Ultimate Toronto Attractions Guide for Families
Toronto is one of the easiest big cities in the world for families. The attractions are large enough to fill a full day, compact enough to fit into a tight itinerary, layered enough to entertain toddlers and teens at the same time, and supported by transit, food courts, waterfront paths and green spaces that make the entire city feel navigable and human. This guide gathers the thirteen biggest family attractions in Toronto and presents them through your lens—slow, confident family travel with zero chaos, clear planning touchpoints and the kind of pacing that lets you actually enjoy the city instead of rushing through it.
Everything here connects directly to the Toronto Neighborhoods Guide, the Toronto Logistics & Planning Guide, your Singapore, Bali, London, Tokyo and NYC pillars, and your global backlink strategy. All affiliate links are embedded naturally, supporting the ecosystem without interrupting the reading flow.
CN Tower
The CN Tower dominates Toronto’s skyline and your first hours in the city. Most families see it from the airplane window, then again from their hotel room, then again as they walk through Downtown Toronto or Harbourfront. But being inside it—watching the entire city open beneath your feet—is a completely different kind of moment. The elevators rise so quickly that your stomach flips before you realize you’ve left the lobby. Kids’ eyes widen, parents laugh, and by the time you’re halfway up, the city is already turning into a model of itself.
The viewing deck is bright, clean, and surprisingly calm. Families spread out in circles of curiosity—some run straight to the glass floor, others press against the windows to find the airport, Chinatown, or the stadium. If you’re visiting near sunset, the colours spill across the skyline in gold and coral, and even young kids who don’t normally care about views go quiet for a moment. Time it with a Harbourfront stroll or Ripley’s Aquarium and you get one of the smoothest family half-days in the entire city.
If you’re using a stroller, the tower is fully accessible. If you’re timing nap windows, go early in the day when crowds are low. If you want to match the energy with another iconic attraction, pair it with Ripley’s Aquarium Toronto which sits almost directly at the base.
Families booking flights can use this Toronto flight search to secure arrival windows that give them enough daylight to enjoy the waterfront on Day One. Hotels with views of the tower can be found easily through this hotel search.
Ripley’s Aquarium Toronto
Ripley’s is the most dependable family attraction in Toronto—zero weather risk, zero boredom risk, zero meltdown risk if paced correctly. Families move in a single direction, which means you never fight crowds head-on. The underwater tunnel is the emotional center of the experience. You glide through as sharks pass overhead, rays sweep by at arm’s length, and kids point out fish faster than you can identify them. Even teenagers who claim they’re “not aquarium people” inevitably stop to film the jellyfish.
The touch pool is always a hit, especially for younger kids who need sensory breaks. If your child is easily overwhelmed, pause at the quieter tanks between major zones. Parents love Ripley’s because it’s one of the easiest attractions to anchor a day around—morning aquarium, lunch on the waterfront, afternoon CN Tower, sunset along Queens Quay.
If you're planning structured activities, browse Toronto family tours on Viator to layer in light experiences around your museum days. Ripley’s pairs beautifully with Harbourfront and Downtown Toronto stays.
Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)
The ROM is Toronto’s intellectual anchor point—the museum you go to when you want scale, storytelling, and a full-day option that entertains everyone from toddlers to grandparents. Kids start in the dinosaur galleries, where giant skeletons tower overhead and echo in the high ceilings. Parents appreciate the clear signage and pacing zones that let families drift between ancient civilizations, biodiversity galleries, and Canadian history without feeling lost.
The ROM is one of the most stroller-friendly large museums in Canada. If your child naps easily in motion, this is the attraction to place strategically around nap windows. If you're staying nearby, the neighbourhoods of Yorkville and The Annex offer the best hotel access.
When it’s time to lock in a hotel walking distance from the ROM, use this Toronto hotel search and filter for Yorkville or Bloor Street.
Ontario Science Centre
The Ontario Science Centre is Toronto’s high-energy learning playground. It’s loud, massive, interactive, and built specifically for kids who learn with their hands. The live demonstrations, electricity rooms, sound experiments, and water play areas pull children across the building in waves of curiosity.
Families who have toddlers and teens traveling together love the Science Centre because different ages naturally self-sort—little kids gravitate toward tactile exhibits while older kids drift toward physics rooms, astronomy zones, and engineering stations. Parents can give kids controlled independence within the same gallery.
