Resplendent Toronto

One of North America's largest cities, Toronto, is the capital of Ontario State in Canada. It is also widely known as Canada's economic capital. Vibrant and multicultural, Toronto reveals a contemporary sensibility even as it respects and protects its heritage, its museums and protected areas.

The city, which has friendly vibes also, has loads of attractions for the visitor. It was definitely hard picking only 10 things! Here are the must-dos of Toronto.

CN Tower and its Edgewalk

This tower is the city's famous landmark and the Edgewalk is the city's top-rated extreme adventure and one of Canada's best-known too. This is a hands-free walk on the circumference of the tower; a 1.5 metre wide ledge, which goes around the outside edge of the main pod, at an elevation of 356 meters, with a safety harness of course.

Nervous about the walk? Well, some of us were. There is an equally interesting option for the less daring. You can take a ride in an elevator to the observation deck. A part of the floor is transparent so you can actually see the city below as you ride up! When you reach the top, a breathtaking view of Toronto, Lake Ontario and surrounding areas awaits.

The tower's top floor restaurant, the well-known, award-winning, revolving 360 Restaurant, also offered us this amazing viewpoint of the beautiful city.

Distillery District

This is one place that should be visited by our politicians and bureaucrats across India who don't think twice of approving plans which damage or destroy our heritage structures. Distillery District is an area made up of carefully preserved historic buildings that represent the country's largest collection of Victorian Industrial Architecture.

This area with restored red brick centuries-old buildings was once the site of the renowned Gooderham and Worts distillery, and hence the name. The brand names, franchises, well-known chains...they are all kept away and only one-of-a-kind galleries or stores are featured so you get a unique experience. Boutiques, restaurants, cafes, art galleries, performance venues, artisan shops – they are all here. We found the old-world ambience of this pedestrian-only village, very charming.

Yorkville

It is considered a very exclusive shopping address and one of the most expensive retail areas in the country. Some of the world's biggest brands have boutiques here. It's also a destination for art lovers as the area houses several art galleries many of which showcase work of renowned artists.

Another attraction is the small but multiple award-winning, beautifully landscaped Yorkville Park. Among its many artistic features are The Rock, the rain/icicle curtain, and the mist-emitting light columns, etc. Yorkville is the venue for the Toronto International Film Festival. Restaurants and offices also dot the area.

Niagara Day-Trip

This is an absolute must-do. Take a day trip from Toronto to Niagara Falls, which is Canada's biggest draw. Thundering, roaring, gushing....the mighty falls were a breathtakingly beautiful sight. You can watch it standing behind the railing of the facing road as thousands do every day and we did too for a while.

Or take the ‘Journey Behind the Falls’, which we also did for an absolutely thrilling close encounter! Another close look comes via a boat ride on Hornblower Niagara Cruises, which takes you very near to the falls on both the Canadian and American side! An awe-inspiring aerial view of the falls came via a helicopter ride of Niagara Helicopters. All in all, it was the experience of a lifetime!

Casa Loma

Our guidebooks informed us this was one man's great dream. A Gothic Revival style house it was built around a century ago, as a residence by a wealthy businessman Henry Mill Pellat, who wanted a medieval-style grand mansion for a home. It is today a historical monument, event space and tourist attraction. Famous films like ‘Chicago’, ‘Maximum Risk’, ‘X-Men’, etc., were partly shot here. Paucity of time meant we had to miss this but it's on our ‘to do’ list for the next visit.

Eaton Centre

Spacious, airy, bright and well-maintained, this large shopping mall has everything from the very pocket-friendly to expensive and with a very wide range of products. You will also find offices and restaurants in this complex. Architecturally impressive, the glass-domed Eaton Centre also attracts visitors who don't intend to shop. The geese sculptures hanging from the ceiling reminded me of the divers in fibre-glass at the famous Waterfall feature in Dubai Mall.

Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)

One of the largest museums of its kind in North America, the ROM receives over 10 lakh visitors every year. We were told that ROM has six million objects in its collection! Going past the Michael Lee Chin Crystal creation at the entrance, we stepped inside to see enormous, hand-carved totem poles, the iconic creations of the First Nations people, standing beside the staircases.

The Shreyas and Mina Ajmera Gallery of Africa, The Americas and Asia-Pacific; Eaton Gallery of Rome; a dinosaur gallery; exquisite Chinese temple art and paintings; Galleries of Africa; Wirth Gallery of the Middle East; and many, many more galleries showcased rare and fascinating exhibits from around the world and spanning thousands of years.

Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)

Here are tens of thousands of exhibits, which not only represent Canada's art heritage but also great works from around the world including Africa and Asia, and dating from centuries ago to present times. There are works by Vincent Van Gogh, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony VanDyck, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, etc.

The Henry Moore Sculpture Centre is a highlight of AGO and the largest public collection of works by this famous sculptor. Carvings, lacquered objects, ship models, masks, snuff bottles...there is an almost endless variety here. There are sections for prints, drawings and photographs too. If art is not your cup of tea a good alternative is the Bata Shoe Museum which also has items from India.

Toronto Zoo

Located on the city's outskirts, in the Rouge Valley, this zoo houses thousands of animals representing around 500 species. There is a geographical division so you have seven sections dedicated to different parts of the earth like Africa, Australasia, Canadian Domain, Indo-Malaya, etc. Among the highlights are the Gorilla Rainforest, Malayan Woods, Great Barrier Reef, Tundra Trek, Giant Panda Experience, Giraffe House, and so on.

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

Walking alongside hoards of delighted children and happy parents, I understood why this marine life special is regarded as a one of the best family attractions in Toronto. The aquarium has around 16,000 marine animals. Its most talked-about feature is also the one I loved the most – it’s amazing underwater glass-dome tunnel with a moving sidewalk.

As the floor moves under your feet, all around you and even above you, you will see eels, turtles, and many dangerous-looking animals like big sharks, etc., gliding past! My other favourite was the Anemone Wall, with its very beautiful and colourful displays of these flower-like marine creatures. The Rainbow Reef and Kids Zones are among other attractions. For those who want to get closer, there are the Touch Tanks for a hands-on experience.

By:Aruna Chandaraju