{"id":1829,"date":"2018-08-29T16:26:14","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T16:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/?p=1829"},"modified":"2025-10-21T18:07:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T18:07:18","slug":"must-see-do-in-toronto-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/must-see-do-in-toronto-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Must see &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; do in Toronto this summer!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"b12171e95ca29a06569361a76d0dc3e3\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6144103376590397\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ever wonder why Toronto is called the 6ix? It seems to be because Toronto rapper, Drake, named his album Views from the 6, referring to his hometown of Toronto (see his explanation: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/pjMLvHQJU40\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/pjMLvHQJU40<\/a>). Toronto has had many other names since a French priest first put it on the map in the 1600s with the name \u2018lac de Taranteau\u2019. Some of these include: Hogtown (due to the large meat packing industry), Toronto the Good (Toronto had a strict moral code in the 19th century), Muddy York (before streets were paved, rain turned dirt roads into mud), Hollywood North (film industry), T.O. or T-dot (short form of Toronto, Ontario), and The 416 (Toronto\u2019s original telephone area code). Whatever you want to call it, it is a great city, with so much <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/greater-toronto-area.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fun stuff to do<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1833\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/article1_aug232018.jpg\" alt=\"Hockey Hall of Fame\" width=\"257\" height=\"141\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Attractions in Toronto<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/greater-toronto-area\/attractions.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Toronto attractions<\/a> are among the best in the world and in many cases, are the only of their kind in the world! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/bata-shoe-museum.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bata Shoe Museum<\/a> has an international collection of 14,000 shoes, both old and new. See the Stanley Cup at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/hockey-hall-of-fame.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hockey Hall of Fame<\/a> (also has the world\u2019s greatest collection of hockey artifacts). Peruse the 6 million objects in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/royal-ontario-museum-rom-.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ROM\u2019s<\/a> galleries. And the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/ontario-science-centre.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ontario Science Centre<\/a> offers hands-on experiences and engagement with science\u00a0for all ages with very cool changing exhibits, speakers and IMAX theatre shows. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/tall-ship-kajama.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tall Ship Kajama<\/a> lets you cruise Lake Ontario\u2019s waters aboard a traditional 165-ft, 3-masted Schooner. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/art-gallery-of-ontario.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AGO<\/a> has &gt;90,000 works of art including some of Group of Seven\u2019s signature works.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1832\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/article2_aug232018.jpg\" alt=\"Beaches in Toronto\" width=\"257\" height=\"141\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Parks &amp; Beaches &amp; Gardens in Toronto<\/h2>\n<p>One cool thing about Toronto is that for a very cosmopolitan city, it has some pretty incredible <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/greater-toronto-area\/parks-trails-beaches-gardens.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">parks, beaches and gardens<\/a>, right in the city.\u00a0 Toronto has several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/beaches-around-toronto-3786.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">beaches<\/a> \u2013 each a bit different. Check out a few and find your fave! Ontario also has one of the most extensive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/hiking-and-biking-trails-in-ontario.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">trail systems<\/a> in the world and many are easily accessible from and within Toronto. Get out and hike or bike as many as you can! There are also many conservation areas to visit year round including Kortright Centre for Conservation and the rest of the <a href=\"https:\/\/trca.ca\/parks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Toronto Region Conservation Areas<\/a>. There\u2019s even a service called <a href=\"https:\/\/parkbus.ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">ParkBus<\/a>, which connects people with nature by operating accessible bus services to National &amp; Provincial Parks from major cities. And don\u2019t forget about gardens. From Toronto\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/torontobotanicalgarden.ca\/get-gardening\/public-gardens\/allan-gardens\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Allan Gardens Victorian Greenhouses<\/a>, to <a href=\"https:\/\/torontobotanicalgarden.ca\/get-gardening\/public-gardens\/edwards-gardens\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Edwards Gardens<\/a> to Burlington\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rbg.