Toronto Travel Guide

I’m obsessed with Toronto. We visited a ton of amazing places in 2018, but I think Toronto tops the list. I plan on spending a significant amount of time there in the future. Here’s a list of what to do, where to eat and what to skip.

What to Do

Toronto Blue Jays Game

We are on a mission to visit all the MLB parks. I crossed off stadium number nine with our visit to Rogers Centre. We bought tickets at the booth which was probably silly. They were most likely cheaper on StubHub. I bought a Blue Jays shirt from a nearby store before the game. The shirts in the official shop were more than double the price. Jon, a diehard Houston Astros fan, immediately disowned me after the purchase. I just really like the Blue Jays logo, ok?

The most unique part of Rogers Centre was the hotel built into the side of the stadium. You can book a private suite to watch the baseball game.

Self-made brewery tour

Jon suggested we spend one day doing a self-made brewery tour. I’m starting to notice a trend with our trips – beer, wine, hiking. I’m not complaining. I loved visiting all the different breweries and their unique neighborhoods. On our next trip, I want to spend more time in these areas of the city. My favorite spot was Bellwoods Brewery. You can check out all the places we visited here.

Distillery District

Back in the 19th century, this area was home to the Gooderham & Worts Distillery. Now, it’s a food, art, shopping destination in Toronto. We went on a Saturday night and the place was packed. We tried to get a beer to walk about the pedestrian-friendly streets, but the bartender definitely looked at us like we were crazy. We ate at El Catrin, an authentic, modern Mexican restaurant. For Texans, it is a risk to eat Mexican food because of our high standards. But I really liked this place and would recommend a margarita or two.

Toronto Zoo

The kid inside of me is still a sucker for a good zoo. The Toronto Zoo is massive – six miles, 10 walking trails, 5,000 animals. We took public transportation to get there. It was fairly easy to get to the zoo, but it did take a while. My favorite animal was the

Riverdale Park

If you are looking for a unique view of the city, check out Riverdale Park. We stumbled across the park while riding the tram system around Toronto. I made Jon go back the next day to take cool shots of the buildings. The top photo and bottom are both from Riverdale Park.

Day Trip to Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls was at the top of Jon’s list for our trip to Toronto. Neither of had ever been and had no idea what to expect. The falls were breathtaking, but we were expecting it to be surrounded by nature and trails. It didn’t help that we walked down Clifton Hill to get to the falls. It’s like every cliche tourist place was on that street. We stayed at the falls for about an hour.

There are several bus options to get there, but we opted to rent a car for the day so I could drink wine. I had no idea there was a wine region in this area until we were trying to organize our day. With more than 20 wineries in the area, Niagara-On-The-Lake is a worthwhile stop for wine lovers.

Pro Tip: Use the Toronto public transportation. It’s legit. Plus, you can take a train from the airport into downtown.

Where to Eat

Toronto’s food game is strong. I’m sure there are a million great places to eat. Here’s a few of the places we tried and really liked.

Bakerbots Baking

I wish I was eating an ice cream sandwich from Bakerbots Baking right now. Jon and I typically eat at one restaurant twice on our trips. You NEVER know when you are going to eat there again. So you have to eat there twice. In Toronto, it was this dessert place. They serve freshly made cookies and unique ice cream flavors. Both times we visited this tiny place was packed.

Utsav

I wish this Utsav was in my hometown. We love Indian food and I would eat here all the time. We ordered the chicken tikka, but everything looked and smelled amazing.

GB Hand-pulled Noodles

GB Hand Pulled Noodles is this tiny spot in the city center. I loved sitting at the bar and watching them make the noodles. They have it down to a science. I ordered the vegetarian noodles. The portions are massive, so come hungry.

Boxcar Social Temperance

I’m a sucker for an aesthetically pleasing (aka hipster) cafe/restaurant. Boxcar‘s modern design cafe had a great vibe. I totally ordered the wrong wine here, but otherwise loved it.

What to Skip

The Senator Restaurant: A breakfast place near what I called Toronto’s time square area. It was okay.

Sweet Jesus Ice Cream: I just really don’t like soft served ice cream. I keep going to these places really excited, but don’t end up liking it.

Toronto, I love you.

I hope to see you soon, but not in the winter because I’m from Texas.