A picture I took of Toronto while sailing on the Kajama
Toronto is my hometown and I love it! Here are the top places my friends and I like to visit, great for the whole family. 1. Canada’s Wonderland http://www.canadaswonderland.com/ This is my absolute favorite place to go. It’s an amusement park with a variety of roller coasters, rides, and a water park. The new ride Windseeker looks really scary, but I'm looking forward to trying it with my friends. I hear Wonderland is a fun place to work, as some of my friends were recently hired there. 2. Halloween Haunt (Wonderland) or Screemers (Exhibition Place)http://www.screemers.ca/ Halloween Haunt and Screemers are similar, with different scary mazes, along with frightening monsters jumping out of every corner. Out of all of my friends, I’m always the most scared, but it’s really fun! 3. CN Tower http://www.cntower.ca/ If you like to exercise, then you might want to climb the thousands of stairs to the viewing area, but I always take the elevator to the top. There’s a glass floor, sky pod, restaurant, and even the brand new Edge Walk. Personally, I would never walk along the edge of a building 116 stories high. 4. Sports Game or Concert · Toronto Maple Leafs (Hockey) http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/ · Toronto Blue Jays (Baseball) http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/ · Toronto Raptors (Basketball) http://www.nba.com/raptors/ · Toronto FC (Soccer) http://www.torontofc.ca/ · Toronto Argonauts (Football) http://www.argonauts.ca/ · Concert – Air Canada Centre http://www.theaircanadacentre.com/ 5. CNE and Air Show http://www.theex.com/Every year I enjoy the carnival rides and try to win prizes from the midway. The Air Show is my favorite part of the day when I watch the Snowbirds, jets, and aerobatics. There’s a huge food court, but it’s always so crowded you almost have to run to where you want to go, so that you aren’t in an enormous lineup for pizza. 6. Ice Skating at Nathan Phillips Squarehttp://www.toronto.ca/city_hall_tour/nps.htm This is fun to do, especially with a group of friends. Around New Year's Eve, there are always ice sculpture contests taking place at Nathan Phillips Square, which is also the location of the Toronto City Hall. 7. The Eaton Centre http://www.torontoeatoncentre.com/en/Pages/default.aspx At this multi-level mall you’ll find your favorite stores. I always spend almost everything in my wallet when I visit. 8. Different Cultural Districts (Little Italy or Danforth)http://littleitaly.sites.toronto.com/ or http://www.greektowntoronto.com/ I went on a field trip to Little Italy with my high school Italian class and we all found it very exciting. It was interesting seeing Chin radio station and eating authentic Italian food. Every year there’s a Greek Festival on Danforth Avenue, which attracts many people and gives them a chance to experience Greek culture. My family and I have attended this festival and the food was amazing! I ate the best Greek salad I’ve ever tasted here. 9. Ontario Place http://www.ontarioplace.com/ This park is right on the edge of Lake Ontario. The log ride is really fun, and I enjoyed spending a day at the waterpark. There are also restaurants, gift shops, a marina, and the Molson Amphitheatre. The Molson Amphitheatre has lots of concerts at decent prices. Even from the lawn, which is the back of the outdoor theatre, you can see very well. I’ve seen a few bands perform here, and I recommend this on a nice day. 10. Much Music Studio http://www.muchmusic.com/ If you want to see some celebrities, then this would be the place to go. I’ve met the cast of Twilight at this location, and even waited in the pouring rain for 8 hours to get some autographs. 11. Boat Tours at Queen’s Quay http://www.tallshipcruisestoronto.com/ I haven’t been on too many different boat tours, but I’ve been onthe Kajama. It’s a tall sailing ship from the early 1900s and takes you along the harbor for an hour and a half. You get to see the pretty landscape of Toronto from Lake Ontario, as you order food or drinks to keep you energized. The crew gives you a chance to hoist the sails yourself! 12. Second City – Improv classes or shows http://www.secondcity.com/ I’ve taken Improv classes at Second City, which was an overall fantastic experience. It taught me a lot about acting, gave me an opportunity to open up around other people, and allowed me to make new friends my age. At the end of the last class you get to perform on the main stage for your friends and family. The professional shows are also a way to get a good laugh. 13. Murder Mystery – dinner and show http://www.mysteriouslyyours.com/ This was one of the most amusing dinners I’ve ever attended. Before the show, the characters walk around and allow you to ask questions about the play to try to gather some information about the murder. Then, after you see the murder, they give you a chance to guess who the killer is, and the winner gets a small prize. They always crack a few jokes too, and once they called my cousin and I Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. 14. See a parade · St. Patrick’s Day Parade (March) http://www.topatrick.com/ · Easter Parade (April) http://www.beacheseasterparade.com/ · Pride Parade (July) http://www.pridetoronto.com/ · Caribana Festival/Parade (July) http://www.caribana.com/ · Canada Day Parade (July) http://www.julyfirstparade.com/ · Warriors’ Day Parade (August) http://www.thewarriorsdayparade.ca/ · Santa Claus Parade (December) http://www.thesantaclausparade.ca/ 15. Toronto Zoo http://www.torontozoo.com/ My family and I go here a lot. My favorite animals are the elephants and giraffes. There’s even a gorilla named Samantha there, which obviously gets my family and I laughing. There are different events taking place all the time, such as camel rides and autograph signings. When I was younger, the cast of TVO Kids were signing autographs, but I was too shy to go talk to them. 16. Ferry to the Toronto Islands http://www.torontoharbour.com/toronto-islands/ There are bike rentals, a beach to swim and tan on, and amusement park. I hear it’s really difficult to get a job as a lifeguard there, as you would have to be very experienced. 17. Swim at The Beaches – walk along the boardwalk http://www.thetorontobeaches.com/ The Beaches is an area of Toronto with a boardwalk, beaches with volleyball nets, and many stores. It is nice to spend a day in this area to get away from the busy streets of downtown Toronto. 18. See a live playhttp://www.toronto-theatre.com/ Toronto has some pretty amazing plays; it is like a smaller version of Broadway. My favorite play here wasMamma Mia, which I saw three times. I also saw Mamma Mia in New York on Broadway, which was fantastic, too, but I have to admit I enjoyed the actors more in the Toronto version! Maybe because I was used to them. 19. Yonge and Dundas Square http://www.ydsquare.ca/ Stand in Toronto’s very own mini Times Square. The video billboards, AMC theaters, stores, and events make it exciting, especially at night with all of the flashing lights. Yonge Street is also a very interesting place to go shopping, along with Queen Street, which is trendy with smaller stores. 20. Ontario Science Centre and the ROM http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/ I’ve gone to the Science Centre with my school on many different occasions. They’re always building new exhibits here with the most interesting facts. The Royal Ontario Museum is also a great place to find old artifacts and information on things from around the world, such as the huge dinosaur exhibit a few years ago. These are my two favorite museums in Toronto. 21. Word on the Street http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/toronto This is the best place to buy books in Toronto if you’re around in September. Dozens of different publishers set up tents to display their books, some of which are autographed by the author on the spot. I enjoy getting ice cream and hunting for bargains, while listening to the live entertainment. This is also where Kate Bridges has made a few appearances signing books. **many more events, activities, and information athttp://www.toronto.com/
