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| Guide To Toronto
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Most of the important tourist attractions of Toronto are concentrated in the center of the downtown area around Yonge and Dundas Streets and most of them are situated in close proximity to each other. So, it is not very difficult to plan your tour of the city. Within a radius of merely five or six blocks, you can visit many prominent tourist spots.
One of the important tourist attractions of this city is the extraordinary Museum For Textiles that is situated at a distance of merely 0.8 km from Skyline Executive Suites . This museum, with more than 8,000 textile exhibits from almost all the corners of the world, is one of a kind in the whole of Canada . It is internationally famous for not only its collection of different varieties of textile and fabric samples, but also for exquisite carpets, soft quilts and comforters, garments, and various other ceremonial objects made from fabric. It extensively documents the international history of exquisite textile workmanship and textile art. This museum has several exhibits from different parts of the world like Central and South America , the Pacific, Europe , Africa , China and Japan . The historic and ethnic exhibits give insight into the textile art of other cultures.
Another important destination of this area is the Old City Hall , located at a distance of only 0.2 miles from Cambridge Suites Hotel . T his Old City Hall was constructed in 1899 and it is very different from the New City Hall building off the Bay Street . The grotesque gargoyles looking down from the front steps seem to make fun of the politicians climbing the stairs. You will also come across a large and fabulous stained-glass window as you go inside the building. During its heydays, it was the most impressive municipal halls of North America . It still houses the offices of the county, the provincial courts and the marriage bureau.
If you turn towards north from downtown, you will come across a few extraordinary only-in-Toronto sites, such as the Spadina House that stands at a distance of 1.4 miles from Marriott Bloor Yorkville . The right pronunciation of this word is ‘spa-dee-na' but nobody cares to pronounce it that way. This ancestral house of the James Austin family was constructed in 1866. This place is famous for some unique, exquisite and expensive arts and artifacts of the Austin family who held an important place in the natural gas, railroad, and banking industry. The members of the Austin family used to live in this mansion from Victorian times until 1982, when it handed down for public ownership. Great care has been taken to restore this 50-room house. It also has some fabulous gardens and orchards.
Casa Loma, another favorite destination of the tourists, is situated at a distance of one mile from Quality Hotel Midtown . This 20th-century modern castle is complete with all the features of any medieval castle. There are 98 rooms, some really eerie passageways, two towers and several secret panels. You can have some panoramic views of Toronto from this castle. It also houses the giant pipe organ, a replica of the Peacock Alley of Windsor Castle. You can also admire the 60-ft-high Great Hall ceiling as well as the marble and mahogany stable. The rooms of this castle are architectural marvels reflecting the aura of Austrian, Spanish, English and Scottish castles.
After touring this modern day castle, you can move over to visit the interesting Bata Shoe Museum , which is merely 0.2 miles away from InterContinental Hotel Toronto . There are, at least, 10,000 kinds of shoes in this museum. This vast collection relates the history of the craft of shoemaking and the changing trend of fashions related to footwear during all ages. Here, you can see some 4,000 years old footwears. Besides the usual shoes used for the purpose of covering the feet and walking, the items exhibited in this museum include smugglers' clogs, iron-spiked shoes meant for crushing chestnuts and pressurized skydiving boots besides the boots of Elton John and the socks of Napoleon.
When you have seen all the tourist attractions of downtown Toronto , you can cruise towards the Toronto Islands , which is the real hub of all tourism related activities in Toronto . Here, you can enjoy a lot of activities, such as having a leisurely stroll in the parks, soaking in the sun at the beaches, having a variety of thrilling amusement rides, chowing delicious delicacies at eateries, having a boat ride, etc. You can reach the Toronto Islands after boarding a ferry from the downtown Toronto 's Harbor front Center, which is the center of all kinds of nautical adventures in Toronto . This short ferry ride is just the beginning of an enjoyable day on the Toronto Island . Once on the island, you can visit the Pier Museum that is about 3.5 km away from Four Seasons Hotel Toronto . This extraordinary and relatively new museum, located in the neighborhood of Toronto 's popular Harbor front, is accommodated in a 1930s shipping warehouse. It was opened for the public in July 1998 and strives to preserve the history of Toronto Bay with the help of interactive exhibits. This museum also arranges live shows of traditional boat-making craft. You can rent a handmade boat here or if you are eager to learn the craft of wooden boat making, you can join the class.
