Teachers on Call Celebrates Doors Open Toronto

Are you familiar with Doors Open Ontario? From April to October, participating Doors Open cities across the province open normally closed doors to the public at no cost. In this blog, we’re featuring Doors Open Toronto, which is taking place May 27-28, 2023 with over 140 in-person Doors Open buildings and sites across the city, including many that normally charge admission. The Teachers on Call in-person and online tutoring service have always been fans of family field trips filled with teachable moments. We love this unique opportunity for students (and the adults who love them) to experience history, culture and architecture in their very own city or a daytrip somewhere new. Read on, to learn more!

What is Doors Open Ontario and how does it work?

Hello Ontario! Are you looking for a fun weekend activity filled with adventure and learning. The Ontario Heritage Trust has invited communities across Ontario to open the doors, gates and courtyards of special historical and modern sites which are not normally open to the general public. Given that Teachers on Call in-person and online tutors are also certified teachers, we are big believers in learning for fun and educational field trips. In this blog, we are featuring Doors Open Toronto which is being hosted on Saturday May 27 to Sunday May 28, 2023. 

How to Plan for Doors Open Toronto

With over 140 sites to choose from, it won’t be possible to visit them all in one weekend! The Teachers on Call online and in-person tutoring service recommends reviewing the list together as a family to map out your weekend plans with the sites you want to visit most. You may try for a target of five buildings per day for in-person trips.

Doors Open Toronto has a list that you can filter by date, newness of offering, year it was constructed, architectural style, accessibility, site tours and activities, physical location and transit points for ease of planning!

A Curated List of In-Person Sites for Doors Open Toronto

Naturally, with so many sites we can’t list them all! So, we have a specially curated Doors Open Toronto site list that should be particularly interesting to children and youth.

Colonel Samuel Smith Park - Spring Bird Festival - 3145 Lake Shore Blvd West, Toronto, ON M8V 4B6

The park is transformed for a one-day Spring Bird Festival that highlights the spectacular spring bird migration. The park is one of Toronto's best birding locations because of its natural habitats and proximity to Lake Ontario.

Children's Garden and Teaching Kitchen - 105 Colborne Lodge Drive, Toronto, ON M6S 2X3

The Teaching Kitchen was built to be a space for cooking and environmental programming. Combined with the newly renovated Children's Garden, it is a place where children of all ages can learn to grow and cook food that is healthy and tasty!

The Parkdale Hall - #3 1605 Queen Street W, Toronto, ON M6R 1A9

The Parkdale Theatre opened in the spring of 1920, built by cinema chain moguls, Jay and Jule Allen. The theatre's interior was opulent, with an expansive ornate plaster ceiling, gilded details, crystal chandeliers, and more than 1500 luxurious leather seats.

Parkdale Arts and Cultural Centre - #Main Floor 1313 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6K 1L8

The Parkdale Arts and Cultural Centre is one of the few art deco buildings left in the city. It was formerly the City of Toronto Police Station Division 6, from 1931 to 1963.

HackLab.TO - 1677 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M6N 1H9

HackLab.TO is a decades-old, member-run organization dedicated to makers and hackers (by the MIT definition) from all walks of life. Come visit the uniquely adorned space filled with members' projects ranging from art to electronic exhibits and design projects.

JUNO Awards & MusiCounts Office - #211C 219 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON M6K 3J1

A brilliantly renovated turn-of-the-century manufacturing facility which is an exceptional example of early 20th-century industrial design with features of Edwardian classicism. And of course, it’s where the JUNOs operates on a daily basis!

Scadding Cabin - 3 Alberta Circle, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3

This one-room house, constructed of squared white pine logs with dovetailed corners, originally stood on the east bank of the Don River, just south of present-day Queen Street. Today, Scadding Cabin is Toronto's oldest surviving building, built in 1794.

The ZoomerPlex - 70 Jefferson Avenue, Toronto, ON M6K 1Y4

Home to blogTO, Daily Hive, The New Classical FM, Zoomer Radio, VisionTV and ONETV studios, Zoomer magazine, and Moses Znaimer's MZTV Museum of Television showcasing the world's largest collection of vintage TV sets.

InterAccess - #1 950 Dupont, Toronto, ON M6H 1Z2

Founded in 1983 as Toronto Community-Videotex, InterAccess is a gallery, educational facility, production studio, festival, and registered charity dedicated to new media and emerging practices in art and technology.

HMCS YORK - 659 Lake Shore Blvd West, Toronto, ON M5V 1A7

This is Toronto's Naval Reserve Division, home to 350 sailors and officers who work and train each day, evening and weekend. Naval Reservists are part-time military members who augment the Regular Force when deployed abroad.

Artscape Wychwood Barns - 601 Christie Street, Toronto, ON M6G 4C7

The large courtyard space in Barn 2 plays regular host to art and craft fairs, community-focused special events, and more. Many people know this place through the Stop Community Food Centre's popular Farmers' Market.

Stackt Market - 28 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON M5V 0R4

Designed and built entirely out of shipping containers, stackt is an ever-evolving cultural marketplace featuring a mix of onsite shops, a brewery, art installations and container murals, and public spaces built to spark curiosity and add vibrancy to the city.

Aga Khan Museum - 77 Wynford Drive, Toronto, ON M3C 1K1

The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada is home to a growing permanent collection of over 1,000 masterpieces, including manuscripts, paintings, ceramics, and textiles from the 9th to the 21st century.

The Bentway - 250 Fort York Blvd, Toronto, ON M5V 3K9

The Bentway is a catalyst rooted in experimentation, leading a creative movement to re-imagine the opportunities of urban spaces. The Bentway works to ignite the urban imagination, using the city as site, subject, and canvas.

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library - 120 St George St, Toronto, ON M5S 1A5

The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto is the largest rare book library in Canada, and something of a hidden treasure in the city. While classically Brutalist on the outside, the interior is a bibliophile's delight: four mezzanine floors of rare books that tower over visitors.

Fire Station 334 - 339 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5V 1A2

Station 334 is Toronto Fire's waterfront station. Home to two fireboats, Pumper 334, and the site of the Toronto Firefighters Fallen memorial.

Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre of Toronto - 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON M3C 1Z5

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, the JCCC continues to grow and serves as the gathering point for the Japanese Canadian community and for those of non-Japanese ancestry who have an interest in things Japanese. The JCCC houses a museum, a library, art gallery, tea ceremony room, a performance hall, and a state-of-the-art martial arts dojo. Cherry trees blossom around its five-acre property.

Toronto Railway Museum - #17 255 Bremner Blvd, Toronto, ON M5V 3M9

The Toronto Railway Museum, located in the historic John Street Roundhouse, tells the stories of Toronto's railways. The John Street Roundhouse is the best example of a surviving roundhouse in Canada. Used to house maintenance work on locomotives for over 50 years, this National Historic Site also features the longest turntable in Canada.

We hope you enjoy learning about Doors Open Ontario and wish you a great excursion in Toronto with your family. Stay tuned for our next feature on Doors Open Ottawa!