1. FAMILY: ESCAPE THE SMOG
Downtown Toronto. The financial backbone of Canada. A concrete jungle. Not a place to bring the kids. But the ferry terminal at Bay Street and Queen’s Quay is your ticket to the largest urban carfree community in North America — the Toronto Islands. A 10-minute ferry ride whisks you to more than 600 hectares of trails, beaches, parkland and an early-1900s amusement park aimed at tykes under 12. Kids can drive replica 1907 Fords on a fixed track, ride an authentic 1907 carousel or climb aboard an old steam train. Centre Island’s hedge maze and animal farm are free, but an all-day family pass for the rides costs $90 plus tax. If vintage isn’t your thing, head back to the mainland and walk west to Ontario Place — a modern amusement park where you can cool off on four huge water slides.
www.centreisland.ca, www.ontarioplace.com

2. BUSINESS: AHOY MATEY, DITCH YARRRR BLACKBERRY
Climb aboard the Kajama with your colleagues for some oldschool team building. Help the crew raise the sails, watch sailors fire a cannon, or sit back with a drink and talk anything but shop as the shore floats by. The Kajama is one of the few tall ships that takes the public on cruises on Lake Ontario, embarking on three two-hour trips per day. Launched in Germany in 1930, it was used to ship grain and steel for 70 years. Its masts were torn down and it relied on its engine, but the ship was restored by the Great Lakes Schooner Company in 1999. Day tours cost $21.95 per adult and begin behind the Harbourfront Centre. To learn more about the city while out on the water, head to Pier 6 and board one of Toronto Harbour Tours’ Amsterdam-style canal boats for a sightseeing trip through the working harbour and Toronto Islands.
www.greatlakesschooner.com, www.harbourtourstoronto.ca

3. ADVENTURE: REBIRTH IN THE RAVINE
The Don River which borders downtown to the west, flows through a series of ravines that contain wetlands, wildlife and a quarry that was once used by the Don Valley Brick Works. This factory has been transformed into the Evergreen Brick Works community centre and in late May it kicks off programming to spread awareness about sustainability and nature. Grab a cup of fresh cider at the Saturday farmers’ market, borrow a bicycle and tour the trails or explore the quarry to discover its rich history — bricks from here were used to rebuild Toronto after a big fire in 1904, Nazi prisoners-of-war were used as labourers in the 1940s, and when the site was abandoned in the 1980s it turned into graffiti/rave central. Visitors this summer will also be able to try the indoor rockclimbing wall, help the artist-in-residence build human-sized bird’s nests and work in the community gardens. All of this just two subway stops from Yonge and Bloor at Castle Frank Station.
ebw.evergreen.ca.

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