Enjoy guided walking tours of Toronto’s architecture and history
Lace up your walking shoes and discover the architecture, history and stories of Toronto through ROMwalks, a series of free guided walking tours of the city. Every year, from May to October, tour leaders from the Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) Department of Museum Volunteers guide the public through some of the city’s most distinctive neighbourhoods, visiting Toronto landmarks and illuminating their architectural and historical significance.
The 2010 ROMwalks series kicks off on Sunday, May 2 at 2 pm starting with "Cabbagetown", which highlights Victorian houses, the former Trinity College Medical School, Riverdale Park, The Necropolis and the Wellesley Cottages.
Launched in 1980, the ROMwalks repertoire continues to expand. This year 12 different walks will be featured with most offered four times during this ROMwalks season. Two of the walks are also offered in French - Historic Toronto and Mt. Pleasant Cemetery (Part One). In addition, there will be two ROMwalks PLUS - Queen’s Park Circle: Politics, Profs and Pundits, on Sunday August 8 and St. James’ Cemetery on Sunday September 26. ROMwalk Plus are $10 per person and tickets must be reserved in advance.
All ROMwalks take place Sundays at 2 pm and Wednesdays at 6 pm and last one and a half to two hours. Look for the blue ROM umbrella at the starting point of each walk. A complete schedule of ROMwalks with meeting points and highlights is provided below. Tours are free to the public and registration is not required, with the exception of private group walks and ROMwalks PLUS walks. Please call 416.586.8097 or visit www.rom.on.ca for a ROMwalks brochure and additional information.
ROMwalks 2010 at a glance – no reservations needed except for ROMwalk Plus walks
Sunday, May 2, 2:00 pm, Cabbagetown
Wednesday, May 5, 6:00 pm, ROM and Its Neighbours
Sunday, May 9, 2:00 pm, Parkdale
Wednesday, May 12, 6:00 pm, The Grange Neighbourhood
Sunday, May 16, 2:00 pm, Yorkville: A Tollgate Village
Wednesday, May 19, 6:00 pm, Historic Toronto
Sunday, May 23, 2:00 pm, Sacred Stones and Steeples
Wednesday, May 26, 6:00 pm, Heart of Toronto: Builders of the City
Sunday*, May 30, 2:00 pm, *No ROMwalk due to Doors Open
Wednesday, June 2, 6:00 pm, Whisky, Wharf & Windmill
Sunday, June 6, 2:00 pm, Necropolis
Wednesday*, June 9, 6:00 pm, *No walk
Sunday, June 13, 2:00 pm, Rosedale – Part Two
Wednesday, June 16, 6:00 pm, ROM and Its Neighbours
Sunday, June 20, 2:00 pm, The Grange Neighbourhood
Wednesday, June 23, 6:00 pm, Yorkville: A Tollgate Village
Sunday, June 27, 2:00 pm, Historic Toronto (F)
Wednesday, June 30, 6:00 pm, Cabbagetown
Sunday, July 4, 2:00 pm, Mt. Pleasant Cemetery – Part One
Wednesday, July 7, 6:00 pm, Parkdale
Sunday, July 11, 2:00 pm, Sacred Stones and Steeples
Wednesday, July 14, 6:00 pm, Whisky, Wharf and Windmill
Sunday, July 18, 2:00 pm, Heart of Toronto: Builders of the City
Wednesday, July 21, 6:00 pm, ROM and Its Neighbours
Sunday, July 25, 2:00 pm, Cabbagetown
Wednesday, July 28, 6:00 pm, Historic Toronto
Sunday, August 1, 2:00 pm, The Grange Neighbourhood
Wednesday, August 4, 6:00 pm, Rosedale – Part Two
*Sunday, August 8, 2:00 pm, Queen’s Park Circle – ROMwalk Plus
Wednesday, August 11, 6:00 pm, Whisky, Wharf & Windmill
Sunday, August 15, 2:00 pm, The Necropolis
Wednesday, August 18, 6:00 pm, Heart of Toronto: Builders of the City
Sunday, August 22, 2:00 pm, Historic Toronto
Wednesday, August 25, 6:00 pm, Yorkville: A Tollgate Village
Sunday, August 29, 2:00 pm, Sacred Stones & Steeples
Wednesday, September 1, 6:00 pm, ROM and Its Neighbours
Sunday, September 5, 2:00 pm, Whisky, Wharf and Windmill
Wednesday, September 8, 6:00 pm, The Grange Neighbourhood
Sunday, September 12, 2:00 pm, Mt. Pleasant Cemetery – Part One (F)
Wednesday, September 15, 6:00 pm, Yorkville: A Tollgate Village
Sunday, September 19, 2:00 pm, Cabbagetown
Wednesday, September 22, 6:00 pm, Heart of Toronto: Builders of the City
*Sunday, September 26, 2:00 pm, St. James’ Cemetery –ROMwalk Plus
Sunday, October 3, 2:00 pm, Sacred Stones & Steeples
F=ROMwalk also available in French
ROMwalks information:
Cabbagetown
Meet at Parliament & Spruce Streets
Highlights: Victorian houses, Former Trinity College Medical School, Riverdale Park, The Necropolis, Wellesley Park.
TTC Access: Carlton Streetcar to Parliament St.
The Grange Neighbourhood
Meet at Dundas St. & McCaul St.
Highlights: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, George Brown House, John Cawthra House, Beverley Mansions, AGO, Italian Consulate, St. George the Martyr, The Grange.
TTC Access: St. Patrick Station, exit west
Heart of Toronto: Builders of the City
Meet at the front doors of New City Hall
Highlights: Osgoode Hall, Old and New City Halls, Simpson Building, Eaton Centre, Bell Trinity Square, and Church of the Holy Trinity.
