WALKING TOURS Tours are described below and are offered on request all year round. Please see Details page for prices and other information. Will you be visiting Toronto? I’d love to show you our city. Please contact me to arrange a tour.
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO (note: 2 tours to choose from) Explore the downtown campus and see buildings with functions including residences, study spaces, and athletics. One tour examines elaborate Victorian stone buildings, sleek mid-century Modernism, and innovative Contemporary architecture.
If you prefer, a different U of T tour looks at just the dozen or so buildings added to the campus since the year 2000. Local and international architects have contributed to the growing campus using new materials, innovative forms, and abundant natural light in their building designs.
PUBLIC ART IN DOWNTOWN TORONTO Many exciting sculptures with wide-ranging subject matter are located in the downtown core. We’ll see how talented artists have interpreted themes in stone and steel, producing thought-provoking – and sometimes controversial – additions to the cityscape. The tour will include a realistic bronze pianist, abstract forms, plus carved art on some pre-1950 buildings.
WYCHWOOD PARK Come and tour one of the hidden treasures of Toronto. Wychwood Park was established as an artists' colony just after 1900 and remains a bucolic enclave of English Cottage Style homes on winding roads surrounding a pond. Our tour will include the nearby Tollkeepers' Cottage and former streetcar barns.
CORKTOWN This working-class neighbourhood developed near industries such as Consumers Gas, meat processing, and several breweries. We'll see fascinating re-purposed factories, original workers' cottages, new condos, and the city's oldest church and school buildings.
THE BEACH Once a summer refuge – complete with amusement park – the Beach is now a thriving neighbourhood of longtime residents and young families. Queen Street East is lined with shops and small apartment buildings, while side streets feature charming houses and gardens.
THE ANNEX This lively downtown neighbourhood has houses and churches designed by the city's most important late-Victorian architects. The original houses have many fanciful details. In the 1960s, some of the city's most distinctive residential towers were added.
CABBAGETOWN This well-preserved Victorian neighbourhood includes multi-storey professionals' houses, tiny workers' cottages, and out-of-the-way enclaves. We'll see how Cabbagetown residents preserve their history and architecture. A converted church and the picturesque cemeteries are also featured on this tour.
WELLINGTON PLACE Established west of the original town of York (later Toronto), this area includes a 19th-century military graveyard, converted factories, a posh residential area, and the Entertainment District. We’ll also visit a street seemingly frozen in the late 1800s. Wellington Place truly illustrates the changing roles of Toronto.
OLD TOWN This fascinating area is where Toronto developed beginning in the early 1800s. Some of our most remarkable buildings are here, including Canada’s oldest bank building and the Flatiron Building. Condominiums have recently joined quaint shops, restored warehouses, and the city's largest cathedral.
ROSEDALE (two tours: NORTH & SOUTH) Rosedale is one of the city's most affluent neighbourhoods, although it was not always a desirable area. This tour includes grand mansions and mid-size homes in many architectural styles dating back to the mid-1800s. The winding streets and picturesque gardens make a stroll through Rosedale even more inviting.