alise007

We are leaving Memorial Wknd for 5 nights in Toronto/2 nights in Niagara Falls. Arrive late Sunday from Detroit. Will be in Niagara for Fri/Sat nights to see the fireworks and do all the activities there. We have been several times before to NF but it was before kids.

Right now I have reservations at a Hilton Garden Inn downtown but parking is $35.
1st question-- how safe/unsafe would it be to park OFF SITE at a GREEN P garage to save ~$20/day in parking costs?

We can save some money but lose TIME by staying near the airport at another Hilton property. We have enough points to stay free for the 5 nights at any of the properties.

Most of our activities seem to be near/in dowtown area where we can access the metro if necessary or walk. It seems crazy to drive into downtown every day just to save the hotel parking fee. And we would have to pay to park downtown since the metro doesn't seem to come to the airport.

Centre Island
Hockey Hall of Fame (we have been before without kids)
Royal Ontario Museum (how much time to allow?)
Children's Science Center (if we run out of things to do-we have done a lot of them lately)
CN Tower (hubby proposed 10yrs ago in the Skypod and we will be there for the anniversary!)
Boat tour/hippo
Casa Loma (how much time to allow?)

Would also like to visit the Hindu Temple and possibly drive out to the BUG museum. Zoo is a maybe if we need something else to do.

The kids are pretty easy and go with the flow as long as they can find a place to run around/climb for a bit during the day. I noticed several parks downtown but not sure if any of them have playground equipment?

garyt22

I would stay in the city and eat the parking charge...

The science centre is far away and for older children... wait for the next trip...

Casa Loma is way too boring for kids and even some adults...

Add Ontario Place to your trip www.ontarioplace.com

Use the Harbourfront Centre on Queens Quay for activities and shows for the kids

Also Centre Island has a great ferry ride and kiddy ride park...

Have fun!

Morningglory47

How far is the Green P parking from the hotel?

Black Creek Pioneer Village is in a far corner of the city but kids love it. http://www.blackcreek.ca/

Don't agree about the Science Centre - http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/ - KidSpark is meant for children under 8.

The rides at Centre Island are open weekends 'weather permitting'. http://www.centreisland.ca/schedule.aspx

The Museum http://www.rom.on.ca/families.php - doesn't sound like much for kids under 5.

garyt22

My comments on the Science Centre relate to spending $85 for admission and parking for a 3 and 5 year old, plus the drive up and not being able to enjoy all of the facility... you can give kids that age a cardboard box and a stick for free ... I sensed the poster was concerned about spending the money on parking so I would advise waiting until the kids are 7 or above...

alise007

thanks for the ideas! The Ontario Place and Pioneer Village sound fun and interesting!

As far as being $ sensitive--I would prefer to spend my $ on activities and things vs parking (and tipping valet every time)!

We have a Science Center membership at our local center and some of the centers reciprocate entry. They are always nice to check out for a few hours if the weather is bad.

Closest garage to the hotel appears to be less than 1km (Arch St) The hotel is Queen/Peter. I noticed a review for the hotel that stated they could park across the street for $15. We figured we may consider using the hotel valet the 1st/last day and consider off site for the other days.

BAK

Assorted, based on this being my part of town for 15 years.

1/ Science center with a deal from your local center might be worthwhile. Otherwise it's expensive, and a long way away, for little kids.

2/ Never heard of Arch St, and I know this stuff. There is apparently a Green P lot a block away, at Adelaide and Spadina. It's possible this is a coin-operated lot.

I would be reluctant to leave a good car in this lot all night long, especially on a Friday or Saturday night.

3/ Parking rates in this part of town move up and down several times a day. You are just up the street from Rogers Centre, which is a baseball part, and from the Toronto Convention Centre. On weekends, office tower parking garages are much cheaper than during the week.

In and out from a Green P lot including a daily maximum and an overnight rate can certainly add up. The $35 within and out privileges is not all that bad.

4/ I did not know we had a bug house in Toronto. If it is anything like Montreal's, the bigger kid will love it. Do not forget to bring a magnifying glass.

5/ Nearest kids' bookstore (part of big store) is Chapters at Richmond and John, only a couple of blocks away.

