Doors Open Toronto - May 24 & 25
Are you interested in visiting Toronto sometime in the near future? Well, whether you’re planning to drive across the border from the US, hop into Pearson International Airport from another continent or simply take a bus or train ride into the city from elsewhere in Canada, the upcoming weekend of May 24th and 25th should be your top priority when doing the scheduling. The reason for this is that a great event will be taking place during this time.
Known as Doors Open Toronto, this event will showcase some of the best of the city as 150 buildings will open their doors to the public over the weekend. These include places that show off Toronto’s distinct multicultural heritage and religious diversity as well as the historical heritage that the city has come to be proud of over the years of its existence. Some of these buildings would not normally be open to tourists because of their private nature, but during Doors Open Toronto you can tour them to your heart’s content.
Event Details
Doors Open Toronto 2008 is the 9th incarnation of this event and it is going to be the biggest one yet. Admission to all of the buildings participating under Doors Open Toronto is completely free during the May 24-25 weekend. To get an idea of how remarkable that is, every single building on the list is either a building that would not normally be open to the public during those hours or alternatively would charge an entrance fee for you to enter. However, during the weekend that Doors Open Toronto is going on, admission is free and accessibility is universal.
More information about the event can be found by visiting the Doors Open Toronto Website, by e-mailing doorsopen@toronto.ca or by phoning 416-338-0628.
Buildings on Display
A full list of buildings on display is readily available from the Toronto City Website, but in looking over it I’ve come up with some highlights that I think warrant special attention:
Allan Gardens, located on 19 Horticultural Avenue, is one of the premier botanical garden sites in Toronto. It was created in an act of philanthropy more than fifteen decades ago and ever since that time it has been a must see site within the City of Toronto. During Doors Open Toronto, it will be open on both days from 10 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon.
The City of Toronto Archives is a site that doesn’t get mentioned much in traditional tourism, mostly because access to the archives is restricted by the city’s governing council. However, all of the information that you could ever want to know about Toronto’s rich cultural and historical tradition can be found inside the archives and for people that love to totally immerse themselves in a city both past and present, the accessibility to the archives during Doors Open Toronto is an opportunity that can’t be missed. The archives will be open on Saturday from 10 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon and will be closed on Sunday. It is located on 255 Spadina Road.
There’s no specific reason for me to mention these two out of the 150 that will be available aside from the fact that I haven’t covered either before on The Toronto Traveler. The fact of the matter is that every single site on the list is an important one for understanding Toronto, so you can quite easily scan the list and pick out the buildings that interest you the most.
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POSTED IN: Attractions, Events, Family Fun, Great Places to Unwind, Great Walks, History & Information, Lunch Hour Fun, Museums, Must-See Sights, People - Interesting Local People, Photos, Resources, Tours - Guided or Unguided
3 opinions for Doors Open Toronto - May 24 & 25
Chandra
May 19, 2008 at 12:36 am
…a building that would not normally be open to the public during those hours or alternatively would charge an entrance fee for you to enter. However, during the weekend that Doors Open Toronto is going on, admission is free and accessibility is universal.
Fabulous. I don’t think there’s any major area in the United States that would dare do that these post-9/11 days (someone correct me if I’m wrong, please), which actually makes this event all the more fantastic. If I were in town, I’d drop by as many places as possible.
Justin
May 19, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Chandra - Thanks for commenting! I have no idea about what goes on in the States, but what you say does sound reasonable to me based on the increased security I observed the last time I was there (in 2002).
Doors Open Toronto’s usually a lot of fun. I don’t have a chance to visit places this year, but in previous years I’ve attended. You’d be surprised at how many places you can go through in a weekend :)
The King’s in Toronto
May 30, 2008 at 12:33 pm
[…] Just one of the many cool things that people saw during last week’s Doors Open Toronto. […]
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