Event Type : Free Friday

High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  High Park is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One-third of the park remains in a natural state, with a rare oak savannah ecology. High Park was opened to the public in 1876 and is based on a bequest of land from John George Howard to the City of Toronto. It spans 161 hectares (400 acres) and is the second-largest municipal park in Toronto, after Centennial Park.

High Park is located to the west of downtown Toronto, north of Humber Bay, and is maintained by the City of Toronto Parks Department. It stretches south from Bloor Street West to The Queensway, just north of Lake Ontario. It is bounded on the west by Ellis Park Road and Grenadier Pond and on the east by Parkside Drive.

High Park is a huge place! Did you know there’s a bird sanctuary? What about an outdoor amphitheatre? Have you seen the sculptures surrounding the Forest School? Strap on your boots (or snowshoes!) and take photos of the hidden gems in High Park.

There are many things to do at High Park in winter that will get you outside, discovering this beautiful place. We challenge you to try at least one of these adventures this winter, so embrace the brisk air, learn about nature, and have fun!

We will leave from ACCESS together and take the TTC to the Toronto Island Ferry.  From there, we will board the ferry for a short ride to the Island.  We will spend an hour or two exploring the Island and enjoying the (hopefully!) good weather!

About the Toronto Islands

The Toronto Islands – also called the Island, or Toronto Island Park – is located in Lake Ontario, a 13-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. Boats to the Island leave from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay St. and Queen’s Quay. The Island is actually a group of 15 islands inter-connected by pathways and bridges. You can walk from one end of the Island to the other.

The island is approximately 5kms long from Ward’s Island to Hanlan’s Point.

Kids and adults of all ages can find something to do or see on the Island. There are beautiful swimming beaches (including a Clothing Optional Beach on Hanlan’s Point!), sports facilities, bike, canoe and kayak rentals, a boating marina, large grassy fields for picnics, a theatre, nature paths, EMS and fire station, an amusement park and a charming 150 year-old community of 600 people living year-round in cottage-like homes.

You can walk, run or take your bike on the island, walk your dog (on a leash), visit the 200 year old lighthouse or the trout pond or have a coffee or beer at one of the restaurants. There are lockers at several busy locations, a pier, boardwalk, formal gardens, playgrounds, artists retreat and even a public grade school.

The Art Gallery of Ontario is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Beverley streets just east of Chinatown.

The AGO’s collection spans from 100 A.D. to the present and is focused on the following areas:

The Canadian collection vividly documents the development of the nation’s art heritage since pre-Confederation, including one of the largest and finest Inuit art collections in the world. The collection includes pivotal works by Cornelius Krieghoff, Lucius O’Brien, James Wilson Morrice, Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, David Milne, Emily Carr, Paul-Emile Borduas, Joyce Wieland and Kenojuak Ashevak.

Masterpieces of European art include works by renowned artists such as Anthony van Dyck, Thomas Gainsborough, Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and René Magritte.

The Thomson Collection at the AGO includes a broad range of works, from European to Canadian art, ship models and decorative arts. Its European collection includes 900 works from the 12th to the 19th century, featuring Peter Paul Rubens’ 17th-century masterpiece, The Massacre of the Innocents. The Canadian collection includes signature works by Cornelius Krieghoff, Paul Kane, Lawren Harris, and Paul-Emile Borduas. The Thomson Collection of ship models features pieces from the Napoleonic era to the 19th century, and the decorative arts collection includes more than 500 objects of international significance, including the 12th-century Malmesbury Chasse.

The AGO maintains a comprehensive collection of Contemporary art spanning from 1960 to the present, reflecting global developments in artistic practice across all media, including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, projection art and installation art. The collection is defined by strong holdings of leading Canadian artists such as David Altmejd, Brian Jungen, Jeff Wall, Shirley Wiitasalo and punctuated with major works by international artists such as Mona Hatoum, Gerhard Richter, Doris Salcedo, Tino Sehgal, Cindy Sherman, Richard Serra, Kara Walker and Andy Warhol.

Artists represented in career-spanning depth include Iain Baxter& / N.E. Thing Co, David Blackwood, Jack Bush, Paterson Ewen, Betty Goodwin, General Idea, Robert Motherwell, Kazuo Nakamura, Greg Curnoe and Michael Snow.

The AGO houses the world’s largest public collection of works by internationally renowned British sculptor Henry Moore.

A collection of more than 40,000 photographs represents the emergence of the medium in all its artistic, cultural and social diversity. The collection includes works by 19th-century British, French, American and Canadian photographers, and 20th-century modernists, including a significant group of 1850s prints by British photographer Linnaeus Tripe, one of the foremost collections of works by Czech photographer Josef Sudek, and more than 18,000 press photographs from the Klinsky Press Agency taken in the 1930s and 40s.

The AGO’s collection of African art is not only the largest of its kind in a Canadian art museum, but also one of the most prestigious collections of African art in Canada. This collection of 95 artworks spans several centuries and is acutely focused on sculptural and figural works from west and central Africa. Pieces in the collection are made with an array of materials that are reflective of the sculptural traditions in their respective areas, including beeswax, copper alloys, glass beads, iron, ivory, soapstone and wood.

Woodbine Beach is undoubtedly the most popular beach in Toronto, and for good reason.

