Best things to do in Toronto Canada

Are you looking to visit Toronto Canada? I am American, but lived there for 3 years as my wife is Canadian. But even before I moved there she introduced me to many of the places I am going to tell you about and that I enjoyed while we lived there. One myth is that you will need to speak and or know some French in Toronto, but that is not true, though French is a 2nd primary language, most speak English in Ontario.

Depending on how you get there will determine more of where you start. If you fly in to Toronto International Airport, you most likely want to start in the city of Toronto itself I will go into detail about Toronto further down. I will start off at Niagara Falls, just north of Buffalo NY, a definite must, as it is only about 2 hours from Toronto. I highly suggest at least 2 days and 2 nights, there are many activities on both the American side, and the Canadian side, the best water fall views are certainly from the Canadian side where you get the best view of the Horseshoe Falls, which is the better of the 2 falls. You can visit this site for all kinds of tourist attractions, hotels etc. http://www.niagarafallstourism.com/.

If you like wine then you certainly want to take a day and visit some of the wineries just as you cross over into Canada there are many great wineries. If you have never had Ice Wine and like desert wines, this is a must to try! These wines are not cheap, but are so well worth it. Basically they let the grapes freeze and only pick them after a few days, they then press the juice out, which is called "First Press" and will have a higher premium price. The next press is called "Second Press” and will have a lower price. Sometimes you can get a great 2nd press Ice Wine for a great price. Here is a great link for more information about Niagara on the Lake wineries. http://winecountryontario.ca/niagara-on-the-lake

Next stop is Toronto, just head on up the Queensway freeway, once you get to Toronto there are a few places that you have to stop at. The first is the CN Tower one of the world’s tallest freestanding buildings; it was the tallest until 2007 when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa building (formerly known as Burj Dubai). It stands right next to the Sky Dome where the Toronto Blue Jays play, so if you go at the right time you could also hop over and watch a baseball game. Now I want to mention that just across the block is one of my favorite restaurants in Toronto, Wayne Gretzky's, great food, great atmosphere and great prices, a little of something for everyone, owned by the great one himself of course, and he has been known to stop in, though he does not technically live in Canada. Here is a link for the CN Tower, and Wayne Gretzky's restaurant. http://www.cntower.ca/, http://www.gretzky.com/restaurant/

Speaking of the great one Wayne Gretzky, your trip would not be complete with out stopping by the Hockey Hall of Fame! This is not just a museum; they have activities for the kids also, plan a few hours for sure. This is very close to the CN Tower and the Sky Dome so you could hit this in the same day for sure if you don't get to a ball game, however you could plan 2 days as you will want to visit Casa Loma next. Here is the link for the Hockey Hall of Fame, http://www.hhof.com/.

Another great stop is Casa Loma, constructed over 3 years 1911-1914, it is a castle in the city of Toronto, it is amazing to say the least, originally a residence for financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, it is now a museum, one the family will enjoy for sure, one thing to note while driving around Toronto is the incredible architecture and stained glass of the old Catholic churches. Here is a link for Casa Loma, http://www.casaloma.org/

Now if you are a fan of beer, here is a list of some breweries in the Toronto area that you might want to visit for some tours and tasting.

Mill Street Brewery

www.millstreetbrewpub.ca - (416) 681-0338

Bloor Brewery Inc

maps.google.com - (416) 857-1999

Amsterdam Brewing Co Limited

www.amsterdambeer.com - (416) 504-1040

Molson Canada

www.molsoncoorscanada.com - (416) 679-1786

Ontario Small Brewers Association

maps.google.com - (416) 494-2766

Labatt Breweries Ontario

maps.google.com - (416) 361-5050

Amsterdam Brewery

www.amsterdambeer.com - (416) 504-1040

2 more restaurants, one is in Toronto, "Thai Basil" was my favorite Thai restaurant, stop in if you enjoy Thai food or are looking to give it a try, here is a link to their website, http://www.thaibasil.ca/

If you like Greek, then you might want to head over to Etobicoke, just about 30 minutes from Toronto, for a place called "Thats Greek" it is my favorite Greek restaurant ever! They have great service and food. Here is a link to info about it with some reviews. http://www.restaurantica.com/on/etobicoke/thats-greek-cuisine/23001111/

There are many other great attractions to Toronto Canada; those are some of my favorites for sure. If you turn on the radio and hear a band called Blue Rodeo, crank it up the bass player is my wife's cousin Bazil. They are a very big in Canada, you might like them, you can check out their website here http://www.bluerodeo.com

I hope this has helped you on your Toronto Canada trip planning.