Things to do with kids in Toronto
Toronto: Ripley's Aquarium of Canada Entry Ticket
What are the best things to do with kids in Toronto?
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada and the Ontario Science Centre (now at its temporary Harbourfront Centre location) are the two strongest indoor options, while the Toronto Islands' Centreville amusement park and beaches work best outdoors — pace a family day around one major activity plus free time rather than stacking three attractions.
Planning around attention spans, not a checklist
Toronto has a genuinely strong lineup of family attractions, but the mistake a lot of visiting parents make is trying to pack three or four into one day. Between lines, transit time, and the inevitable meltdown around 2pm, one major activity plus a lower-key second stop (a park, a beach, an ice cream break) works far better than a packed itinerary. This guide covers what’s worth prioritizing and what to know before you go, including one important change: the Ontario Science Centre has moved.
Age matters more than most itineraries account for. Toddlers and preschoolers generally do best with shorter, more physical activities — Centreville, splash pads, Riverdale Farm — where the point is sensory engagement rather than reading exhibit text. School-age kids get more out of the aquarium, science centre, and zoo, where hands-on interactivity holds attention for longer stretches. Teenagers tend to respond best to activities that don’t feel explicitly “for kids” — the CN Tower, a Blue Jays game, or a walk through Kensington Market — since they’re often more interested in doing what adults are doing than in kid-specific programming.
| Where | Downtown core (Ripley’s, Science Centre) plus Toronto Islands, High Park, Scarborough (zoo) |
| Cost | Free (High Park, Riverdale Farm, splash pads) to ~$44 CAD (Ripley’s Aquarium) |
| Time needed | One major activity plus a lower-key second stop per day |
| Getting there | TTC subway/streetcar; ferry for the islands; a car helps for the zoo |
| Best time | Rainy days for Ripley’s/Science Centre; June–August for splash pads and islands |
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
Toronto’s single best rainy-day family attraction sits right at the base of the CN Tower — a 96-metre underwater tunnel through a shark tank, a ray touch pool, and a jellyfish gallery that reliably holds younger kids’ attention for a full visit. Adult tickets run around $44 CAD, with reduced pricing for children; visiting after 5pm is typically a few dollars cheaper and less crowded, which matters if nap schedules push your visit later in the day.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada entry ticketFor sharks-focused older kids and teens, the aquarium also runs an after-hours “Sharks After Dark” program with a different, more atmospheric lighting setup — see the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada guide for the full breakdown of exhibits and timing tips.
The Ontario Science Centre has relocated — here’s what to know
If you’re working from an older guidebook or a search result more than a year old, be aware: the original Ontario Science Centre building on Don Mills Road closed, and the institution now operates from a temporary home at Harbourfront Centre while a new permanent facility is built at Ontario Place, expected to open toward the end of the decade. The interactive, hands-on exhibit format that made the Science Centre a family staple has carried over to the new location, and it remains one of Toronto’s strongest indoor options for curious kids, particularly on a rainy day when the Toronto Islands or High Park aren’t practical.
Toronto: Ontario Science Centre skip-the-line entry ticketBecause the location and exhibit lineup are actively transitioning, confirm current opening hours and site details before finalizing a visit — see the Ontario Science Centre guide for the latest on the interim setup.
Toronto Islands: Centreville and the beaches
The Toronto Islands are one of the easiest wins for a family day — a short, genuinely fun ferry ride ($9.57 CAD round trip for adults, reduced for children) followed by car-free paths, sand beaches at Centre Island and Hanlan’s Point, and Centreville Amusement Park, a small, old-fashioned midway built specifically for younger kids rather than teenagers chasing thrill rides. Renting a family-sized bike or surrey is a popular way to cover the islands without tired legs derailing the afternoon.
Centreville’s rides — a carousel, a small Ferris wheel, a miniature train, and a handful of gentler thrill rides — are deliberately scaled for younger children rather than teenagers, and the adjoining small petting farm is a reliable hit with toddlers and preschoolers. Pack a picnic or budget for on-site food, since prices at the island’s concessions run at typical amusement-park levels; bringing snacks and drinks from the mainland is common practice and noticeably cheaper. See things to do on Toronto Islands for the fuller island layout if you want to venture beyond Centreville itself.
High Park Zoo and cherry blossoms
High Park in the city’s west end has a small, free zoo (bison, capybaras, and other cold-hardy species that do fine in Toronto’s climate), extensive playgrounds, and — for a roughly two-week window in late April to early May — a cherry blossom bloom along Centre Road that draws crowds rivaling any paid attraction in the city. It’s free, though the blossom period gets genuinely busy on weekends; early mornings are noticeably calmer.
Casa Loma
Casa Loma’s Gothic Revival towers, secret passages, and stable-turned-garden grounds tend to work well with kids roughly six and up, who enjoy the castle’s more theatrical elements more than younger children might. Adult tickets run around $45 CAD; see the Casa Loma family guide for age-appropriate route suggestions through the property.
Day trips with kids
If you have an extra day, family day trips from Toronto covers options like Niagara Falls that work well with children, provided you build in enough time for the boat tour and don’t overschedule the rest of the day around it.
Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo, in the city’s east end (Scarborough), is Canada’s largest zoo, spread across a genuinely large campus organized by continental zoogeographic regions — it takes a full day to see properly, longer than most other family attractions on this list, so plan accordingly rather than trying to combine it with anything else the same day. A zoo train and gondola-style ride help cover the extensive grounds without exhausting younger legs before you’ve reached the far sections.
