Toronto in February - things to do?

My wife has been working in Toronto so for one of these upcoming weekends I plan on flying up for a quick adventure. I will basically have all of Saturday and all of Sunday to explore as I'm flying in late on Friday and leaving early on Monday (yay, don't have to take any time off!).

Any suggestions on what to do in the frigid north? On Sunday we are considering driving to Niagra falls to check that off our bucket list. The goal would be to be back in Toronto by lunch time. Any suggestions for something to see in between Toronto and Niagra falls would be appreciated as well.

Second City's Toronto troupe is pretty good, and the tickets are usually reasonable, especially if you buy the tickets on the day of the show.

Stop in somewhere for poutine, I'm partial to Smoke's or Jack Astor's. Other than that, I got nothing, I spend more time in Mississauga than in Toronto.

Between Toronto and the falls, you've got Hamilton. Nope, keep driving

Go to a Leafs game. Go up the tower. Umm, I don't think I've ever visited Toronto as a tourist, only as a university student...

Keith Tanner wrote: Between Toronto and the falls, you've got Hamilton. Nope, keep driving Go to a Leafs game. Go up the tower. Umm, I don't think I've ever visited Toronto as a tourist, only as a university student...

Dammit! They play the Lightning (hometown team) on the Monday that I leave!

Re: tourists I admit we are tourists but tend to avoid touristy things. We generally just try to eat our way through a city and go to parks/stay outdoors. Things may change if it's freezing out though...

Keith Tanner wrote: Between Toronto and the falls, you've got Hamilton. Nope, keep driving

WRONG!

Hamilton Airport - Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. See an Avro Lancaster :D

If you like to eat, Toronto is multicultural. There's a big Chinatown plus folks from all over the place who brought their food with them.

The falls and CN tower are both great places to visit. Protip: It's much easier to walk on the glass floor if you don't look down while moving.

You won't get the full experience on a weekend, but you should really spend at least a little time in the PATH (underground concourse beneath much of the downtown) to see what a good idea it is in February, or in August when Toronto frequently does a very convincing impersonation of a rainforest.

See if the U of T hockey team is playing if you can't check the Leafs. Bonus points if the Lady Godiva band is playing at the game.

Or whatever the OHL team is in T.O.

how nerdy are you? Toronto might be the best city on earth for board games, comics, record stores, etc. if it's nasty outside we will spend a day playing board games at Snakes and Lattes.

I love Kensington Market and Chinatown. Great outdoor marketplaces with tons of good dumpling houses (Chinatown) and trendy shops (K market).

We tend to avoid the central business district unless looking for a fancy bite to eat.

Lots of great food. I liked Kinka Izakaya (Japanese small plates). Next time I'm getting a reservation for Momofuku.

I'm not a big fan of the PATH - basically just a big underground mall but would be cool if that's your thing.

Also, Ottawa isn't a bad drive from TO, and has Parliament buildings (really cool), some awesome churches and museums. My personal fave is the National Gallery art museum.

Freezing yer bum off?

Legendary Motorcar is 30 minutes down the 401 in Milton. Currently, they have everything from an M16 half-track to an Isetta, to a 280ZX with 13,725 actual miles on the clock, to a Kenny Brown Marauder. It's equal parts museum and dealership, and admission is by donation to charity, so bring a couple of Canadian fives. It's well worth the trip.

bastomatic wrote: Also, Ottawa isn't a bad drive from TO, and has Parliament buildings (really cool), some awesome churches and museums. My personal fave is the National Gallery art museum.

I'm kind of a fan of Ottawa, I can give a lot more suggestions there :) But it's five hours each way.

Hit the Ripley's Aquarium - it's cool. Pricey though.

Canadian Warplane Heritage in Hamilton - only 1 of 2 flying Lanc's left in the world.

Toronto to Niagara and back in a morning? Tough to do. You won't see much of Niagara.

5 hours is pretty close in Canada! We stayed overnight in the Ottawa hostel - a 19th century jail. Awesome place.

Toronto has a great theater district, you could catch a show.

According to Guinness World Records, PATH is the largest underground shopping complex with 30 km (19 miles) of shopping arcades. It has 371,600 square metres (4 million square feet) of retail space. If it is really cold, it's great to walk around, eat and shop underground.

I like to do the "Canada" thing. Eat poutine, drink Labatts and Molson, listen to Bare Naked Ladies. It sounds stupid I know, but handing in a bar when it's cold outside is a very Toronto thing to do.

Between Niagara Falls and Toronto... the Welland Canal.

As you can imagine, boats can not go over The Falls so instead boats travel the man made Welland Canal.
Sort of taking "the steps" down rather than one giant fall.
Sadly, Great Lakes Shipping and the Canal operations are closed until late March.
Video in action:
https://youtu.be/U15Fwo9tbJ4

Hockey hall of fame is in Toronto. Always fun. The falls is about 1.5 hrs each way. Although it's cool, you'll probably want to spend a few hours walking around. Mrs. say Harveys makes the best fast food poutine. Stay away from the burgers, though.

Proper poutine comes from a chip wagon, and it consists of cheese curds, brown gravy and fries. Don't fall for that hipster crap with pork and truffles and whatever on it.

You could take in an AHL hockey game if the Toronto Marlies are playing a home game Saturday evening.

Excellent suggestions. Many have made the list and I will be sure to report back the results. I'm thinking a trip to the Falls still makes sense because it's something I want to do in my life but I don't think a trip dedicated to Niagra Falls would be worth it.

Enyar wrote: Excellent suggestions. Many have made the list and I will be sure to report back the results. I'm thinking a trip to the Falls still makes sense because it's something I want to do in my life but I don't think a trip dedicated to Niagra Falls would be worth it.

Yes go to the Falls. It's amazing. Just plan more time.

You have to do the sky-walk at the CN tower or else all your friends will think you are a wimp.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nnPKL3FbXvE

The warplane museum is pretty awesome idea.

Niagara has plenty of wineries.

The falls are neat year round.

There is the ifly indoor parachute experience in Oakville on the way to Niagara

Crazy Leo has opened a driver training facility about an hour away. It's one of the few opportunities in North America to get instruction from a driver who has competed in a full season campaign of WRC. I recommend that and polar bear hunting.