TTC Access: Osgoode or Queen subway stopss
Historic Toronto (English and French walks)
Meet at 260 Adelaide St. E. – Toronto’s First Post Office
Highlights: Toronto’s First Post Office, Bank of Upper Canada, St. Lawrence Market, St. James’ Cathedral, St. Lawrence Hall, Courthouse Square.
TTC Access: King streetcar to Jarvis St.
Mount Pleasant Cemetery — Part One (English and French walks)
Meet at Yonge Street Cemetery Entrance (Yonge St., north of St. Clair Ave.)
Highlights: St. Andrew's Society Monument, Massey Mausoleum, Mt. Pleasant Mausoleum, Millionaires' Row, Empress of Ireland Monument
TTC Access: St. Clair subway stop
The Necropolis
Meet at the Necropolis Chapel, 200 Winchester St.
Highlights: Graves of William Lyon Mackenzie, Peter Matthews and Samuel Lount, Ned Hanlon, George Brown, Thornton Blackburn, Joseph Bloore.
TTC Access: Carlton streetcar to Parliament St.
Parkdale
Meet in front of Parkdale Public Library, 1303 Queen St. W.
Highlights: St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Masaryk Hall, Home of Mazo de la Roche, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and Melbourne Mews.
TTC Access: Queen St. Streetcar to Brock St.
ROM and its Neighbours
Meet in front of the ROM’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal on Bloor St.
Highlights: Royal Ontario Museum, Church of the Redeemer, Royal Conservatory of Music, Taddle Creek, Flavelle House, Gardiner Museum.
TTC Access: Museum or St. George subway stops
Rosedale — Part Two
Meet on Bloor St. East and Park Rd.
Highlights: Severn St. Studio building, site of Rosedale Villa, Idelwold, Lorne Hall, Caverhill, Thom House, and Chestnut Park.
TTC Access: Bloor and Yonge subway stop
Whiskey, Wharf and Windmill
Meet at King and Trinity Streets
Highlights: the historic Distillery District, Little Trinity Church, Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, Consumers’ Gas Building.
TTC Access: King Streetcar to Trinity (East of Parliament)
Sacred Stones and Steeples
Meet at the northeast corner of Church St. & King St.
Highlights: Sacred buildings from Christian & other faiths, including St. James’ Cathedral, Metropolitan United Church, St. Michael’s Cathedral, St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church.
TTC Access: King subway stops
Yorkville: A Tollgate Village
Meet in front of Yorkville Public Library, 22 Yorkville Ave.
Highlights: Yorkville Library, Firehall, Heliconian Club, 19th century houses, Yorkville Park, and Church of the Redeemer.
TTC Access: Bloor and Yonge subway stop
ROMwalks PLUS:
Support the ROMwalks program by taking in one of two special fundraising ROMwalk Plus and have the chance to win a one year ROM Membership or ROM day pass. Tickets are $10 per person and must be reserved in advance by calling 416.586.5799.
Queen’s Park Circle: Politics, Profs and Pundits
Sunday August 8, 2:00 pm
Highlights: the Provincial Legislative building; memorials to Ontario’s history; historic homes on the east side of the Crescent and the campuses of St. Michael’s and Victoria Universities and the statue of the Crucified Woman.
St. James’ Cemetery
Sunday September 26, 2:00 pm
Highlights: chapel of St. James-the-Less and the burial plots of some of York and Toronto’s most prominent citizens including members of the Gooderham, Austin, Osler and Cawthra families and many other notable and notorious residents who had an impact on our city.
Private Group Walks:
Private group walks are available year round by special request for clubs, community groups, visitors and families. Group walks are $10 per person with a minimum of ten people. Please call 416.586.8097 for more information. All regular walks are available for Private Group Walks, as well as the additional walks listed below.
Along the Front
Highlights: St. Lawrence Market, Old Warehouses, Flatiron Building, Berczy Park, BCE Place, Dominion Public Building, Royal Bank Plaza, Royal York Hotel, Union Station.
The Annex
Highlights: Medical Arts Building, First Church of Christ Scientist, York Club, and two styles of residential architecture unique to Toronto.
Citadels of Wealth
Highlights: Hockey Hall of Fame, Early Skyscraper Banks, Canadian Bank of Commerce, the Big Five modern banks, BCE Place.
The Danforth
Highlights: Prince Edward Viaduct, Danforth Music Hall, Playter Farmhouse, Carrot Common, Early 20th Century Churches, Owen Staples House, Riverdale Park.
Entertainment District
Highlights: St. Andrew's Church, Roy Thomson Hall, Royal Alexandra & Princess of Wales Theatres, Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome), Metro Toronto Convention Centre, CN Tower.
Hidden Treasures: Sculpture in the City
Highlights: Sculptures traditional and modern, beautiful and intriguing in the downtown area from the Sculpture Garden opposite St. James Cathedral to the Archer in City Hall Square.
Jarvis Street: Mansions & Churches of the Rich & Religious
Highlights: St. Paul’s Church,Victorian houses including Massey House, Jarvis Collegiate, Allan Gardens, Jarvis St. Baptist Church.
Mount Pleasant Cemetery — Part Two
Highlights: 48th Highlander’s Memorial Plot, Air Canada Monument, Chinese monuments, Monuments of Frederick Banting, Charles Best, Alan Brown, S.S. Noronic Memorial
Rosedale — Part One
Highlights: James Ramsay House, Drumsnab, Hawthorn Gardens, Craghleigh Gardens, Moordale House, Ancroft Place.