Most of the important tourist attractions of Toronto are concentrated in the center of the downtown area around Yonge and Dundas Streets and most of them are situated in close proximity to each other. So, it is not very difficult to plan your tour of the city. Within a radius of merely five or six blocks, you can visit many prominent tourist spots.
One of the important tourist attractions of this city is the extraordinary Museum For Textiles that is situated at a distance of merely 0.8 km from Skyline Executive Suites . This museum, with more than 8,000 textile exhibits from almost all the corners of the world, is one of a kind in the whole of Canada . It is internationally famous for not only its collection of different varieties of textile and fabric samples, but also for exquisite carpets, soft quilts and comforters, garments, and various other ceremonial objects made from fabric. It extensively documents the international history of exquisite textile workmanship and textile art. This museum has several exhibits from different parts of the world like Central and South America , the Pacific, Europe , Africa , China and Japan . The historic and ethnic exhibits give insight into the textile art of other cultures.
Another important destination of this area is the Old City Hall , located at a distance of only 0.2 miles from Cambridge Suites Hotel . T his Old City Hall was constructed in 1899 and it is very different from the New City Hall building off the Bay Street . The grotesque gargoyles looking down from the front steps seem to make fun of the politicians climbing the stairs. You will also come across a large and fabulous stained-glass window as you go inside the building. During its heydays, it was the most impressive municipal halls of North America . It still houses the offices of the county, the provincial courts and the marriage bureau.
If you turn towards north from downtown, you will come across a few extraordinary only-in-Toronto sites, such as the Spadina House that stands at a distance of 1.4 miles from Marriott Bloor Yorkville . The right pronunciation of this word is ‘spa-dee-na' but nobody cares to pronounce it that way. This ancestral house of the James Austin family was constructed in 1866. This place is famous for some unique, exquisite and expensive arts and artifacts of the Austin family who held an important place in the natural gas, railroad, and banking industry. The members of the Austin family used to live in this mansion from Victorian times until 1982, when it handed down for public ownership. Great care has been taken to restore this 50-room house. It also has some fabulous gardens and orchards.
Casa Loma, another favorite destination of the tourists, is situated at a distance of one mile from Quality Hotel Midtown . This 20th-century modern castle is complete with all the features of any medieval castle. There are 98 rooms, some really eerie passageways, two towers and several secret panels. You can have some panoramic views of Toronto from this castle. It also houses the giant pipe organ, a replica of the Peacock Alley of Windsor Castle. You can also admire the 60-ft-high Great Hall ceiling as well as the marble and mahogany stable. The rooms of this castle are architectural marvels reflecting the aura of Austrian, Spanish, English and Scottish castles.
After touring this modern day castle, you can move over to visit the interesting Bata Shoe Museum , which is merely 0.2 miles away from InterContinental Hotel Toronto . There are, at least, 10,000 kinds of shoes in this museum. This vast collection relates the history of the craft of shoemaking and the changing trend of fashions related to footwear during all ages. Here, you can see some 4,000 years old footwears. Besides the usual shoes used for the purpose of covering the feet and walking, the items exhibited in this museum include smugglers' clogs, iron-spiked shoes meant for crushing chestnuts and pressurized skydiving boots besides the boots of Elton John and the socks of Napoleon.
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