Toronto

2 days in Toronto, Canada; Summer 2018

While making plans to visit family in Buffalo, NY, we decided to include Niagara Falls & Toronto into our plans.

We drove up to Toronto on a Friday Morning; it took about 2.5 hours with a little bit of rain. The border crossing agent was really nice and stamped the kids passport books for us. 

We beelined straight to Hot Star Large Fried Chicken at 374 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M5B 1S6, Canada. Trying the "chicken" as I affectionally called it had been on my to do list for over a year after watching a video on youtube. The chicken was moist, filled with cheese and seasoned well although I didn't care for the seasoning. Unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations. Sucks when you've been anticipating something for a long time and its not as good as you expected it to be. On the Details they run about $17 each and sell out very early because they only make a limited amount in the morning. I would definitely say give it a try, it wasn't gross just not what I expected.

                   

Next we intended on catching the Ferry to the Toronto Islands, but it started to rain. So we decided to find something else to do and decided to take the kids to their first escape room. Unbeknownst to us traffic is CRAZY in Toronto and so we decided to take the streets opposed to the gridlocked highways. It took us about a hour and a half to get to our destination. Normally that would have been extremely aggravating, but it was cool because we got a chance to really see the city. 

We arrived at Laser Quest and chose the Cellar for our room. I will caution that it was tough to get the room complete with the kids. They were literally no help, so me and Mr.C had to figure it all out. We made it to the end and had to ask for a clue to complete the room. The last clue was all we needed to escape the room before time ran out!

Once we finished the room it was time for dinner so we decided to head towards our room. Ans thanks to super mom our room was literally an hour away. hahaha. We booked our room at Home2 Suites by Hilton because we save a good amount of money when we have a quick overnight trip. If you get a room with a double bed, you get 2 beds plus a full pull out at a great rate and we only have to pay for 1 room. Winner! and I get to collect Hilton Honors points. This arrangement wouldn't work for more than a day or so because the kids have issues. 

We woke up the next day refreshed and ready to make our way over to the islands (Centre, Hanlan's and Ward's Island). Parking was $20 per car at the apartment building next door to the ferry. We got a later start than we anticipated; and the line to get tickets for the Ferry was super long so we bought mobile tickets. Super easy and convenient.  I recommend buying your tickets in advance and you can do so HERE. All 3 islands are connected so it's not important which Ferry you catch a ride to unless you only plan on going to one specific island. We chose to ride the Ferry over to Centre Island because it is the most kid friendly. It has a Beach, Small Amusement Park, Maze, Bike Rentals, Flower Garden, Petting Zoo, fast food and a couple of restaurants. The ride was as expected and I could tell the littles really enjoyed it. 

                                                                                                                                                                                               

The ride lasted about 15 minutes and we were on our way to explore the island.

  Once you exit the ferry you receive the following warm welcome :-)

                                                                                             Once onto the island you immediately notice the plush landscaping; and you realize there are so many things to do. Make sure to pick up a map; To name a few:

• Gibraltar Point Lighthouse
• William Meany Maze
• Swan Ride (Paddleboat)
• Restaurants
• Far Enough Animal Farm
• Bike Rentals
• Mini Amusement Park
• Beach
• Picnic

We opted to head over to the mini amusement park to ride a few kiddie rides. The mini amusement park is mainly for little kids but we decided to do what we could just so that we could say that that we did. 

After a couple of rides, we got in a round of miniature golf. I of course was Victorious. The kids were impressed with the idea of competing through a maze, so we made our way towards the William Meaney Maze. A labyrinth of black cedar trees make up the walls for the maze. The sun was shining and it was the perfect day to get lost in the "wild". The kids really enjoyed this activity. The 5 of us split up and attempted to navigate our way through the maze. It was fun, and after bumping into each other for the 1,000th time. We decided it was best if we huddled up and worked together to make our exit. And within minutes we were out. So it was fun and a great learning experience for the kids. We can definitely accomplish more together than we can apart.


The beach was really nice and there were a lot of families out enjoying the day. Picnicking, frolicking and just enjoying. We walked barefoot for a while but didn't enter the water. It was nice just having the sand in between our toes. We even made a new friend :-)
 

That concluded our day on the Island, and we headed back to the Ferry.

 

  

Until next time Toronto......