Toronto boasts of some of the best museums and art galleries in Canada . For the art lovers, the most fascinating place is the Power Plant that is located at a distance of 1.2 km from Soho Metropolitan Hotel on the waterfront. This public art gallery is famous for the expression of contemporary art through different media, such as sculpture, installations, painting, film, video and performance art. It also arranges lectures and other events related to contemporary art all the year round and you can also watch videotaped interviews of artists whose exhibits are on display. The general public can visit this art gallery on Wednesday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. for free. Besides admiring the displays, they can also attend other programs like a curator's tour, a lecture by an artist, youth events or an informative and enjoyable tour of the exhibitions guided by the Animator Staff.
The Royal Ontario Museum is the largest Canadian art museum with almost six million art pieces. Ever since it opened in 1914, it instantly became the favorite destination of adults and children alike. Within the premises of this museum, there are 40 galleries devoted to pursuits in the fields of art, natural science and archaeology. Some of the most popular exhibits of this museum are the Egyptian mummies, the dinosaur gallery, where the skeletons of thirteen dinosaurs are placed in a stimulated representation of their natural environment and the unique and creepy Bat Cave . You can also admire the beauty and enormity of four huge carved totem poles that are placed in the heart of the stairwells. The tallest among them measures 24.5 meters (80 ft. 6 in.). The Biodiversity gallery showcases the interdependence between the humans, animals and plants. At present, in spite of some expansion works that are supposed to be completed by late 2005, you can enjoy its fabulous exhibits and activities, although it may affect access to some galleries.
If you take the University to Dundas Street , you will come across the Art Gallery of Ontario. It is stationed about 0.4 miles away from The Metropolitan Hotel Toronto . It is listed as one of the top ten art museums of North America . Its exhibits include the world's biggest Henry Moore sculptures collection, prominent works of important Canadian artists and the stalwarts in the field of art like Chardin, Matisse, Picasso, de Kooning, Renoir, Rembrandt, Hals, Reynolds, Degas, Rodin, Rothko, Oldenburg , Van Dyck, Hogarth, and many more. On Sundays, you can also visit the Anne Tannenbaum Gallery School for understanding printmaking, sculpting and painting, or explore the Grange, a Georgian-style house constructed in 1817-18 that stands in its neighborhood. Toronto is equally famous for its theatre shows. The Theatre District of Toronto is nestled in the center of downtown. Located at the Bloor and University Streets only three blocks away from Sutton Place Hotel to north of downtown.
The students of history can explore some places of historic importance in Toronto like the Historic Fort York that is only 2.6 km away from the Radisson Plaza Hotel Admiral . This is the place where the Battle of York took place during the War of 1812. After being designated as a national historic site, the whole area has been set apart and it contains many original buildings dating back to the War of 1812. It remains open for the visitors throughout the year. You can take seasonal guided tours and watch interesting musket, drill and music programs.
Another important historical site is the Campbell House, located at a distance of 0.8 km from Novotel Toronto Centre Hotel . The oldest surviving building belonging to the original York town is one of the few classic samples of Georgian architecture. It has been converted into a museum. Although most of the original furnitures are not there, the interior of this building reflects the period to which it belongs. Costumed guides will take you around the place explaining the various aspects of the domestic life in the 19th-century. The Mackenzie House is also a historical attraction. This house, situated at a distance of 1.6 km from Comfort Hotel Downtown , was once the last dwelling of William Lyon Mackenzie, who led the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion. He was appointed the first mayor of Toronto . It is basically a Victorian row-house lighted by gas. This house was a gift from his friends who collected money to buy it after his retirement. Later, this house was saved from demolition and bought by the concerned citizens of Toronto . After being completely renovated, it was opened in 1950 to the general public. Now, you can visit the museum, the fully operational 19th-century print shop and art gallery within this house.
Thus, Toronto offers attractions to suit the taste of all kinds of tourists from art lovers to those interested in theatre, architecture and history. You won't be able to visit all of them if your stay is too short. But with some thoughtful planning, you can make the most of your stay in this city.
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