The largest of the four beaches that line Lake Ontario, this stretch of sandy waterfront pulses on hot summer days, playing host to frolicking children, gleaming sunbathers, barbecuers, and volleyball players galore.

The beach sits at the foot of Woodbine Avenue, where storms, wind, and time have pulled sand from the face of the Scarborough Bluffs into the half-moon strip that is Ashbridges Bay Park. This beach is also the gateway to three kilometres of glorious, sandy waterfront stretching eastward to the art deco palace that is the R.C. Harris Water Plant, with Kew-Balmy Beaches in between.

Swimming aside, the other major attractions here are the outdoor sports you can play at Woodbine, most notably, volleyball, played at the more than 90 beach volleyball courts that encompass the western chunk of Woodbine. Most of these courts are owned by the Ontario Volleyball Association, though there are a handful which are designated for public use. Even without a membership, you likely won’t have too hard of a time scoring a court, if you get there early enough.

Walking tour of Toronto’s downtown Chinatown and food sampling

Energetic Chinatown hosts a variety of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese restaurants that range from dim sum and pho to modern fusion. The animated Asian open-air markets and shops along Spadina Avenue offer fresh fruits and vegetables, along with herbal medicine and souvenirs. Chinese New Year celebrations draw tourists and locals to live stage shows, martial arts demonstrations and lion dances. ― Google

While we attempt to run all activities scheduled, from time to time, scheduled activities may change due to factors such as weather, scheduling, etc. 

The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year, making the ROM the most-visited museum in Canada.

Along with fresh new exhibits, ROM’s permanent collection includes around one million objects of art and culture gathered from around the world. With objects dating back to a range of time periods, from prehistoric civilization to present-day, visitors can explore the artwork, archaeology, fashion, and decor of ancient Asian, European, Greek, Roman, African, and Indigenous culture.

ROM holds Canada’s largest collection of natural history specimens, giving visitors the chance to explore an extensive treasure trove of findings. Perhaps the most alluring is the collection of gems that sparkle and shine as you walk through the gallery. Diamonds aside, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have the fossil of a 200 year-old dinosaur tower over you, or what it’s like to walk through a bat cave, check out ROM.

Don’t forget to enjoy the views and look up when you’re at the museum—you just might find the ROM’s gorgeous mosaicked ceiling!

Fun facts about the ROM

• ROM was founded in 1914
• ROM is located on ancestral lands of several First Nations
• ROM’s courtyard is a public space where Torontonians can enjoy a garden and a view of the crystal-shaped facade
• ROM is the biggest museum in Canada
• ROM is the fifth biggest museum in North America
• The museum is home to more than 13 million objects, including artwork, fossils, cultural items and more
• The museum’s dinosaur fossils span hundreds of millions of years

We will leave from ACCESS together and take the TTC to the Toronto Island Ferry.  From there, we will board the ferry for a short ride to the Island.  We will spend an hour or two exploring the Island and enjoying the (hopefully!) good weather!

About the Toronto Islands

The Toronto Islands – also called the Island, or Toronto Island Park – is located in Lake Ontario, a 13-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. Boats to the Island leave from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay St. and Queen’s Quay. The Island is actually a group of 15 islands inter-connected by pathways and bridges. You can walk from one end of the Island to the other.

The island is approximately 5kms long from Ward’s Island to Hanlan’s Point.

Kids and adults of all ages can find something to do or see on the Island. There are beautiful swimming beaches (including a Clothing Optional Beach on Hanlan’s Point!), sports facilities, bike, canoe and kayak rentals, a boating marina, large grassy fields for picnics, a theatre, nature paths, EMS and fire station, an amusement park and a charming 150 year-old community of 600 people living year-round in cottage-like homes.

You can walk, run or take your bike on the island, walk your dog (on a leash), visit the 200 year old lighthouse or the trout pond or have a coffee or beer at one of the restaurants. There are lockers at several busy locations, a pier, boardwalk, formal gardens, playgrounds, artists retreat and even a public grade school.

Help us celebrate Canada’s birthday!

Canada Day is essentially our Independence Day. Canada Day was originally called Dominion Day and officially became a statutory holiday in 1897. It was re-named in 1982 to Canada Day. The word Canada comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata”.

Woodbine Beach is undoubtedly the most popular beach in Toronto, and for good reason.

The largest of the four beaches that line Lake Ontario, this stretch of sandy waterfront pulses on hot summer days, playing host to frolicking children, gleaming sunbathers, barbecuers, and volleyball players galore.

The beach sits at the foot of Woodbine Avenue, where storms, wind, and time have pulled sand from the face of the Scarborough Bluffs into the half-moon strip that is Ashbridges Bay Park. This beach is also the gateway to three kilometres of glorious, sandy waterfront stretching eastward to the art deco palace that is the R.C. Harris Water Plant, with Kew-Balmy Beaches in between.

Swimming aside, the other major attractions here are the outdoor sports you can play at Woodbine, most notably, volleyball, played at the more than 90 beach volleyball courts that encompass the western chunk of Woodbine. Most of these courts are owned by the Ontario Volleyball Association, though there are a handful which are designated for public use. Even without a membership, you likely won’t have too hard of a time scoring a court, if you get there early enough.