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A Toronto Islands Kind of Adventure

As one of Toronto's top attractions, Toronto Islands is a great escape from the city life. Spend the summer day taking part in one of the many activities that the islands offer.

Let's Get Started

To get to Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, you can either take the TTC or walk there. It's located at the foot of Bay Street at Queens Quay. 

TTC: From Union Station, take the 509 Harbourfront or 510 Spadina streetcar south to the Bay and Queen Quay stop. Head south down the street to reach the ferry terminal. 

Walk: From Union Station, walk south down Bay Street. You'll eventually reach the park entrance via the walkway between Westin Harbour Castle hotel and Harbour Castle condominiums. It only takes 10 minutes. 

Toronto Islands: You'll need to take the ferry to get to the island. Depending on what activities you want to do, you can choose which section of island to visit. Enjoy the ride over and spend the day out in the sun exploring.

Notes: 

  • Ferry rides$7.25/adult; $4.75/student(19 and under) or senior; $3.50/junior (14 and under). The price is for round-trip. The ferry comes about every half hour. It's a 15 minute ride. Peak hours are from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m, so try to avoid those times if you can. 
  • Bike Rentals: You'll need an identification card to rent. It's cash only and there's a deposit fee as well that varies depending on which bike you're renting. The minimum rental is 1 hour and you're only given 5 minute leeway before you're charged for another half hour, so be punctual! You can choose between a single bike, tandem bike, two-seater or 4-seater quadricycle. Rental is on Centre Island, but feel free to explore both ends of the islands. 
  • The island has Centreville, beaches, canoeing and kayaking, bike rentals, festivals (depending on the day), restaurants and picnic areas. 

Happy Adventuring!

Have You Ever Wanted to Fly a Kite?

If you're looking for an simple adventure, you should try flying a kite. Why not? It's cheap, there are cool designs and it makes you feel like a kid again. After a simple observation that it's windy outside, Chechi and I decided that flying a kite seemed like a good idea. We thrive on random and spontaneous adventures, so this isn't really out of the ordinary.

Below is a list of steps on how to fly a kite:

Step 1: Buy a kite. We're broke students who decided getting the cheapest and sturdiest kite was ideal. After a trip to Walmart and an argument on which design was the best, we got our shark kite for $15. Da-dum...Da-dum...Da-dum da-dum da-dum!

Step 2: Acquire canine companion (optional). You can probably skip this step, but bringing a dog makes the experience just a little bit more fun, especially if he's trying to chase you as you run. Bring your furry friend if you're looking for a challenge. 

Step 3: Read instructions and assemble kite. We sorta skipped reading the instructions part. We just attempted to put the kite together and tried to fly it. It seemed pretty self-explanatory. 

Step 4: Make mistakes. It turns out, it was much harder than expected. We would get the kite up for a few seconds before it crashed to the ground. Not cool. 

Step 5: Fly the kite. After multiple attempts, we finally got it in the air long enough to take a few snapshots. Just wait for a big gust of wind and start running! 

I hope you all are inspired to be a kid again. It's a pretty fun activity and isn't too time-consuming for those of you who are busy. Just get outside and fly a kite! 

Happy Flying!