Your Guide to the Toronto Islands
STAY
If you are looking for bed and breakfasts/rental units for weekly and daily rentals, look here on the accommodations website for a list of just under a dozen options on Wards and Algonquin Islands. Some popular spots are Toronto Island Retreat and Smiley's B&B. Book early to ensure your spot. They can fill quite quickly come summer.
NATURE AND BEACHES
The Wards Island Wet Meadow is one of 6 places on the island deemed an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) and Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI). There are 86 ESAs in Toronto all together. This means that they host important plant and animal species and gives you the chance to have a taste of nature without leaving the city. See more on this here. While on Wards, check out the Wards Island Beach and soak in the sun or play a game of volleyball. This lively spot has become a popular spot in recent years for city dwellers to escape the heat.
From the Algonquin Bridge to Centre Island you can find a vast stretch of park which doubles as a world class disc golf course. This area makes for good walking on the road or through thickets and fields. Watch out for flying discs! You can even head over to Snake Island for some more exploring on this heavily wooded island.
If your prefer to walk by the water, take the boardwalk, one of the most beautiful walking paths in Toronto with views out to Lake Ontario and beyond (on a clear day) and willows and poplar trees creeping overhead. It takes you almost all the way to the next blue flag beach at Centre Island with a pier that juts out into Lake Ontario. The beach here can be packed on hot days and is host to many visitors of the city. For a quieter and more bohemian feel, keep going to Gibraltar Beach behind the artist community of Artscape Gibraltar Point.
Past Centre Island, you will meet more parks including the Franklins Children Garden, the William Meaney Maze and the Saturn Playground. The parks and woodlands continue all the way to the Hanlans dock where you will see the landscape and ecosystem change to natural sand dune formations. Check out the only nude beach in Toronto at Hanlans point if you're feeling adventurous. There's more than just nudity and free spirits here. Go outside of the enclosed clothing optional area to find a beautiful expanse of beach capped by the Toronto City Centre Airport and backed by a natural dune ecosystem which is home to many interesting species of plants and animals. This is the only dune ecosystem in western Lake Ontario.
The island community has many creative people who document life here, both human and natural. Check out Sean Tamblyn's website for stunning photos of the Toronto Islands' wild side here.
From the Algonquin Bridge to Centre Island you can find a vast stretch of park which doubles as a world class disc golf course. This area makes for good walking on the road or through thickets and fields. Watch out for flying discs! You can even head over to Snake Island for some more exploring on this heavily wooded island.
If your prefer to walk by the water, take the boardwalk, one of the most beautiful walking paths in Toronto with views out to Lake Ontario and beyond (on a clear day) and willows and poplar trees creeping overhead. It takes you almost all the way to the next blue flag beach at Centre Island with a pier that juts out into Lake Ontario. The beach here can be packed on hot days and is host to many visitors of the city. For a quieter and more bohemian feel, keep going to Gibraltar Beach behind the artist community of Artscape Gibraltar Point.
Past Centre Island, you will meet more parks including the Franklins Children Garden, the William Meaney Maze and the Saturn Playground. The parks and woodlands continue all the way to the Hanlans dock where you will see the landscape and ecosystem change to natural sand dune formations. Check out the only nude beach in Toronto at Hanlans point if you're feeling adventurous. There's more than just nudity and free spirits here. Go outside of the enclosed clothing optional area to find a beautiful expanse of beach capped by the Toronto City Centre Airport and backed by a natural dune ecosystem which is home to many interesting species of plants and animals. This is the only dune ecosystem in western Lake Ontario.
The island community has many creative people who document life here, both human and natural. Check out Sean Tamblyn's website for stunning photos of the Toronto Islands' wild side here.
DINING
As far as dining goes, checkout the Riviera (formerly known as the Rectory) and the Wards Island Cafe. The Riviera offers a back patio with a beautiful view of the lake and an interior that doubles as an art gallery. They often have art on display from local artists and rotate the work regularly. The Wards Island Cafe is an all outdoor patio with lots of shade covers. It offers a delicious menu with lots of vegetarian/vegan options, some of which they actually grow right out front in their Garden. Both are fully licensed. See their websites for more info.
AMUSEMENT
One of the main attractions on the island is the Centreville Amusement park which offers endless fun for children to adults. You will also find the Far Enough Farm in the same area, where you can pet cows and horses and see a wide range of farm life in action. Watch your fingers!
BIKE RENTAL
Just South of the Centre Island Bridge rent a bike at the Bicycle Rental. Tour the island by bicycle or quadracycle for a different kind of adventure.
See more on Toronto Island in this short documentary.
