I Did Some Tourist Toronto Stuff (Summer 2026)

During the Civic Holiday weekend, I had some relatives visiting Toronto for the first time. In fact, they have never left the Atlanta area (where they lived), nor ever flown on a plane before. So, I had the task of giving them the stereotypical Toronto experience, which includes taking them to some of the major tourist attractions in the Toronto area, as well as the necessary tourist trip to Niagara Falls.

Before all that, on the first night, I took the relatives to the local waterfront, which includes a picturesque view of the local nuclear power plant and some ice cream.

The next day, I took the relatives to Downtown Toronto and made them go up the CN Tower. I personally have not gone up the CN Tower since I did the Edgewalk a few years ago, and before that, the last time I went up the tower to browse the views was back in 2012. It was nice to come back to see Toronto in all its concrete splendor.

I also took them up to the SkyPod (now called “The Top”) for even higher views from the tower. I was hoping to see the roof of the SkyDome open to catch the Blue Jays game but they were playing away from home that day. 

The Toronto Skyline from the CN Tower in 2012

The Toronto Skyline from the CN Tower in 2026

I put up some comparison pictures of the Toronto skyline from the last time I went up the tower.

I took my relatives for a walk in the Toronto islands on another beautiful day in the city. We hopped on the Ward’s Island ferry and got some drinks from the Runaway Cafe. We walked on the boardwalk facing Tommy Thompson Park and Lake Ontario. It was better than walking on the main path with the bicycles and quadricycles zipping about. 

I showed my relatives the best place to get the best pictures of the Toronto skyline. There was not a cloud in the sky.

While walking the Harbourfront (back on the mainland), we came across an installation of a rather inconvenient floating convenience store. I showed them a few of the areas in Toronto, including Chinatown and Yonge-Dundas square.

The next day, we took them to Niagara Falls and did the “Maid of the Mist” attraction, which I have not actually done before. You hop on a boat that takes you up close to Niagara Falls where the falling water will drench you. It was difficult to get pictures of the Falls because water was pelting me when we got closer to the falls. It was still a fun experience, and I think locals and visiting tourists should do this at least once in their life. What also did not help us was that as soon as we got off the boat, there was a massive rainstorm that came through that further piled on the misery.

Switching gears (no pun intended) from the visit of the relatives, I spent the Saturday at the Honda Indy at the new Markham street circuit to watch the INDYCAR practice. This was the first year that the annual INDYCAR race took place in Markham as it moved from Exhibition Place in Toronto. There were some growing pains, as there were some hard gravel walkways that messed up my ankles.

There was a great viewing spot next to Enterprise Blvd to see the cars go flat out on the slight bend before the tight hairpin turn.

There were many food stalls, merchandise stalls, and simulators to check out as we walked around the concourses. The other problem (along with the gravel) was that we could not complete the loop around the track as we would require a Paddock Pass to cut through the paddock and back to where the train station was. Going to the Honda Indy was a nice novelty and it was cool to check out, though I am not sure if I would ever go back to the event again until the organizers improve the fan experience.

Those were some of the things I did in Toronto this summer, and there will be more to come in the fall and winter of this year.