Black Creek Pioneer Village

The  Black Creek Pioneer Village  (in Portuguese,  the pioneer village of the black stream ) is a museum in the open air, which recreates the lifestyle of Torontonians in the year 1860. There you will find a collection of buildings and artifacts that will make you immerse in the lives, customs, and surroundings of the city’s first residents, who laid the foundations for modern Toronto. Spanning over 30 hectares of unspoiled countryside, the Village is a unique experience with historic buildings – some original, some relocated or reconstructed – from communities across south-central Ontario that have been faithfully decorated with original furniture and artifacts. By the way, to travel these historic places, you can hire a limo rent a car, which is very cheap in Canada.

Fort York: Historic Places in Toronto

The founding of the city of Toronto has its roots in this historic site, built-in 1793 by the British to defend Upper Canada against possible attack from America. Fort York’s military capabilities became even more important after Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe moved the provincial capital to York in 1796. During the War of 1812, the bloody Battle of York in 1813 ended at Fort York, with troops Americans capturing the city and destroying a number of important structures. Today, the site houses eight buildings dating back to 1812, and its position near the Gardiner and the CN Tower makes for an interesting link between past and present. In summer, Fort York offers daily battles and musical demonstrations. And many festivals take place on-site, like this one that we went to a few years ago.

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto was founded in 1827 and has always been regarded as one of the strongest universities in Canada – and also in the world. In addition to its important role as an educational institution, the St George campus – located in downtown Toronto – is super historic and full of buildings with different architectural styles (contemporary, Gothic, Victorian), sculptures, and green spaces. It’s really worth the visit and the photos you take on the spot will certainly look amazing.

Ontario Parliament

The fifth building of the Ontario Legislature is located south of Queens Park and is a beautiful building on the outside and even more so on the inside. There is located the cabinet of the Premier, who in practice is the leader of the Province of Ontario (our governor in Brazil). The building has 2 wings, one east, and one west, which are different due to a fire in 1909 that destroyed part of the west wing. Because of this, the east wing is made of dark wood, including wooden columns and railings. On the other hand, the reconstruction of the west wing resulted in a marvelous project in Italian white marble.

The Scadding Cabin

This is the oldest house in Toronto. It was built by John Scadding, who accompanied Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe to the region called Upper Canada in 1792. Originally the house was situated on the east bank of the Don River, south of Kingston Road. In 1879 the house was moved to the Exhibition region (near the shores of Lake Ontario) by the York Pioneer and Historical Society as part of the celebrations for the opening of the Toronto Industrial Exhibition (precursor to the CNE).

old city hall: Historic Places in Toronto

The Old City Hall (Old City Hall) stands out in the center of Toronto: neo-Romanesque style, ancient surrounded by modern buildings, a clock tower, and 3 bells that ring every hour. It is hard to believe that during the construction of the Eaton Center this building was almost demolished. It was a group of citizens and community activists – known as “Friends of Old City Hall” who convinced those responsible to preserve this important landmark. The Old City Hall was declared a National Historic Site in 1989.

Commerce Court North

This 34-story building was built in 1931 and is considered the largest in the country. The economic stagnation of the Depression and the disruption of World War II ensured this building’s undisputed reign as the tallest in Canada for over thirty years. What stands out in the building is its “banking hall” on the ground floor (photo), all covered in gold. Also, the place had a public observation platform on its top floor that was open for a few years due to security (no, at that time nobody worried about terrorist attacks: the fear there was of suicides). At the time, people had to pay CAN$0.25 to enjoy the best view in town.

Don Jail: Historic Places in Toronto

Don Jail is an old prison located on the east side of the Don River, on Gerrard Street East, in the Riverdale neighborhood. The prison was built in 1864 and closed in 1977. It was only renovated in 2013 and now serves as the administrative building for Bridgepoint Health, a rehabilitation hospital located next to the old jail. For those interested in getting to know “Toronto’s dark side, the Don Jail was open for 113 years and 34 prisoners died there by hanging (including Canada’s last hanging happened there too – the death penalty was abolished in Canada in 1976 ). In general, the place was used to imprison criminals until their trial, and the prisoners stayed there for an average of 3 months. The site had 180 cells with a capacity for 276 prisoners and was initially called the “prisoners’ palace” because it had great space for them. However, as time passed, the city of Toronto was growing and there was a need to place more prisoners in the place – and the number of prisoners increased to 620 in 180 cells (more than 3 prisoners per cell). In addition, the cells were extremely narrow, had no beds or a sewer system, and prisoners could only leave the cell for 1 hour a day. read more and prisoners could only leave the cell for 1 hour a day.

Casa Loma

The Casa Loma (Spanish term meaning House on the Hill) is now a museum and one of the main attractions of Toronto, built as a European neo-romantic castle. Originally, it was the former residence of the financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. The mansion was built over a three-year period, between 1911 and 1914. Until 1914 it was considered the largest residence in North America. However, the house was never finished, as Sir Henry lost his energy monopoly in favor of the public authorities, going bankrupt. All his possessions were confiscated, including the castle.

Distillery District: Historic Places in Toronto

The area where the Distillery District stands today housed, in 1832, the Gooderham and Worts distillery, as you can still see on several plaques inside the complex. Important in the economic growth story of Toronto and Canada, the company has become the largest distillery in the world. After 153 years of producing alcoholic beverages – especially whiskey and rum -, the enterprise ceased to function. A little over 10 years ago, a small group of investors/visionaries had an idea/dream for the site: to transform the abandoned group of Victorian-style industrial buildings (the largest ensemble to date in North America) into something different and unique. . Not in another “historic district” but in something exciting, something the city of Toronto and its residents could be proud of. A place to excite and inspire the senses, where people could try out new ideas, new foods, new projects, and new ways of living and working. All of this preserves the space and preserves the Victorian industrial architectural style. That’s how the 47 well-known Gooderham and Worts buildings came to be called The Distillery Historic District, or simply Distillery District.

Read also: Niagara world wine tours is available from Skylink Limousine