Ontario Place and the waterfront
Ontario Place, on reclaimed land along the waterfront near the CN Tower, has undergone significant redevelopment in recent years, with parts of the site now housing a large indoor water park facility alongside outdoor public parkland that remains free to visit. It sits close enough to the CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium to combine into a single downtown waterfront day if you’re not driving out to the islands.
Rogers Centre and sports for kids
Catching a Toronto Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre works surprisingly well as a family outing — the retractable roof means weather rarely cancels plans, and the stadium’s downtown location keeps travel simple. Many games include post-game fireworks or kids-run-the-bases promotions on select dates, worth checking the schedule for if a game is on your list. See the Blue Jays game guide for family-friendly seating sections and ticket-buying tips.
Riverdale Farm
A genuinely under-the-radar option in Cabbagetown, Riverdale Farm is a free, small working farm within the city offering close-up access to barnyard animals — a strong, low-cost alternative to a full zoo visit for younger children who tire quickly, and a good pairing with a walk through the neighboring Don Valley trails.
Family-friendly dining
Toronto’s food scene isn’t built around dedicated “kid-friendly restaurant” branding the way some destinations are, but the city’s casual, family-run neighborhood restaurants — particularly in Kensington Market, Chinatown, and Little Italy — are generally relaxed about kids and noise, more so than the city’s higher-end tasting-menu restaurants. St. Lawrence Market’s food-hall format, with dozens of independent stalls under one roof, also works well for groups with different tastes and shorter attention spans than a sit-down restaurant allows.
Practical notes
Most major Toronto attractions offer stroller access and family washrooms; TTC subway stations are a mix of elevator-accessible and stairs-only, so check ahead if traveling with a stroller rather than a carrier. Splash pads scattered across the city’s parks (many free, running roughly June through August) are an underused option for a low-cost, low-planning afternoon when older attractions feel like too much for the day. Public washrooms with baby-change facilities are reliably available at all the major attractions covered here, though less consistent at smaller neighborhood stops — plan around the major venues if this is a concern.
Matching activities to age
| Age group | Best fits | Skip or shorten |
|---|---|---|
| Toddlers/preschool | Centreville, splash pads, Riverdale Farm, High Park’s zoo | Casa Loma’s stair-heavy layout, the full Toronto Zoo circuit |
| School-age | Ripley’s Aquarium, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto Islands beaches | Long museum galleries without hands-on elements |
| Teens | CN Tower, a Blue Jays game, Kensington Market, Toronto Islands by bike | Anything branded explicitly “for kids” |
A realistic one-day family plan
Rather than stacking three attractions, pick one anchor activity and build a lower-key second half around it. A rainy-day version pairs Ripley’s Aquarium in the morning with a slow lunch and an afternoon at the Ontario Science Centre’s Harbourfront location, both within reach of the PATH if the weather stays bad.
A clear-day version swaps the aquarium for a morning ferry to the Toronto Islands and Centreville, with High Park’s zoo or a splash pad as the lower-key afternoon option instead of a second paid attraction. See the Toronto with kids guide for a fuller multi-day version if you’re staying more than a single day, and family day trips from Toronto if you want to add a day outside the city.
Frequently asked questions about things to do with kids in Toronto
What’s the best rainy-day activity for kids in Toronto?
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and the Ontario Science Centre’s interim Harbourfront Centre location are the two strongest indoor options, both designed around hands-on, sensory experiences that hold younger attention spans.
Is the Ontario Science Centre still open?
Yes, but not at its original Don Mills Road building — it now operates from a temporary location at Harbourfront Centre while a new permanent facility is built at Ontario Place. Confirm current hours before visiting.
Are the Toronto Islands good for very young children?
Yes — the ferry ride itself is often the highlight for toddlers, and Centreville Amusement Park is specifically built around gentler, younger-kid-friendly rides rather than thrill attractions.
Do I need to book tickets in advance for family attractions in Toronto?
For Ripley’s Aquarium and the Ontario Science Centre, booking ahead online is recommended, especially in peak summer months and school holiday periods, to avoid long walk-up lines.
Is Casa Loma suitable for toddlers?
It can work, but the self-guided, stair-heavy layout tends to suit kids around six and older better, who can engage with the castle’s history and architecture rather than just being carried through it.
What’s a free activity for kids in Toronto?
High Park’s zoo and playgrounds, along with the city’s network of free splash pads in summer, are strong no-cost options alongside a walk on the Toronto Islands. Riverdale Farm is also completely free and a strong option for younger children specifically.
Is the Toronto Zoo worth a full day with kids?
Yes, if you have the time — it’s Canada’s largest zoo and genuinely requires most of a day to see properly, which makes it a poor fit for combining with other major attractions on the same day.
Are Toronto’s family attractions accessible for children with mobility needs or strollers?
Most major attractions (Ripley’s Aquarium, the Ontario Science Centre’s interim location, the Toronto Zoo, Ontario Place) offer stroller access and accessible routes; older heritage sites like Casa Loma have more limited accessibility given their historic stair-heavy layouts.
How many attractions can we realistically fit in one day with kids?
One major activity plus a lower-key second stop is the realistic ceiling — between lines, transit, and the inevitable afternoon meltdown, trying to stack a third attraction usually backfires more than it adds value.
Is Centreville worth it if my kids are older, not toddlers?
Not especially — it’s deliberately scaled for younger children; older kids and teens generally get more out of the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, or a Blue Jays game instead.
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