Unusual Things To Do In Toronto Canada

An Overview of Toronto

As one of Canada’s largest cities full of modern buildings, a border on Lake Ontario and home to a vibrant nightlife and numerous attraction, there are many unusual things to do in Toronto. The city has indigenous American roots stemming back to settlements over 12,000 years ago. The name Toronto is based on an Iroquois Native American term roughly translating to “Where there are trees in the water” in reference to a low dam used to catch fish. It was established as a major trade city and British stronghold 1793 after the Mississaugas of First Nations peoples surrendered the land to the British in the Toronto Purchase. In the modern era, Toronto is an enormously diverse town, full of different activities, classy neighborhoods and nearby hiking areas.

Unusual Things To Do In Toronto

The Monkey’s Paw 

This is a strange antique shop with medical drawings and typewriters.  The main draw of the shop are the odd books, which are offshoot arcane, macabre, absurd and horrific bound covers.  The shop also includes a unique Biblio-Mat: A vending machine that randomly supplies a vintage volume.  The shop is somewhat difficult to find and easy to overlook, but it is close to Garfield Eats.

Poop Café 

This novel and off-kilter café serves sugary snacks made in the humorous-to-consume shape of poop emojis. Part of the café’s charm involves the dining setting, which has guests seated on porcelain thrones while eating.

Winter Garden Theatre 

This is a botanical theater with flowers hanging from the ceiling, trees worked into columns and a backdrop of scene meadows.  The theater is one of the last double-decker performance venues in the world.  The museum is a protected heritage site.

Gordo the Barosaurus 

Gordo the Barosaurus is an immense sauropod dinosaur skeleton located in the Royal Ontario Museum.  The skeleton is unique for using the real bones of the creature. Generally, museum display use casts of assembled bones for museums, to better to protect the original, uncovered fossils. Barosaurus skeletons are quite rare considered the least common of all the sauropods found in Carnegie Quarry.

Casa Loma 

Casa Loma is a local castle built by an eccentric millionaire-soldier who lost his entire fortune in a single lifetime.  The constructed castle is a beautiful feature of Toronto including a plan conservatory, a stained glass ceiling, a Great Hall, a library with 10,000 books, an indoor bowling alley, a distant rifle range, bronze doors, secret passages and a swimming pool turned into a gravesite.  The castle creator, Pellatt, was an intensely interesting fellow considering his personal history, empire-building lifestyle and passion projects which eventually ruined him.  There is an entry fee to explore the castle. Visiting the castle is one of the most unusual things to do in Toronto.

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library 

This is an incredible rare book collection with thousands of beautifully bound tomes which are available for viewing by the general public. Reservations in advance are needed.

Allan Gardens Conservatory 

The Allan Gardens Conservatory is a bountiful greenhouse crammed with cacti, orchids, succulents, banana trees and palms.  The domed Victorian-era greenhouse includes specialized statues of pianos crammed with flowers. 

Leslieville’s Crazy Doll House 

This is a very strange local house located in Old Toronto.  The house owner, Shirley Sumaiser, collects plastic critters including toys, dolls, stuffed animals, plaques and signs, all of which coat the porch, front yard and walls of her house.  

Arthur Conan Doyle Room 

This excellent library collection has some of the best Sherlock Holmes works on Earth, including original and rare titles.

Berczy Park Dog Fountain 

Berczy Park Dog Fountain is the whimsical fountain behind Toronto’s Flatiron building with statues of dogs, cats and other creatures shooting water.  The fountain is an homage to the city’s wonderful pet population.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto 

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is actually a stunning, pure white Hindu temple of marvelous design with beautiful gardens and fountains.  The structure was crafted according to ancient Indian traditions.

Sonja Bata Shoe Museum 

This is a truly odd themed-museum gradually stemming from a woman named Sonja’s travel hobby.  The shoes of the museum are actually an immense collection from around the world with a specialized in-house research group dedicated to traditional, stylized and modern footwear and the anthropological culture around them. Visiting the museum is one of the most unusual things to do in Toronto.

Ireland Park 

This is a harrowing, somewhat desolate park that watches the Toronto skyline.  The park commemorates the Irish Great Famine which saw the population of Ireland wracked with starvation.

Graffiti Alley 

This is an offbeat, excellent, trendy little patch of Queen Street West brightly decorated with street art.

Scarborough Bluffs Park

This park is an amazing natural experience with 11 natural parks that feature pale, rocky cliffs gazing across Lake Ontario and a white sand beach. It’s a popular area for hikes, biking, outdoor picnics and views of the lake.

Necropolis Cemetery 

The Necropolis Cemetery is an expansive and beautiful cemetery hosting famous local deceased, including WWI and II soldiers with large secondary green spaces.

The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research 

Inside this sleek and modern building is a surprisingly restorative bamboo forest. The forest was designed as a restful place for recovery and a chance to step away from the urban bustle.

The Lockhart

The Lockhart is a surprisingly classy bar with potions and elixirs named after various features of the Harry Potter Books including a Befuddlement Brew, Dementor’s Kiss and Marauder.  

The Rage Room 

Rage Rooms are a popular pseudo-therapeutic form of entertainment. The idea involves guests walking into a room filled with glass and other breakables. Guests simply go inside for 45 minutes to wear protective gear and just… demolish everything.

Soccer Glow Kingdom 

The Soccer Glow Kingdom in Toronto is a strange indoor football stadium with glow-in-the-dark fields, balls, uniforms and walls.

Museum of Illusions 

A classic museum with optical illusions, photo oppertunities and odd visuals, complete with strange upside-down-house features.

The Cineforum

The Cineforum was once an actively illegal enterprise, but now operates as an actively illegal movie house.  The films show here are old classics, rare cinematic pieces and silent movies which are hard to hunt down anywhere else.

Kensington Market 

This is an excellent international market with lots of specialized international foods, including Chinatown, organic beers, pizza slices, college bars and Mexican tapas.

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