Back in the early 1800s, this waterfront neighborhood was home to Canada's largest distilling company, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery. Today, this historic pedestrian-only neighborhood – flanked by industrial-style Victorian buildings and paved with cobblestone once tread on by horse-drawn carriages – overflows with art galleries, performance spaces, cafes, restaurants and yes, a brewery. For a true glimpse into Toronto's past, this is the place to go. Enjoy festivals and outdoor exhibitions throughout the year, join an art class or kick back, relax and enjoy an authentic Canadian brewski.

When you're in need of a break from the hustle and bustle of Canada's biggest city, hop a ferry to the Toronto Islands. This collection of islands and islets offers a welcome touch of green to the city's skyscraper-speckled mainland. The three islands, Centre, Ward's and Algonquin, are all connected, so you don't have to worry about having to get on and off a boat to fully experience the area. Each main island offers something different. Centre Island lives up to its name, providing the most in terms of activities. There, visitors will find expansive picnic areas, beaches, sporting rentals and the Centreville Amusement Park, which features more than 30 rides, a petting zoo and a boating lagoon. Ward and Algonquin are more laid-back, dotted with 1920s-style cottages and English gardens. Hanlan's Point, located next to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport at the northeastern tip of the island, features the area's only clothing optional beach, as well as a lighthouse believed to be haunted. All of the islands are largely car-free, making them the perfect venue for a peaceful stroll, bike ride or picnic. And while the winter brings biting winds and lots of snow, the Toronto Islands are also a great place for cross-country skiing and ice skating.

Located in Toronto's historic Old Town, the St. Lawrence Market has seen many faces since its construction in the 17th century. Along with being a marketplace, the St. Lawrence Market has served as the city's social center, as well as its City Hall. Today, the market sells goodies galore, from gourmet cured meats on one end to handcrafted jewelry in the other. The St. Lawrence Market is divided into three buildings: the South Market, the North Market and St. Lawrence Hall. The South Market features 120 vendors that sell a mix of food and retail items. There are also cooking classes held at the Market Kitchen as well as exhibitions on the city's art, culture and history held in the Market Gallery. The St. Lawrence Hall houses retail businesses, while the North Market is famous for its historic farmers market. Every Saturday since 1803, purveyors from Southern Ontario gather at the North Market to sell their seasonal produce. On Sundays, the farmers market converts into a flea market, where more than 80 vendors sell antique items.

A standout among Toronto's dazzling skyline, the 1,815-foot CN Tower is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The tower's height provides enviable vistas of the city below, but it also serves a practical purpose. When the city's skyline began to grow amidst a construction boom, television and radio transmission towers were having trouble broadcasting. With the structure's completion in the 1970s, the CN Tower allowed transmissions to pass with ease. Today, elevators bring visitors to the top in less than a minute. Once there, you have four observation areas to choose from: the Glass Floor room (at 1,122 feet), the LookOut Level (at 1,136 feet), the revolving 360 The Restaurant (at 1,150 feet) and the SkyPod, which at 1,465 feet is one of the highest public observation area in the world. Meanwhile, the EdgeWalk allows the daring to experience the world's highest hands-free external walk on a building. Connected via harness, participants can take a walk on a 5-foot-wide ledge encircling the top of the tower's main pod 116 stories above the ground.

Perched on the northern edge of the University of Toronto campus, the Royal Ontario Museum (also referred to as the "ROM") is a must-visit for history buffs. Since its establishment in 1912, the ROM has accumulated more than six million artifacts, making it Canada's largest museum of world cultures and natural history. The museum features a diverse range of relics on display, including dinosaur bones, ancient Roman sculptures, Chinese temple art and an exhibit on Canada's First Peoples, to name a few.