6/ Consider one of the double decker open top on-and-offbuses instead of the Hippo. This gets you to more places.

7/ Royal Ontario Museum. This will stay interesting for as long as the kids can last. Onweekends there's special kids events, too.

There's a McDonald's on Bloor Street opposite the ROM if needed for thekids. But if you can skip that, there's a Vietnameserestaurant just west (left as you face it) up some stairs to the door, and then up more steps to the inside.

In the neighborhood, there's an interesting outdoor park with a giant rock that kids like to climb. Walk up Avenue Road (Avenue Road, Queen's Park, and University Avenue are the same oad with a changing name)one block to Cumberland, and then east (theonly way you can go) and the park is half a block away. All kinds of interesting things for grownups, too.

Enjoy the city.

BAK

Morningglory47

For it's 40th anniversary season, Ontario Place is free. http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/ar...ion-for-summer

alise007

Sorry BAK you are right I meant reptile NOT bug museum! They all sorta creep me out and I lump them togethter!

Reptilia located in Vaughan is what I was thinking of.

We always enjoy a waterview/boat ride so in place of the Hippo is there another service that would give us some nice views of the city and islands? Would any of the Ferry services work? We did a dbl decker tour in Ottawa that the kids enjoyed!

We are always looking for fun places/interesting statues or parks for the kids. They still talk about the giant SPIDER statue from almost 2 yrs ago in Ottawa!

We regularly drive from our little town to Charlotte an hour away to shop or see events so the kids are great in the car (the DVD helps). They are surprisingly patient for little ones!

MorningGlory thanks for the heads up on the Ontario Place offer!

garyt22

The Ferry to Centre island gives you amazing views of the city skyline in both directions... theres also a beach and massive park on the Island as well as the kiddy park... I would do that first before booking a harbour tour...

The Hippo is a fun cycle around the city core as well as a dip into the water near the CNE and Ontario Place grounds... less of a transportation and more of a novel way to see parts of the City...

The Hop-on, Hop-offs are better for stopping at various sites and having no car to park, but you always have to wait for the next pick-up and that can be tough with young kids...

A lot of your choices will depend on the weather, but if you are a walking and public transportation family, Toronto is very easy to navigate...

BAK

Further to your question and Gary's ferry.

There are several ferry boat routes to the Toronto Islands, all starting from beside the Harbour Castle Westin hotel.

The boats give you a nice view of the harbour, and are fun for kids to be on. The boats are big enough to walk around on.

Take the Centre Island ferry and you arrive within a short walk of Centreville, which is an amusement park aimed at little kids.

Web site is www.centreisland.ca and Centreville is open on May 28 and 29, (Saturday andSunday) but not through the week.

Between the ferry ride, and somefun at the amusement park, and just general running around on the large areas of grass, you'll relax and the kids will havefun.

The ferry departure fromt hemainland is near Harbourfront, which is sort of like Southstreet Seaport in New York, and gthere's somekids art classes and various other things kids, even little ones, like.

There's halfadozen boat tours from here, so depending on how satisfied you foundthe ferry trip, you might want another boat trip.

There are choices of tours from Harbourfront. Some are fairly big boatts and go out of the harbour, cruising down by Ontario place andeven farther. Others are smaller boats, andthey cruise in through canals and channels cutting through the islands, and you have more to see.

STATUES: Find King Street West at Bay Street on a map.

Behind the CIBC building, south east of the corner, areelephant statues.

Behind the Royal Trust Tower south west from the corner are giant cows lying on the ground. Kids canclimb on these.

One block west along King Street is a whale statue, but not as much fun as the elephants and cows.

Corner of McCall and Dundas -- (beside the Art Gallery of Ontario) Henry Moore statue kids canclimb through.

Toronto City Hall -- another Mooore that kidscansit onthe bottom of. Not as much fun as fun as at the AGO.

There's a kids playground with swings, slides, etc. immediately east of the giant black and white box on stilts that is part of the Ontario College of Art, on McCaul Street, betweeen Queen Street and Dundas.

When I had little kids we spent a lot of time at the Art Gallery, which has kids' events most weekends.

