Toronto

CULTURAL  CENTER  OF  CANADA  

Stephanie Davis

Toronto officials are implementing a long-range plan that capitalizes on the city's art, cultural, and heritage assets in identifying it as a true "global cultural capital." Already known as Canada's cultural center, Toronto offers visitors a wide range of educational and fun attractions.

Steeped in history, the city is home to hundreds of architecturally significant mansions, theatres, churches and more. Dating from 1793, Fort York is known as the birthplace of modern Toronto. The location of the Battle of York during the War of 1812, the fort offers many opportunities for students to immerse themselves in nineteenth century military life. A program for elementary-aged students allows them to dress in period uniforms, perform musket drills, and play period-style musical instruments. For audiences of all ages, guides in authentic costumes re-enact military drills and music demonstrations and give narrated tours.

At nearby Black Creek Pioneer Village, visitors learn what life was like for the area's settlers in the nineteenth century. This restoration of a rural Victorian village of 35 homes and shops is open year-round, and the attractions differ with the changing of the seasons. Costumed hosts prepare foods in the traditional manner, using crops grown on site. Visitors can watch demonstrations of sheep shearing, butter churning, printing, sewing, bread making, blacksmithing, and more.

While Toronto's theatre district hosts an array of current Broadway and Off-Broadway hits, the buildings themselves reflect turn-of-the-century opulence. The Edwardian-style Elgin Theatre, for example, has private box seats and glittering gilt detailing. The Canadian Stage Company Theatre is housed in an old factory with a cobblestone courtyard connecting two levels.

Averaging two million visitors a year, the 1815-foot-tall CN Tower is by far Toronto's number one attraction. After ascending 113 stories, visitors stand on a glass floor with a clear view to the bottom. At 1465 feet, Sky Pod is the world's highest public observation deck, offering breathtaking views of the city.

Another popular attraction is the Ontario Science Center. With over 800 interactive exhibits, programs, and live demonstrations, the Center is packed with fun-filled educational activities to interest all age groups. The Omnimax Theatre lets students experience life in space and see the construction of the International Space Station. Hands-on and virtual activities range in diversity from touching a living tornado to racing an Olympic bobsled, crawling through a limestone cave to navigating on the moon, solving 3-D puzzles to learning about DNA and fingerprinting.

Visitors who still have energy left after all these activities can tour one of the signature attractions of Toronto: Casa Loma, "the house on the hill." The former estate of Sir Henry Pellatt, a prominent Toronto industrialist and financier, Casa Loma is a majestic medieval-style castle estate which took three years, three hundred workers, and over three million dollars to build. Visitors take a self-guided tour which allows them to view not only the home's gardens and beautiful rooms, but also its intriguing 800-foot underground tunnel and secret passageways.

You'll fall for Niagara!

Experience the beauty of nearby Niagara Falls. Be here for the Spring Festival from May 21 through June 30, and see fireworks, concerts, parades and more. Take a boat ride under the Falls on "The Maid of the Mist."

Come to Canada's cultural wonder -- Toronto! Contact EPN Travel Services to plan your trip to New York

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