Traveling costs can add up fast with hotels, food, travel, and entertainment expenses insidiously draining the contents of your wallet. If you’re in Toronto, Canada however, you’re in luck. There are some cool hangout spots you can visit at no cost. Cool neighborhoods, historic districts, concerts, and parks – there’s something free for everyone.
Harbourfront Centre
The Harbourfront Centre offers free arts and culture events all year round. Perched on the lakefront of Lake Ontario, the Harbourfront invites visitors to listen to lectures, poetry readings, musical performances, watch dance shows, view art, and engage in other free community events. During the summer, the Dancing on the Pier series invites dancers of all ages and skill levels to bust a move to live musical accompaniment every Thursday. Don’t know how to dance? No problem. A dance instructor offers a free lesson to anybody who wants some pointers before the dancing starts.
Kensington Market
Kensington Market is not a produce and veggies type of market, it’s a hip Toronto community right next to Chinatown. There are plenty of unique shops and boutiques to visit here filled with vintage clothes and retro furniture. It’s also a great place for take-out meals (try out the empanadas), people-watching, and coffee shop exploring.
Historic Distillery District
The Distillery Historic District is great for an extended stroll because it’s a pedestrian-only space. You can wander for a few hours looking at the stunning historic architecture. The District holds the biggest and best-preserved collection of Victorian Industrial Architecture. It’s also a great place for shopping because the stores and galleries are all unique – no big box chains here.
Canadian Opera Company
If you want decidedly more sophisticated (but free) entertainment, head to the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Canadian Opera Company. Every Tuesday and Thursday at noon, you can escape into the world of music and opera by attending the Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, one of Toronto’s best acoustic spaces that showcases beautiful views of the city with floor to ceiling windows. Artists from around the world showcase their skills in six different categories: vocal, piano, jazz, dance, chamber and world music.
Riverdale Farm
If you need respite from constant Facebook status updates and an iPhone addiction, head to the Riverdale Farm. Here, you’ll esperience 20th century Ontario farm life and multiples acres of green space in the middle of downtown Toronto. You can wander around the grounds to see cows, horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats and other farm animals. If you get hungry, the Farm Kitchen offers small snacks from the morning to the late afternoon. The farm is also conveniently near Riverdale Park and Cabbagetown, a town that features an amazingly preserved row of Victorian houses.
