Attractions & things to do for the kids in your life

UPDATES for Toronto Fun Places, 5th edition
Some places have raised their fees by up to 30%, others have stayed at the same admission fee since 2011!

Attractions closed
p. 10    www.kidsaroundcanada.com doesn’t exist anymore
p. 16    Ontario Place (announced it was closing 2 months after publication!)
p. 23    Lucky Strike bowling
p. 26    Today’s Parents Kidsummer event
p. 35    Beach Fairway Golf Range
p. 36    Putting Edge, Mississauga
p. 36    Putting Edge, Barrie
p. 36    Putting Edge, Burlington
p. 65    Bowmanville Zoo
p. 66    Northwood Zoo
p. 68    Muskoka Wildlife Centre
p. 87    Stage West
p. 425  Ontario Place (announced it was closing 2 months after publication!)

Attractions with important changes
p. 9      TTC phone number is 416-393-3030.
p. 10    Family Fun: www.familyfun.com now leads to www.family.disney.com
p. 14    Party Packagers: www.partycity.ca acquired Party Packagers in 2011.
p. 27    Toronto International Circus Festival is now HarbourKIDS, co-produced with Harbourfront.
p. 29    Kingston Sheep Dog Trials website is www.kingstonsheepdogtrials.com 
p. 37    St. Patrick’s Day Parade website is https://stpatrickstoronto.com
p. 41    East York Canada Day Parade website is www.eycdc.ca
p. 45    Toronto Zombie Walk: There’s no big zombie parade anymore but their website is now a plateform to help zombie walks get organized throughout the city.
p. 46    Night of Dread Parade could be on Saturday or Sunday before October 31.
p. 49    Kensington Market Winter Solstice website is now www.redpepperspectacle.weebly.com.
p. 58    Woofstock is now in Woodbine Park (at Eastern Ave. and Coxwell).
p. 59    All About Pets Show is expanding. We don’t know yet when their revised show will take place.
p. 60    Riverdale Farm: Now go to www1.toronto.ca and search Riverdale Farm for info.
p. 63    Toronto Zoo phone number now 416-392-5900.
p. 67    The Big Apple website is www.thebigapple.ca
p. 69    Riverview Park & Zoo website is www.peterboroughutilities.ca
p. 84    Dusk Dances extension number is 24.
p. 89    MOCCA has moved and will reopen in Fall 2017. New website is www.museumofcontemporaryart.com, new address is 158   Sterling Road, Toronto, new phone number is 416-395-0067.
p.426   Wild Water Kingdom has a new name Wet’n’Wild and has been fully renovated.

I love the facade of this Book City, with its funny character welcoming us at the door and outdoor bins reminding me of the kind of old small-town stores where people know your name. Being so close to the beach puts me in the mood to peruse the books on the lookout for my next reading down time. The bookstore is jammed-packed with interesting titles and the staff always thrilled to tell you more about each of them.

Book City at the Beach
1950 Queen St East, Toronto

While you're here:
Treat: Brick Street Bakery (1969 Queen Street East)
Street Art: See the murals along Lee Avenue: the jazz mural on the side of the Foodland north of Queen, and the beach mural by the Community Centre 55 in the little lane just south of Queen 
Family fun place: The lovely Kew Gardens Playground includes a great wading pool and cool play structures. South of it is Kew Beach.
For my readers: This Book City is included in STROLL 25 in Toronto Urban Strolls 1

AGO's gift shop is as well curated as the art collections featured in this landmark art gallery. I really love their selection in the kids' section. This is the place to buy a funky gift for an artsy child (or child within). They make sure to offer a good selection of fun inexpensive trinkets for the tiny wallets, as well as fancy options for special occasions. Their poster section is fantastic and so is their book collection (but of course, I'm shamelessly biased here). 

ShopAgo (Art Gallery of Ontario)
South of Dundas St, Toronto 

While you're here:
Treat: Meli Baklava and Chocolate Bar (238 Queen Street West)
Street Art: Mural by Alexa Hatanaka and Aaron Li-Hill in the lane east of 397 Dundas West
Family fun place: Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
For my readers: The AGO is included in STROLL 4 in Toronto Street Art Strolls, and in STROLL 4 in Toronto Urban Strolls 1 

This is the new kid on the block in my neighbourhood (I live one-minute walk from that store). The place hosted Paint Depot, a beloved paint store that paid great attention to their window dressing. We were really concerned about a potential loss of curb appeal, for no reason! Queen Books created a lovely store with cool windows. They made a very good use of the split level layout (the backstore on the upper end is dedicated to kids books). Everything is cute and inviting.

Queen Books 
914 Queen St East, Toronto

While you're here:
Treat: Te Aro (983 Queen Street East)
Street Art: Mural by Herakut at 1135 Dundas East
Family fun place: McCleary Playground
For my readers: Queen Books is located along STROLL 20 in Toronto Street Art Strolls, and in STROLL 19 in Toronto Urban Strolls 1

I am not even a gardener and I spend half an hour in this store everytime I visit Evergreen Brick Works. Of course they have all kinds of cool gardening merchandize, plants and books, but they also carry children books, Toronto guides and other good read, yummy treats, funky little gadgets and more. All in all a fun shop to explore.

Evergreen Brick Words Garden Market
550 Bayview Avenue, Toronto

While you're here:
Treat: Café Belong Grab & Go (519 Parliament Street)
Street Art: Inside the buildings and out
Family fun place: Evergreen Brick Works
For my readers: The Garden Market is included in STROLL 29 in Toronto Street Art Strolls, and in STROLL 12 in Toronto Urban Strolls 1