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Royal Botanical Gardens<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toronto.ca\/franklin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Franklin Children\u2019s Garden<\/a> on Toronto Island, Toronto\u2019s gardens are spectacular!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1831\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/rev_article3_aug232018.jpg\" alt=\"Festivals in Toronto\" width=\"257\" height=\"141\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Festivals in Toronto<\/h2>\n<p>The GTA has festivals and events every week, year round, and sometimes lots of them! While you can find a huge range in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/greater-toronto-area\/festivals-fairs-and-events.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">event listings<\/a> and on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/events.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">event calendar<\/a>, we\u2019ve highlighted a couple of them that are coming up soon.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/tim-hortons-southside-shuffle-blues-jazz-festival.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle Blues &amp; Jazz Festival<\/a> &#8211; Sept 7-9, 2018\u00a0 is Mississauga\u2019s musical Mardi Gras, &amp; has a wide range of Canadian &amp; US artists. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/vegetarian-food-fair.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Veg Food Fest<\/a> &#8211; Sept 7-9, 2018 is the largest event of its kind in North America &amp; has food you never thought could be vegan. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/word-on-the-street.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Word On The Street<\/a> &#8211; Sept 23, is Canada\u2019s largest book and magazine festival. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/annual-cabbagetown-festival.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cabbagetown Festival<\/a> is Sept 6-10 and festivities include: a Kids\u2019 Zone, Riverdale Farm Fall Festival, live music, &amp; even a free walking tour of historic Cabbagetown.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1830\" src=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/article4_aug232018.jpg\" alt=\"Toronto zoo rhino\" width=\"257\" height=\"141\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Animals &amp; Zoos in Toronto<\/h2>\n<p>Got a thing for furry, 4-legged or fishy things? Toronto has all kinds of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/greater-toronto-area\/animals-zoos.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">animals<\/a> to visit.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/toronto-zoo.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Toronto Zoo<\/a> is Canada\u2019s premier zoo with over 450 species &amp; 5000 animals, and it is HUGE and awesome, but it isn\u2019t the only place to see animals in the GTA. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/jungle-cat-world-zoological-park-and-bed-breakfast.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jungle Cat World Zoological Park<\/a> just E of Toronto, is a Wildlife Park with &gt;60 species including Tigers, Wolves, Lemurs, and more.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/oshawa-zoo-and-fun-farm.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oshawa Zoo and Fun Farm<\/a> has both exotic &amp; domestic animals, as does <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/killman-zoo.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Killman Zoo<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/reptilia-reptile-zoo.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reptilia Zoo and Education Facility<\/a> is Canada\u2019s largest indoor reptile zoo with 400+ reptiles &amp; amphibians and incredible live shows. Have you ever wanted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/be-a-falconer-for-a-day-hawkeye-bird-control-.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fly a Bird of Prey<\/a>? Learn how to do it by yourself and watch incredible flight demonstrations. And don\u2019t forget about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/companyprofile\/ripleys-aquarium-of-canada-4228.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ripleys Aquarium<\/a> which has over 16,000 aquatic animals plus North America\u2019s longest underwater viewing tunnel.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you are visiting Canada&#8217;s largest city or you live in it &#8211; there are plenty of things to do and places to explore! Have fun.<\/p>\n<p>For more things to do &amp; places to stay in Ontario, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Summer Fun Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloglovin.com\/blog\/19583377\/?claim=y9b9tmvxky3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Follow<\/a> my blog with Bloglovin<\/p>\n<p>Shari &amp; Elisa, Publishers \u2013 Summer Fun Guide<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever wonder why Toronto is called the 6ix? It seems to be because Toronto rapper, Drake, named his album Views from the 6, referring to his hometown of Toronto (see his explanation: https:\/\/youtu.be\/pjMLvHQJU40). Toronto has had many other names since a French priest first put it on the map in the 1600s with the name&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ontario-region"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1829"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3637,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829\/revisions\/3637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.summerfunguide.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}