Toronto Travel Forum

Hi,

I am trying to come up with things to entertain two young visitors from the suburbs of Boston (boys 13 and 8). This will be there second visit to Toronto so I am having a hard time coming up with things for them to do. I believe they have already visted CN tower and maybe some other attractions.

Here is what I can come up with so far:

Fisrt day of visit: Hockey Hall of fame, lunch and Richtree at BCE place, underground shopping malll walk to Eaton Centre, dinner at Medieval Time or maybe go to Laser quest.

Second day of visit: Dim Sum at an authentic Chinese restaurant for lunch, maybe visit the Chinese Pacific Mall, Rock climbing downtown, Dinner at a proper Chinese restaurant, mabye a Raptors' game at night.

Since the boys are half Asian, I thought I can expose them to the vast Asian community here. But as you can see, my second day plans are pretty empty.

I thought of Playdium in Mississauga, but I am not sure if their mother will object. I also thought of the Ontario Science Centre, but from what I heard, the Boston Science Centre is much better. Can anyone confirm that?

Can anyone think of anything else? I am trying to do a more active plan for them, but because they will be here at the end of March, I don't think there is much to do.

Any suggestion will be much appreciated!

If the weather is nice I would really recommend the zoo. I have been to many zoos in other cities and still think that the Toronto zoo is one of the finest. Also, I was there this past December when it was -2 outside and found that the many indoor exhibits kept me entertained quite nicely, especially the gorillas and the orangutans. The baby snow leopards were also fantastic.

The zoo is always a great idea.

The Ontario Science Centre was supposed to have undergone a renovation in 2006.
I was there prior to 2006 so I can't comment on it.

A day at Niagara Falls might be interesting if they haven't been there yet.

Skiing/snowboarding at Earl Bales Park may be available depending on how much snow is around in late March.
(I googled Earl Bales Park and there seems to be plenty of info.) Sheppard Ave. West/Bathurst St.

The Famous People Players Theatre is really interesting. If you look it up on Google there's plenty of info.

You could visit Rogers Centre (formerly the Skydome).

for kids of this age group, i second the suggestion of including a trip to niagara falls in the intinerary. in addition to the falls, the kids will have an awesome time at butterfly exhibit and 'birds of the lost kingdom'.

http://www.niagarafallslive.com/Attractions_in_Niagara_Falls.htm

playdium in mississauga can be another great outing. this can follow a lunch in the food court of Square One Mall admiring the ethnic diversity of this city.

toronto zoo is running special frog exhibit.

for scientifically inclined, royal ontario museum (ROM) has dinosaurs on the display

and my special pick is as follows:

Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall
When? Ongoing (Wed - Sun) until May 25, 2008
What? Discovering Chimpanzees welcomes visitors to the world of the chimpanzee through sound, visual effects and interactive displays. After passing a giant waterfall visitors will enter Gombe National Park and be transported from their urban surroundings to the jungle environment of the chimps. Through customized computers visitors can explore chimpanzee behaviour in addition to learning to walk and communicate like a chimp. Field notes, photographs, video clips and other artifacts are used to make Jane's forrty years of research come alive for visitors. Her Gombe jungle home is authentically re-created and vintage footage will take visitors on a journey through some of her most memorable and remarkable achievements.
Where? Children's Museum, Downtown Kitchener
Website: www.thechildrensmuseum.ca/chimps/

and who knows all of us run into each other at one of these attractions :-)

Sadly, you are correct. The Ontario Science Centre pales in comparison to the Boston one. You are far better off visiting the Royal Ontario Museum -- though, be warned. If your party is the type to read placards and take in information, you'll need a full 8 hours to complete the ROM.