A Beachy Weekend in Toronto with Kids

Toronto might just be the most family-friendly city in North America. The safe, polite, clean city is easy to explore and has an appealing array of accessible, family-friendly hotels and restaurants within walking or transit distance.

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Delta Chelsea
The Delta wins the family vote by far and not just because the downtown hotel has a four-story indoor waterslide known as the Corkscrew. Kids stay free, there are menu discounts for the wee ones and there's a kids' kit given to every junior guest. The hotel even offers Family Fun Suites with bunk beds and a play corner. Depending on ... More >
The Delta wins the family vote by far and not just because the downtown hotel has a four-story indoor waterslide known as the Corkscrew. Kids stay free, there are menu discounts for the wee ones and there's a kids' kit given to every junior guest. The hotel even offers Family Fun Suites with bunk beds and a play corner. Depending on the ages of your brood, you can avail of the Children's Creative Centre's child-minding services for the 3-12s or, in summer or at weekends, of Camp Chelsea's activities for 5-12s.
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Caplansky's
An easy sandwich stop if you've been exploring Chinatown or funky Kensington Market, the venerable Caplansky's sits on College Street, on the edge of Little Italy.
The tiny archipelago has hundreds of picnic spots, some of the city's nicest stretches of beach, quad bike rentals, a petting zoo and kids amusement park.
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Toronto Islands
A peninsula until a 19th century storm destroyed the sandbar connecting the islands to the city, nowadays ferries bustle back and forth across the few hundred feet to shore for just a few dollars. The tiny archipelago has hundreds of picnic spots, some of the city's nicest stretches of beach, quad bike rentals, a petting zoo and kids a... More >
A peninsula until a 19th century storm destroyed the sandbar connecting the islands to the city, nowadays ferries bustle back and forth across the few hundred feet to shore for just a few dollars. The tiny archipelago has hundreds of picnic spots, some of the city's nicest stretches of beach, quad bike rentals, a petting zoo and kids amusement park. It's a perfect choice for a sunny afternoon.
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The Glass Floor at the Cn Tower
The kids will love peering through the glass floor of the 1815-foot-high CN Tower at the street below and scanning the horizon from the viewing decks views stretch out over Lake Ontario and for miles in all directions. You can point out where you were on the Toronto Islands, where you had breakfast and where you're all about to scampe... More >
The kids will love peering through the glass floor of the 1815-foot-high CN Tower at the street below and scanning the horizon from the viewing decks views stretch out over Lake Ontario and for miles in all directions. You can point out where you were on the Toronto Islands, where you had breakfast and where you're all about to scamper next.
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Ontario Science Centre
It's a bit of a trek to get to, but the Science Centre is a great rain day activity when you're traveling with under 10s. Plenty of hands-on exhibits and an on-site IMAX theater will keep the wee ones engrossed for hours.
The province's top museum has a staggering number of galleries (40 of 'em - with six million artifacts in total), but you'll find some of particular interest to the wee ones.
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Royal Ontario Museum
The province's top museum has a staggering number of galleries (40 of 'em - with six million artifacts in total), but you'll find some of particular interest to the wee ones. The bat cave is a fun, mildly scary option for the under 10s, rooms of dinosaur sculptures await and the sprawling downstairs cafe was designed with kids in mind (you'll find plenty of high chairs and a slew of kid-pleasing menu options.) More
The province's top museum has a staggering number of galleries (40 of 'em - with six million artifacts in total), but you'll find some of particular interest to the wee ones. The bat cave is a fun, mildly scary option for the under 10s, rooms of dinosaur sculptures await and the sprawling downstairs cafe was designed with kids in mind (you'll find plenty of high chairs and a slew of kid-pleasing menu options.)
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About the Author

Aefa Mulholland
Aefa Mulholland
Travel writer Aefa Mulholland has worked with the B.B.C., Irish national broadcaster R.T.E. and a plethora of print and online publications, including the Irish Times, Miami Herald and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She has been published or broadcast on four continents. She is currently writing “The Scottish Ambassador”—a book on learning how to become Scottish in Scottish America.
Websitehttp://thescottishambassador.wordpress.com/
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