10 Things to Do Off the Beaten Track in Toronto

Casa Loma is a classical, massive, and elegant 98-room castle that bankrupted the millionaire who built it and today is an authentically decorated museum and attraction. It was built in the early 20th century by electricity magnate Henry Mill Pellatt, who had been obsessed with castles since he was a teenager and decided to build one of his own. The castle cost so much that it drove Pellatt to bankruptcy. Today it's a museum owned by the city that's still decorated in period fashion, including its original 10,000 book library, marble-floored conservatory, and mahogany statues.

This castle is a stunning site and was used as a location in the "X-Men" films. It's just 13 minutes north of city centre Toronto.

The Scarborough Bluffs on the shores of Lake Ontario offer scenic views of tall, chalk-white cliffs that are named for their resemblance to the Scarborough cliffs in the United Kingdom. This outdoor spot is a prime place to take a hike, have a family picnic, or bring a hibachi and have a family barbecue on Sunday. You can also bring a canoe or kayak and get out on a crystal-clear lake to just relax on the water. The lake is surrounded by a white-sand beach that's ideal for lounging, and the safe hiking trails are clearly marked.

The park is about 45 minutes northeast of town. Be careful when hiking; the cliff edges can be dangerous.

The Bata Shoe Museum is dedicated to the unique collection of architect and businesswoman Sonja Bata, a world traveller who kept shoes from her travels all over the world. The collection started in the 1940s, and the museum was established in the 1970s before moving to its current spot in the 1990s. It houses over 13,000 shoes and accessories including red leather stilettos that belonged to Marilyn Monroe, Chelsea boots worn by John Lennon, Madonna's Dolce & Gabbana's platforms, silk slippers that once kept Queen Victoria's feet warm, and flip-flops worn by the Dalai Lama.

Checking out this collection, you'll learn why shoes are so interesting. It's just 10 minutes north of central city centre.

Todmorden Mills Heritage Site offers a look at what life was like in the outskirts of York in the late 18th century with plaques, historic buildings, and even hiking. The site is small but less-frequently visited by tourists, so you'll encounter fewer crowds. You can check out the homes of 2 millers and a brewery. You'll read plaques talking about the damage that floods from the Don River caused to the village. When you're done, you can take a walk in the woods to a serene pond and just get away from it all.

Multiple hiking trails are available, from quick and easy hikes to longer, more challenging river walks. It's only about 17 minutes north of city centre.

The Monkey's Paw is a dream for book collectors, an extensive used-book store dedicated to the lost and forgotten books of the 20th century. One of the biggest attractions here is a vending machine that spits out a random book for you, called the Biblio-Mat. It's just $3 to get a token and go home with a book. The store is named for a famed horror storey, but the subjects of books here range from personality trait determination to Canadian egg-laying contests and even weirder stuff. Categories are divided among beautiful, arcane, macabre, and absurd books.

This hidden gem of Toronto is a must-visit if you're intrigued by antiquarian books. It's about a 20-minute drive northeast of city centre.

The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre offers a botanically-themed auditorium within the oldest still-operating Edwardian double-decker theatre in the world that puts on live performances regularly. This theatre was once threatened with demolition before being taken over by the Ontario Heritage Trust. In 1981 it was cleaned, restored, and renovated.

Today you can see live opera, plays, concerts, and musical theatre here, or you can book a 90-minute guided tour of the facility to learn about its history. In May, during the Doors Open festival, you can wander around and explore for free on your own. The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre is right city centre, just a 6-minute walk from the centre of the city.

The Rainbow Tunnel in Moccasin Trail Park is a brightly coloured pedestrian tunnel decorated on the outside with a vibrant rainbow and a street art mural inside. When it originally appeared, it was not sanctioned by the city and was treated as illegal graffiti. The city painted it over, but it kept reappearing, and the community support for it led the city to embrace it. The mural is the creation of local artist B.C. Johnson, who wanted to memorialise a friend who had passed on.

Today it's a vibrant landmark in the city and is reached by hiking the East Don Trail. The park is about 40 minutes north of Toronto.

Museum Station is a Toronto subway station on the Yonge-University line that is famed for its public art installations and architecture including stunning support columns. The station opened in 1963 beside the Royal Ontario Museum. A renovation in 2008 began the public art approach in an effort to evoke the exhibits in the museum. You can take photos of the columns that look like Osiris, Toltec warriors, columns in the Parthenon and China's Forbidden City, and First Nations house posts.

The wall panels are made of mauve aluminium, with Lexan incorporated to compose the hieroglyphic inscription for "MUSEUM." The station is in the heart of city centre.

The Humber Bay Arch Bridge is a pedestrian bridge south of Lake Shore Boulevard offering scenic views of the mouth of the Humber River along a major hiking trail. It was constructed in the 1990s to preserve the environmental integrity of the river and allow the connection of hiking trails on both sides of the waterway that comprise the Martin Goodman Trail. It has a clear span of 330 feet over the river and is 456 feet long.

The bridge is a vital link for commuters, bicyclists, hikers, and pedestrians along the Waterfront Trail pathway, which will eventually parallel the whole north shore of Lake Ontario. The trail and bridge are a 25-minute drive east of city centre.