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Located in Kleinburg, 18 miles (30 km) from downtown Toronto, this outstanding gallery features a stellar display of works by the seminal Group of Seven painters, their contemporaries such as Tom Thomson and Emily Carr, and the artists they inspired. The gallery also exhibits an impres- sive collection of First Nations and Inuit artists.

You will want a full day to explore this 710-acre (287-ha) zoo and its some 5,000 animals rep- resenting about 450 species. Roaming freely within outdoor enclosures, large creatures such as African elephants can be seen along 6 miles (10 km) of trails. Also along the trails are four tropical pavilions, each representing a distinct geographic habitat.

This is one area of the city that takes full advantage of its lakeside setting, with an atmosphere that feels more like a small resort town. In summer especially, crowds throng to the white sand beaches, stroll the 2.5-mile (4-km) boardwalk, picnic in Kew Gardens, a turn-of-the-19-century park, and shop along Queen Street (see A Day at the Beach). The area is at its busiest best in late July, during the Beaches international jazz festival (see Beaches International Jazz Festival).

This theme park north of Toronto draws crowds with its more than 50 rides, huge water park, and live entertainment. Thrills abound, the biggest pleasers being the roller coasters.

Exhibits in this museum are interactive and geared toward youngsters, all in the name of making science education fun. Eleven themed areas cover a diverse range of topics, including Earth’s ecosystems, space, sport, communication, energy, and the human body.

For an authentic taste of early settler life, visit this re-creation of a 19th-century rural Ontario community. Among the dozens of buildings – a handful original to the site, the rest moved here and restored – are a school, a church, village shops, houses, and barns. The grounds include an orchard, millpond, restored gardens, and grazing livestock. Costumed staff demonstrate pioneer crafts and carry out tasks such as tinsmithing and milling flour (the flour is available for sale). Free wagon rides are popular with the kids.

While North York is a relentlessly modern part of the city, it is also home to this historic gem – an elegant Georgian farmhouse built in 1851. The original owner, land surveyor and mapper David Gibson, was a leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837 who was forced to flee to the US when the uprising failed. Following his pardon, Gibson returned and built this home for his wife and seven children. The museum hosts guided tours and also holds classes in such forgotten arts as hearth-cooking.

This 1837 house was the residence of land surveyor John Howard and his wife, Jemima. Howard deeded the estate to the city, thereby forming the basis for High Park. Located at the south end of the park, the Regency-style house, with its gorgeous circular verandah, has been fully restored and includes many of the Howards’ original belongings, including John Howard’s original watercolors of early Toronto scenes. Costumed guides lead tours. Don’t miss the garden, planted with kitchen herbs and flowers. Seasonal celebrations, such as the Harvest Festival and the lamplit processions at Christmastime, are particularly popular.

This collection of early-19th-century buildings offers a window on the past. The 1830 farmhouse was built by Lewis and Elizabeth Bradley, United Empire Loyalists who left the US and settled in Ontario, raising seven children. The restored house features period artifacts. The Anchorage, also on the grounds, is a Regency-style cottage originally home to Royal Navy officer John Skynner. It offers rotating exhibitions and, the last Sunday of the month, afternoon tea.

Housed in the 1929 de Havilland Aircraft of Canada building on the grounds of the former Downsview Airport – an air-force base now being converted to a public park – this museum celebrates Canada’s aviation history. Along with archival photos, it exhibits artifacts and full-sized aircraft, such as the 1950s jet trainer and an anti-submarine aircraft built for the Royal Canadian Navy. Particularly unusual are the exhibits of flight-training simulators used for pilot instruction in the 1940s and 1950s.