14 Best Sights in Toronto, Ontario

More than 1,000 pieces of Islamic art from the collection of the family of renowned philanthropist and religious leader Aga Khan are the focus of this museum. Here you'll find Middle Eastern and Persian artifacts and inscriptions, many so ancient that they are only displayed for a few months at a time to preserve their lifespan. It's worth making the trip for the stunning architecture, which includes a massive main building topped by a silver hexagonal dome and a park distinguished by a glass pyramid more intricate than the one at the Louvre. The museum's mandate is strictly secular, but it's hard not to have a spiritual moment staring into the central courtyard pond. Guided tours are available for C$10. Check their calendar for workshops and performances.

Allan Gardens has been a green oasis in Toronto for well over a century. A domed indoor botanical garden and arboretum, the conservatory is filled with plant, flower, and tree species from around the world, preserved and cultivated in six different climate zones. If you're a nature lover you can easily spend hours among the succulents, vines, orchids, hibiscus, and weeping willows, and all for free.

A namesake subway station is a short walk from this living-history-museum village that makes you feel as though you've gone through a time warp. Black Creek Pioneer Village is a collection of over 40 buildings from the 19th century, including a town hall, a weaver's shop, a printing shop, a blacksmith's shop, and a one-room schoolhouse. The mill dates from the 1840s and has a massive wooden waterwheel that can grind up to 100 barrels of flour a day. As people in period costumes go about the daily routine of mid-19th-century Ontario life, they explain what they're doing and answer questions. Visitors can see farm animals, churn butter, take wagon rides and Victorian dance classes, and explore a hands-on discovery center.

Canada's first and largest theme park, filled with more than 200 games, rides, restaurants, and shops, includes favorite attractions like Planet Snoopy, home of Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang; Windseeker, which features 32 301-foot swings; and Skyhawk, where riders take control of their own cockpit. But Wonderland isn't just for the smallest members of the family; one of 17 roller coasters in the park, The Bat takes riders forward, and then back, through stomach-churning corkscrews and loops. Bring swim gear to take advantage of Splash Works, a 20-acre on-site water park, which boasts 17 waterslides, cliff jumping, and Canada's largest outdoor wave pool. Order tickets online in advance for discount prices.

Serving Toronto's Japanese community and thousands of lovers of Japanese culture, this space features a traditional garden and offers workshops and classes in martial arts, music, visual arts, traditional dance, cooking, and more. Visiting art shows are frequently in rotation, as well as artist talks and movie screenings; there's even a Japanese film festival each June. Plan a visit if checking out the nearby Aga Khan Museum.

Only 10 minutes north of the city, this delightful conservation center has more than 16 km (10 miles) of hiking trails through forest, meadow, and marshland, as well as a Bee Space where kids can see them up close and taste their honey, and an Innovation Trail that demonstrates how technology can reduce our impact on the wild. In the magnificent woods there have been sightings of foxes, coyotes, rabbits, deer, and a wide array of birds. Seasonal events include a spring sugar bush maple syrup festival and a honey harvest festival. To get here, drive 3 km (2 miles) north along Highway 400, exit west at Major Mackenzie Drive, and continue south 1 km (½ mile) on Pine Valley Drive to the gate.

On 100 acres of lovely woodland in Kleinburg, 30 km (19 miles) northwest of downtown, the McMichael's permanent collection consists of more than 6,500 pieces by Canadian artists. The museum holds impressive works by Tom Thomson, Emily Carr, and the Group of Seven landscape painters, as well as their early-20th-century contemporaries. These artists were inspired by the wilderness and sought to capture it in bold, original styles. First Nations art and prints, drawings, and sculpture by Inuit artists are well represented. Strategically placed windows help you appreciate the scenery as you view art that took its inspiration from the vast outdoors. Inside, wood walls and a fireplace set a country mood. Free guided tours are offered from Thursday to Sunday at 12:30, and on Thursday and Friday at 2.

This nonsectarian burial ground, established in 1850, is the final resting place for many of Toronto's pioneers, including prominent turn-of-the-century black Canadian doctors, businessmen, and politicians. The cemetery's chapel, gate, and gatehouse date from 1872; the buildings constitute one of the most attractive groupings of small Victorian-era structures in Toronto.

It has been called a museum of the 21st century, but it's much more than that—where else can you stroll through a real rain forest and explore the boundaries of the human body? Even the building itself is extraordinary: three linked pavilions float gracefully down the side of a ravine and overflow with exhibits that make science and technology fascinating. The sprawling Weston Family Innovation Centre, rife with hands-on activities, is all about experience and problem solving. Younger visitors learn through play in KidSpark, a space specially designed for children eight and under to enjoy and explore. IMAX films and demonstrations of robotics, electricity, and more take place daily; check the schedule when you arrive.

This spot once hosted the city's main zoo, but it's now home to a rural community representative of a late 19th-century farm. Permanent residents include horses, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, ducks, geese, and chickens. While it's not a petting zoo per se, kids get a real kick out of watching farmers go about their daily chores, which include feeding and bathing the animals. The adjacent playground has a wading pool. On Tuesday from mid-May to late October, there's a great farmers' market nearby in Riverdale Park.

At the northeast corner of Parliament and Wellesley streets, this cemetery contains interesting burial monuments of many prominent politicians, business leaders, and families in Toronto. The small yellow-brick Gothic Chapel of St. James-the-Less has a handsome spire rising from the church nave and was built in 1861. This National Historical Site is one of the most beautiful churches in the country.

These beautiful themed botanical gardens and adjacent estate garden (once owned by industrialist Rupert Edwards) flow into one of the city's most visited ravines. Paths wind along colorful floral displays and exquisite rock gardens, which are incredibly popular with wedding photographers. There's also a signposted "teaching garden" for kids to touch and learn about nature. You can join a free 90-minute tour between May and early September, on most days except Mondays and Wednesdays; check online for times. Refreshments and baked goods are available on-site at the Bloom Cafe. The parking lot can get very busy on weekends in spring and autumn. For a long nature walk, head south through Wilket Creek Park and the winding Don Valley. After hours of walking (or biking or jogging) through almost uninterrupted parkland, you reach the southern tip of Taylor Creek Park on Victoria Park Avenue, just north of the Danforth—here you can catch a subway.

With terrain ranging from river valley to dense forest, the Rouge Valley was an inspired choice of site for this 710-acre zoo in which 5,000 different mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish are grouped according to their natural habitats, in both indoor and outdoor enclosures. Daily activities might include chats with zookeepers and animal demonstrations. A visit takes at least three hours and includes the Africa, Americas, Australasia, Indo-Malaya, and Canadian Domain pavilions. In the spring and summer, the Zoomobile can take you through the outdoor exhibit area. The African Savanna is a fantastic walking safari; a dynamic reproduction that brings rare and beautiful animals and distinctive geological landscapes to the city's doorstep. Reserve ahead for a behind-the-scenes tour or to camp overnight in the Serengeti Bush Camp.

This 100-acre water park has huge water slides, a lazy river, a fantastic wave pool, and Bear Footin' Bay, a delightful area for younger children to splash around in. You can also splurge on a group cabana or hang out at the Coconut Cove Bar. Arrive early on summer weekends.