Replete with contemporary amenities, most of the vacation condos and homes in Toronto are close to the many entertainment venues, natural and city parks and local eateries. For vacationers who like to fit in some natural attractions, HTO is an urban beach in Toronto that features a relaxing park, a wide sandy lake beach and even a golf course. Opened in 2007, it is just few minutes west of Harbourfront Centre and features a deep sandpit with chairs and metal sun umbrellas that allow visitors to sit and relax in the shade while enjoying the wide beachfront view. For those who are looking for fun and excitement, the city has other well-known attractions like Toronto’s Waterfront, Ontario Place and the tallest, freestanding structure on the continent, the CN Tower. Canada's Wonderland is a premier amusement park and features more than 65 thrilling rides featuring the roller coaster, Behemoth, and Splash Works. You can also visit other cities in the region like Haliburton.
Toronto offers some of the best museums and art galleries. The Royal Ontario Museum features a notable collection of Near Eastern, African, East Asian art, and European and Canadian historical artifacts. Additionally, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is another art museum on the eastern edge of Toronto's Chinatown district. The museum has an impressive collection of European art, such as major works by Peter Paul Rubens, Thomas Gainsborough, Tintoretto, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and works by other renowned artists like Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso and Edgar Degas. In addition, the city is also home to the National Ballet of Canada, the Canadian Opera Company, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Stage Company. Ontario Science Center is one of the more popular tourist attractions and features interactive and multi-media exhibits with live demonstrations on topics like space, the environment and information highway.
Unlike American cities where the different ethnic groups are assimilated, Toronto has maintained thriving ethnic neighborhoods that have preserved their languages, cultures and foods making this one of the most ethnically diverse cities in North America. The distinctive shopping districts and markets on Queen Street West, Kensington Market, St. Lawrence Market, and St. Clair West feature traditional crafts, foreign language publications and eats from around the world. Moreover, Toronto has more than 20,000 stores catering to all fashions and tastes. The Eaton Centre is the city’s premier shopping destination and has a multi-leveled, glass-roofed galleria comprising of more than 320 shops. Toronto is famous for its excellent ethnic and seafood restaurants. St. Lawrence Market, considered one of the world’s 25 best food markets, has more than 50 gourmet food vendors and over a dozen lunch counters. There are many other local restaurants and cafes located near the numerous Toronto vacation rentals that offer fabulous Canadian hospitality. Don’t forget to try “poutine”!