BAK

Morningglory47

Toronto has 3 small farms - at Centreville, one at Black Creek Pioneer Village and one in Riverdale Park in Cabbagetown - for city kids.

alise007

Thanks for the list of the kid friendly statues!! They will LOVE them. Always helps to stop and rest while they run around a bit.

I must have missed that Centreville would be closed thru the week. I don't think we will arrive til late Sunday night and will be in town Mon-Fri am before heading to Niagara Falls for the wknd and then home to NC.

Using the ferries may be a more economical way to get on the water!

I know that Eaton has a large food court but do any of the downtown buildings have them as well? They seem to work well for lunches and everyone gets something they like!

BAK

Back to parking.

The Green P lot west of the hotel is very, very close to the hotel. I was right about there not being an attendant. It's all coin / credit card operated.

Food for kids.

During the day, during the week, there's many underground food courts with a few blocks.

FROM THE HOTEL... south on Peter Street to King STreet. Turn left / east past the HYatt Hotel that looks like a Jell-o mold, noting all the restaurants onthe south side of King, for later use.

Cross John Street and enter the Sun Life Building (there are several Sun Life buildings, but you'll see a sign. It's the first office building on the south side of King, east of John St.

Go down thscalator, turn left, and you'll see a food court.

And from this food court you can head off in various underground directions, primarily south and east.

There's a food court underneath almost all the big office towers.

CBC Building: big red crosses on the sides, on John Street at Front Street.

There's a little free museum there with some exhibits from kids programs. they won'tmeanmuch to your USkids, but at least are aimed at small people.

From the south lobby (there's two, and they are obvious) go down the wide steps and go straight ahead,and you are in another food court.

Turn right immediately and go to Pyumpernickels in the south-west corner (assuming you have any sense of direction lift) for the schnitzel sandwices.
Big enough to share.

And lots of other kids food.

CBC is opposite convention centre, and there's a park on the ground above the food court. Park works for eating surface food (see below)too.

SURFACE FOOD: Toronto has three types of surface, outdoor, food.

There are a few ethnic food carts kicking around, and I have no idea where these are. It's a terribly run program of the city government. Maybe you'll find one.

Toronto has lots of hot dog carts, free standing, in lots of places, Just hot dogs and sausages, moostly allbought fromthe same supplier, who is in a little building across the side street, atthe east end ofthe Hyatt.

And -- this is the good part -- Toronto has a few truck-based food stands, with hamburgers and french fries, in addition to hot dogs.

Before you order, take a look at other cutomers. Orders are big, so you may want to plan on sharing. Thre's trucks in from of City Hall -- I like the truck that is always at the eastern end of the line along the street.

And there's usually trucks in front of the Toronto Convention Centre on Front street, and I give my business to the smallest of these trucks.

You'll see some Cora's restaurants, specializing in salads and fruits. These look great from otuside, but I think they are overpriced,and not all that good.

alise007

You guys rock!!! I think you are speaking the kids and hubby's food language. I am the adventurous one--love to try different ethnic foods but the rest of the gang is pretty boring. At least at a food court I can get Asian, Greek or Indian to keep me happy.

What about POUTINE??!! It is my guilty pleasure from our Quebec trip.

As much as it would be nice to stay at a Homewood Suites out in the burbs for space and free parking- I can't make the numbers work coming into town-even the train from near Vaughan is almost $20/day. So even if we decide to pay the $35/day at the Hilton Garden Inn--it ends up not being that bad and I can't beat the location/convenience factor.

BAK

We live a GO-Train ride from downtown, and if both of us are going downtown, we drive becausegas and parking is less than two return train tickets plus local transit once we get downtown.

SUBWAY: first car or last car, so big kid can look out the end door and see the tracks.

BAK

goddesstogo

I haven't read all the posts so maybe someone's already mentioned that you can take a schooner tour of the harbour. It's fun for little kids because there's singing of sea chanties and they invite the kids to 'help' pull the ropes. Here's the website:
http://www.tallshipcruisestoronto.com/

Check toronto.com for events and also either pick up a free copy of NOW magazine or check nowtoronto.com the week before you come.

Morningglory47

http://smokespoutinerie.com/ - there are 3 locations - don't go to the Dundas East one.