Your Canada

You’ll find hundreds of Tourist Guides for the wonderful city of Toronto suggesting that you visit those obvious destinations like the unmissable CN Tower and the Eaton Centre, where you can shop all day long and encounter crowds of other tourists. But why not try a few destinations in Toronto that aren’t as mainstream but are, nonetheless, very unique? You should definitely visit these amazing locations if you want to experience a real taste of Toronto.

1. The Distillery District
The Distilery District is a National Historic Site tied with the Gooderham & Worts Distillery opened in 1832. It is just east of downtown and covers a large area of almost 13 acres. It was once the largest distillery in the British Empire and produced millions of gallons of whisky and spirits in the 1800’s. After closing in 1990, it became a popular filming location. Nowadays, it’s a pedestrian-only village dedicated to arts, culture and entertainment with its historical heritage still intact. It boasts a great mixture of restaurants and cafes and a unique shopping district — not to mention the many galleries, artists’ studios and performing arts venues. Forget about Starbucks and McDonald’s! The Distillery District offers the most interesting and original stores, featuring one-of-a-kind goods ranging from designer jewellery, award-wining purses, fabulous footwear, and world-class cosmetics to state-of-the-art home accessories and the world’s best mattress for $60,000!

2. The St. Lawrence Market
The St. Lawrence Market is the name of a whole neighbourhood in old-town downtown Toronto, known for its colourful architecture and its famous market, which has come to describe the area. If you stay in Toronto on a weekend, try to stroll through the market, viewing and sampling the local produce in the unique atmosphere of the thriving historical market that was developed in the early 1800’s. It is even ranked as one of the 25 best markets in the world, and is a popular destination for shoppers from all over the city. People delight in the market’s character. You’ll hear music and 120 specialty vendors calling out to the crowds inside one of the three buildings: St. Lawrence Hall, the South Market and the North Market. The South Market is also famous for its Market Gallery on the third floor, which was the original council chamber of Toronto’s City Hall until 1899.

3. “Time and a Clock” Installation in Riverside
If you happen to be near the Riverside neighbourhood in Toronto, be sure to check out the Queen & Broadview area, with the Queen Street East bridge over the Don River and the three-piece public art installation located in this area. Created by Eldon Garnet, a famous Toronto-based public sculptor, in 1996, the installation examines the essence of time, its substance and ambiguity. “Time and a Clock” is a sculpture located at three different places. The first part is the decoration of the historic Queen Street East bridge with a clock and an inscription above that reads: “This river I step in is not the river I stand in.” The second part is located at the intersection of Queen Street East and Broadview Avenue, where the author embedded a time-related phrase into the sidewalk. The third part consists of four slim poles with stainless-steel pennants on Queen Street beside the Jimmy Simpson Park. There are four descriptors of time on each of the pennants, creating a lyrical poem: “COURSING, DISAPPEARING, TREMBLING, RETURNING.”

4. High Park
The largest and most popular park in Toronto, High Park also lent its name to the neighbourhood surrounding it. The area that is now High Park was given to the city in 1873 by John Howard, a great benefactor who even donated his home, Colborne Lodge, to the city. This estate is a historical museum now. If you want to escape the city for a while, the largest green space in Toronto offers manicured ornamental gardens, picnic grounds, playgrounds, flower gardens, animal paddocks, quiet spots with native vegetation, a whimsical zoo, sport facilities and much more. It also naturally hosts a black oak savanna — a rare and endangered forest ecosystem.

5. Gerrard India Bazaar
The commercial centre of Toronto’s East-Indian community and the largest ethnic market of Indian goods in North America is located along Gerrard Street East between Greenwood Avenue and Coxwell Avenue. The India Bazaar, or “Little India,” as it is unofficially referred to, is a popular destination for all sorts of shoppers, especially those who want to add some unique pieces to their jewellery box. Earrings, necklaces, rings and bangles fashioned from 22-carat gold imported from all over the world or custom-made jewellery from talented goldsmiths and gemologists are among the many goods available at the bazaar. Shopping in the bazaar for wonderful silks, embroideries and ornately sequined pieces of cloth is a really amazing experience. The bazaar also gives you a chance to taste a wide variety of Subcontinental cuisines, which differ from chef to chef — so don’t miss this lovely Toronto spot!

Prepared by Toronto real estate professional Heather Hadden. For more information about areas in Toronto, check the Toronto neighbourhoods section!

Guest post by Maria Rainier

If you think the only place to see plains animals in their natural habitat is at the zoo, you might want to put Alberta, Canada’s Elk Island at the top of your list of places to visit. You’ll never even think of going to another zoo once you’ve experienced this park’s natural wildlife firsthand. After the African Serengeti, Elk Island has the highest population density of grazing animals in the world, and uncommon species like bison are among the wildlife you’ll be able to watch when you visit.

Elk Island’s Role in Elk and Bison Survival

Elk Park was established in 1906 and was renamed Elk Island Park two years later, reflecting its original purpose: to protect one of the last remaining herds of elk in Canada. It was started by five local men who signed a $5,000 bond in order to open the park and pledge their devotion to protecting the herd. In 1907, Elk Island unwittingly began its role in bison preservation when 48 of these animals escaped en route to Buffalo National Park via train. Eluding capture, the bison found that Elk Island was the perfect environment in which to flourish and soon grew substantially in numbers. Over the next century, thousands of healthy bison were sent to other plains areas with struggling populations to help save the species from endangerment and potential extinction. The year 2007 designated a century of successful bison conservation, making Elk Island National Park the leading organization in the preservation of this species.

Other Conservation Roles

In 1987, the park began a trumpeter swan reintroduction program to help these birds recover from
low population numbers and disappearing habitats. As the largest waterfowl in North America, the
trumpeter swan is an important species to conserve – and Elk Island has helped not only to save this bird from endangerment, but also to help it thrive by reestablishing it in a pristine habitat. In addition to elk, bison, and trumpeter swans, the park conserves populations of moose, deer, coyotes, beavers, and over two hundred avian species. No matter which type of animal lover you might be, you’ll find a species to watch at Elk Island National Park.

Enjoying the Park

There are two main species of bison at the park: wood and plains. It’s easy to tell them apart based on a variety of characteristics, but the easiest is probably to spot the pointed “beard” and horns on the wood bison. This species also has a longer tail and a hump that is squarer in shape, whereas plains bison have short tails and rounded humps.

Because the park is located in bison country, park rangers advise you to be careful when using your own vehicle on the scenic drives. Close encounters with bison can be breathtaking, but it’s important to be cautious in order to avoid agitating the animals. It’s recommended that you remain in the vehicle and silently wait for the bison to pass – honking your horn could result in danger. If you’re walking or hiking the trails, make noise to let the bison know you’re close by and avoid approaching any of these animals head-on. This will keep you and the incredible species of Elk Island National Park safe and free to enjoy the natural environment.

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she’s been researching the lowest paying degrees as well as the highest paying jobs. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.