If you're using transit, the Science Centre fits well with the Transit Toronto With Kids guide.
Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is enormous—one of the largest on the continent—and should always be treated as a half-day or full-day outing. The stroller paths are long but smooth, and kids adore the pandas, gorillas, tigers, and the Africa pavilion. Families often choose one geographic zone (Africa, Tundra, Indo-Malaya) and explore slowly rather than attempting the entire zoo in one visit.
The zoo is best paired with a rental car for efficiency. You can arrange one for just that day using this Toronto car rental tool.
If you're staying in Scarborough the zoo is extremely convenient and can be paired with beaches and the Bluffs.
High Park
High Park is Toronto’s green heart. It’s where families breathe between big-ticket attractions. The playgrounds are huge, the trails are soft and shaded, the small zoo is gentle entertainment, and the ponds make for peaceful stroller walks. Families often come here midweek to reset after downtown days.
If you need to balance budgets, High Park is one of the easiest free days in the entire city. Combine it with groceries or a picnic from a nearby bakery and the entire outing stays inexpensive but memorable.
Casa Loma
Casa Loma is Toronto’s castle—an atmospheric, dramatic, cinematic space with towers, winding staircases, underground tunnels, and gardens that feel pulled from another century. Kids love the vertical movement, the sense of exploration, and the hidden corners. Parents love the architecture, the skyline views, and the fact that you can pair Casa Loma with the ROM or Yorkville in a single day.
St. Lawrence Market
St. Lawrence Market is an easy “choose-your-own-food” day. Each stall has its own personality—fresh pasta, warm pretzels, peameal bacon sandwiches, pastries, juices, cheese counters and fruit cups. Families wander, pick and mix, and then spill out onto Market Street or nearby plazas for seating.
This is a dependable lunch stop if you're visiting downtown attractions. Pair it with the Hockey Hall of Fame, CN Tower, or a Harbourfront walk.
Toronto Islands
The ferry ride alone is worth the outing. Kids love watching the skyline shrink as the islands grow closer. Once you arrive, everything becomes calm and green—beaches, bike paths, playgrounds, and wide-open picnic areas. Centre Island’s amusement area adds enough structure to fill a half day, and the boardwalk is a perfect stroller route.
You can book ferry-adjacent hotels through this Toronto hotel search.
Art Gallery of Ontario
The AGO is soft, bright, airy, and filled with movement—curves in the architecture, wooden staircases, and galleries that flow without sharp transitions. Kids move easily here, drifting between bold contemporary pieces and calming classics. The children's area invites hands-on creativity, and the café gives parents a dignified reset moment.
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is pure energy—goalie challenges, replay zones, interactive screens, trophies, jerseys, and the Stanley Cup room that becomes a lasting emotional anchor for families. It is loud enough for toddlers, immersive enough for teens, and compact enough to finish before fatigue sets in.
Evergreen Brick Works
Brick Works is your nature-meets-city reset. Markets, trails, lookout points, and eco-play zones let kids climb, run and decompress. Families who need a low-stimulation day come here intentionally between major attractions, especially if they’ve spent the previous day downtown.
Nathan Phillips Square
This is Toronto’s postcard moment—the big TORONTO sign, the skating rink in winter, splash pads in summer, food trucks, events, and festivals. The square is a reliable stop if you want a 30–60 minute activity that fits naturally between downtown attractions.
Flights, Hotels, Cars & Travel Insurance
Families booking Toronto trips start with flexible flight options using this flight search.
Hotels across Downtown, Harbourfront, Yorkville and Midtown can be compared through this hotel search.
Cars for day trips or the zoo can be rented using this rental car tool.
Wrap the entire trip in reliable SafetyWing family travel insurance so flight hiccups, medical surprises or lost luggage don’t derail your itinerary.
Some links in this guide are affiliate links. You pay the same price, but using them helps keep this blog running, keeps my coffee cup full, and ensures your kids continue believing that I personally know all the penguins at the Toronto Zoo.
Continue Exploring Toronto
The Full City System
Pair this attractions guide with the Ultimate Toronto Family Travel Guide, Neighborhoods Guide, and the Toronto Planning & Logistics Guide.
Where To Stay & Wander
Explore Downtown, Harbourfront, Yorkville, The Annex, Midtown and more.
Continue The Journey
Move through the global “Stay Here, Do That” network with New York City, London, Tokyo, Bali and your Singapore family cluster.
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