 43:40:12N, longitude 79:22:12W — as far south as the French Riviera. In gardeners' terms, this is plant hardiness zone 6.

City Parks and Gardens

• Allan Gardens - historic downtown park famous for its Palm House conservatory and horticultural collection
• Ashbridge's Bay Park - waterfront park in the Beaches named after early area settler Sarah Ashbridge
• Don Valley Brick Works - natural heritage site located in historic area of city
• High Park - crown jewel of Toronto's parks system; home to Colborne Lodge, Shakespeare under the stars, a small zoo, recreational facilities, and more
• Riverdale Farm - a working farm built on the site of Toronto's original zoo, the Riverdale Zoo
• Toronto Island Park - a wide variety of recreational facilties, park areas, trails, and historic structures on Toronto's islands
• Toronto Music Garden - a unique garden on Toronto's waterfront inspired by the music of Bach; designed in collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma
• Toronto Sculpture Garden - a small, unique public park created in 1981 and located opposite St. James' Cathedral in the old Town of York
• Trinity Bellwoods Park - large urban park in a historic neighbourhood, stretching from Dundas to Queen Sts. between Bathurst and Ossington

Suburban Parks and Gardens

• Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens - beautiful formal garden located just south of the Yonge-Lawrence intersection and dedicated to the composer of "The Maple Leaf Forever"
• Centennial Park (Etobicoke) - features a conservatory in addition to its many recreational facilities
• Downsview Park (North York) - large federal park located on former Armed Forces base; site of major events such as two open-air masses celebrated by Pope John Paul II and Toronto's SARS benefit concert
• Earl Bales Park (North York) - noted for its recreational facilities, it is also a cultural gathering place that includes a Holocaust memorial and 1,500-seat ampitheatre
• Edwards Gardens (North York) - beautifully landscaped park located just east of the affluent Bridle Path residential neighbourhood; home to the Toronto Botanical Garden
• The Guild (Scarborough) - unique park celebrating art and architecture within a natural setting; famous for its sculpture garden and architectural fragments saved from historic buildings
• Rosetta McClain Gardens (Scarborough) - beautiful formal garden located near the Scarborough Bluffs
• Rouge Park (Scarborough / York Region / Pickering) - one of the world's largest natural parks in an urban setting; created in 1995 to protect the Rouge River watershed
• Royal Botanical Gardens (Please note: located west of Toronto in Burlington, Ontario) - a 1,100-hectare (2,700-acre) venue famous for its themed gardens, natural sanctuaries, and an arboretum that includes the world's largest collection of lilacs

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Books

• Arthur, Eric. Toronto: No Mean City. 2nd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1974. 3rd ed. rev. by Stephen A. Otto. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1986.
• Bureau of Architecture and Urbanism. Toronto Modern: Architecture 1945-1965. 2nd ed. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2002.
• Byrtus, Nancy, Mark Fram, and Michael McClelland, eds. East/West: A Guide to Where People Live in Downtown Toronto. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2000.
• Cruickshank, Tom. Old Toronto Houses. Photographs by John de Visser. Toronto: Firefly Books, 2003.
• Dendy, William. Lost Toronto: Images of the City's Past. New rev. and expanded ed. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1993.
• Dendy, William, and William Kilbourn. Toronto Observed: Its Architecture, Patrons, and History. Toronto: Oxford University Press Canada, 1986.
• Fulford, Robert. Accidental City: The Transformation of Toronto. Toronto: Macfarlane Walter and Ross, 1995.
• Lundell, Liz. The Estates of Old Toronto. Erin, Ont.: Boston Mills Press, 1997.
• Martins-Manteiga, John. Mean City: From Architecture to Design – How Toronto Went Boom!. Toronto: Key Porter Books, 2007.
• McBride, Jason, and Alana Wilcox, eds. uTOpia: Towards a New Toronto. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2005.
• McClelland, Michael, and Graeme Stewart, eds. Concrete Toronto: A Guide to Concrete Architecture from the Fifties to the Seventies. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2007.
• McHugh, Patricia. Toronto Architecture: A City Guide. Toronto: Mercury Books, 1985.
• Murray, Terry. Faces on Places: A Grotesque Tour of Toronto. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2006.
• Salnek, Margo. Coach Houses of Toronto. Erin, Ont.: Boston Mills Press, 2005.
• Sewell, John. The Shape of the City: Toronto Struggles with Modern Planning. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993.
• Wise, Leonard, and Allan Gould. Toronto Street Names: An Illustrated Guide to Their Origins. Willowdale, Ont.: Firefly Books, 2000.

Web Sites

• City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties
• TOBuilt: A Database of Buildings in Toronto, Canada

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