Also, if you plan to spend the night in the falls, you could make a side trip to Fort Erie and go to ZOOZ. They have lots of animals and it's a nice day too. We go every summer with the kids.

Niagara Falls also has two casinos, if you're into that. I think the Fallsview Hotel and Casino also has an indoor waterpark.

Ontario Place & CNE are open the last two weeks of August, so you'll miss that. But Ontario Place is open all year round for other events - showing movies in the IMAX, dinner & dancing at Atlantis.

Downtown is fantastic for walking - Danforth = greek town, The Beaches have a gorgeous boardwalk for walking or a bike path, Harbourfront is great and has a terrific view, Queen West has great shops, Yorkville is very fun for people watching or just sitting on a patio - I recommend Hemingways for Brunch.

I agree that staying somewhere like the Novatel in North York would be ideal, since you'll be close to the 401 if you have a car and you'll be right on the subway line if you choose to take the TTC.

The zoo is a must!! There's also a smaller zoo in Riverdale park, which is in downtown Toronto.

Other places I can think of - Panorama Lounge at the top of the Manulife Centre (great view!!), The Bier Market on the Esplanade (or anywhere along the Esplanade for that matter), the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Royal Ontario Museum, Hockey Hall of Fame, Bata Shoe Museum, University of Toronto (the campus grounds are beautiful), Eaton Centre, Church Street ("gaybourhood", which is great for patios and people watching), Air Canada Centre, The PATH - Underground Shopping (yes there is a whole underground network in downtown TO), City Hall/Nathan Phillip's Square, Bloor West Village, St. Lawrence Market, Cabbagetown, Roy Thomson Hall (symphony), Black Creek Pioneer Village.

That's all I can think of right now

Married!!!

April 25, 2008

Silver Sands, Jamaica

OK, first, we do not plan on bringing the children on the trip with us, they will be staying with my mother.  I am not overly adventurous in dining simply because I have a few odd food allergies such as coconut and mustard and these are often uysed in ethnic cuisine, however, FH likes things spicy and loves to try new foods, so we may try something as long as it does not involve curry (unfortunately the smell of tumeric makes me quite queazy).

We want to have fun, party, take in a bit of culture and do as much as possible.

I will look into the Novotel Hotel in North York as suggested, and we may simply rent the car, but only use it to go to the locations outside of the city and take transit whenever possible within the city.  My FH would love to rent a Hummer for the trip as it is his favorite vehicle, but maybe I can convince to forego that if I let him take me to the Hockey Hall of Fame...?

I remember being a passenger the last time we drove through T.O. and noticing how hellish it is to take that highway...I couldn't even count how many lanes there were...lol.  I definitly have no issue with transit, and it allows us to snuggle and look at the scenery instead of trying to read the few signs that tell us where to go.

We will probably stay in North York for about 1/2 the trip to see the sites downtown and to visit the zoo and parks, then we would most likely head out towards Niagra Falls and check out Marineland and the sites before driving back to Ottawa along the border and up into Morrisburg staying at random motels/hotels along the way.  I will definitly book the first half early to avoid the film festival rush...thanks for the heads up!

I will bookmark all your links so that I can plan a great itinerary.

Again, thank you all very much!

Met September 9, 2005

Engaged Christmas 2006

Married September 9, 2008

Two families joined as one

So now we don't have to worry about the film festival blocking up all the hotels.  I am still going to keep all of your comments so that I can plan an itinerary, but now we can wait to see how much cash we have after paying for the wedding and see how much we can afford before booking.

If you guys have any tips about August in TO, your tips are appreciated!

Met September 9, 2005

Engaged Christmas 2006

Married September 9, 2008

Two families joined as one

You can buy day passes and probably weekly passes for the TTC so you don't have to pay individual fares all the time.

I agree that Harbourfront is really nice. Maybe a boat cruise? I've done that before and it was fun. Dinner and dancing.

As for culture: the Toronto Symphony; the Canadian Opera Company has a relatively new building; you can see what's playing at Ed Mirvish Theatre; the Royal Ontario Museum; The Art Gallery

Other places I can think of that you should check out downtown:

-CN Tower; Danforth (lots of great Greek food!); Yorkville;

Outside of Toronto:

-Scarborough Bluffs; Edwards Gardens;

Check out these sites:

http://www.citypass.com/city/toronto.html?id=6XymwLcX

www.toronto.com - you can find out what events and festivals are going on in Toronto when you're here

Engaged: January 3, 2008

The Big Day: May 23, 2010

It's a site where you book your hotel based on area and price, but don't know which hotel it is until you pay. It's similar to Priceline. I know three people that booked Toronto hotels with it, and all of them got AMAZING deals on fantastic downtown hotels.

Clicky here for our pics, details and vendor reviews from our cocktail reception wedding in downtown Toronto!

http://www.citypassports.com/?section_id=418&LanguageId=0&toronto.gif

~This is the day I will marry my best friend, The one I laugh with, live for and love~

May 31, 2008