After spending almost 8 years in Calgary, my husband and I moved back to Toronto a few years ago. Since then we’ve spent time exploring the city that we thought we already knew. Initially, I was a little overwhelmed, Toronto is after all one of the largest cities in North America, much larger than Calgary for sure. But it’s also one of the most multicultural and family friendly, and soon it felt like home.
Fun and Free March Break Activities In Toronto
With March Break coming up it’s the perfect time to revisit some of our favourite haunts. But vacation time with visits to the city’s top attractions can get expensive for a lot of parents. So here is our list of family-friendly and FREE March Break activities in Toronto – and this amazing city has quite a few of them.
Enjoy The Outdoors
- Toronto has umpteen hiking trails and bike paths (if the weather cooperates). If you’re in the north like us, Sunnybrook Park is a family favourite with charming walks by the river and over bridges. Our other favourite is Betty Sutherland Trail in North York. This one is also by the river and eventually meanders under the 401. Quite a fun experience to see the underbelly of the overpass. Better to do this one before the weather warms up.
- With the Sugar Shack Festival in downtown Toronto on the first weekend of March Break, winter just got a little sweeter! Sugar shacks selling authentic maple taffy, interactive ice demos, taffy making booths, warming centres along with live music I know what we’re doing this weekend.
Light Art Installation at #TOLightFest3. Another event that is available only the first weekend of March Break is the Toronto Light Fest. This interactive and FREE event in Toronto is lighting up the DistilleryDistrict,and is a fun place to take the kids once the sun has set.(Edited to add: event ended before March Break in 2018) And if it’s little chilly there’s always the Mayan spicy melted chocolate at Soma Chocolatiers that will warm you right up.4. Parks Canada is running guided nature walks through Rouge Valley to help people experience the end of winter and the beginning of spring. One of the great free March Break activities in Toronto, I’m glad the walks have a different theme every day. With start times during the day you could even do this a few times during March Break. Just remember to arrive about 10 minutes early to pick up your free Parks Canada Discovery Pass for free entry to over 200 Parks Canada sites in 2017.
Posing at the Evergreen Brickworks5.Nestled in the heart of Don Valley is Evergreen Brickworks, a vibrant public space where kids can immerse themselves in nature in the middle of the city. It came top of my summer list of things to do in Toronto as well. With guided nature walks, free public skating, art exhibits, and an obstacle course for cyclists, there is much to do here during March Break and all winter long. The weekend street food market is also an experience not to be missed with it’s live cooking demos and music. Most activities here are either fee or pay what you can.
6. Go Geocaching. If you are new to this craze then see what my friends at Active for Life have to say about it. A mapped scavenger hunt, all you need is a working phone with a built-in GPS (or a separate GPS) some knick-knacks to leave behind and a sense of adventure. Usually, my oldest takes charge of our rag-tag team of explorers and hours pass before we know it.
7. With such little snow on the ground, skiing and sledding may be out of the picture. Skating though is still available at neighbourhood skating rinks around the city. The Natrel rink at Harbourfront centre is always popular with an opportunity to take some great pictures with the CN Tower as a backdrop. Rentals are at a fee.
Indoor Fun During March Break
8. With many locations around the city, Toronto Public Library has free events running all year long. March Break is extra special though and you may need to pre-register for some of the events. Reading lessons and craft activities, drama and puppet shows, STEM-focused activities and many others are scheduled across the city. There are activities for kids of all ages while the Maker programs and Innovation Labs are very, very popular with older kids.
9. Board Game cafes have sprung up around town. Locations like Snakes and Lattes, For the Win and others let you “borrow” board games for a nominal fee as you sit and sip your bubble tea. A great place to hang out if you want to get off your feet and warm up for a little bit.
10. Coding camps across the city are available for kids between the ages 8-12 years. Many of these are run by Apple and Microsoft. Some are Minecraft focused while others are animation, app or design related themes. A great way for the gamer in your child to broaden their horizons.
11. If your kids want to learn about how Ontario’s Legislative Assembly functions then this one may be for you. This is a 2-hour interactive program at the Legislative Building that’s designed for families who want to learn how the provincial government functions.
12. Another indoor and free March break activity is at your local bookshop. Chapters Indigo stores around the GTA are running events daily during March Break. Planned around a theme for most days, there may be pre-registration required at some locations. We’ve attended these in previous years and they’re usually well-organized, and there’s no pressure to buy, at least not from the store.
