1. Riverdale Farm

    1. Riverdale Farm

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    Toronto, ON

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    Riverdale Farm

    4.4 (46 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Ruby A.

    This was my first time vising Riverdale Farm, even though I have lived in Toronto for so long! We found residential street parking along Winchester Street, and admission was free. There is a small splash area for kids, plenty of green space for picnics, but not a lot of benches or picnic tables. We saw a few animals - chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigs, horses, goats, and sheep, but some were hiding and sleeping. There is a short walking trail near the back end of the farm, down the stairs. This is where we found many picnic tables, and a few ponds. We ventured across a few historical buildings, but they are not accessible. The washrooms were surprisingly clean, and a staff member was on duty at the time. It was a nice first time visit, and refreshing to see a farm right in midtown Toronto.

    Sheep
    Ali B.

    My wife and I decided to venture to the East side of Toronto, wanting to see the autumn colours and explore a park we haven't ever been to - Riverdale Park. With our Tim Hortons in our hand, we were pleasantly surprised when we saw a gate open, leading to Riverdale Farm. It was a nice, cosy Sunday where we saw lots of families enjoying the farm with their children.

    Owen R.

    Get a nice summers sunny day and it's a great stroll (pretty small). The surrounding park, necropolis and especially the homes are beautiful in this neighbourhood.

    Colanie B.

    Rating based on a visit Thursday afternoon. PROS - Trails are shaded by lots of trees. - Many spots to to sit and rest or have a picnic. - Public washroom and a water fountain by the entrance - Free admission but you should make a donation at the kiosk at the front gate; they need some help! - Free neighborhood parking. - Across the street from the Toronto Necropolis - A short walk away from Cabbagetown stores and eateries. CONS - The pens don't allow very much interaction between the animals and people. It's not a petting zoo and you're not allowed to feed the animals. - The animals could use some grooming. - The enclosures are awkwardly designed and make it difficult to locate the animals. - No information about the animals to make it interesting (names, back stories, interesting facts) - The bigger pond was covered completely by duckweed, you can't even see the water. - The grounds need to be better maintained: overgrowth of vegetation, large bald patches in grass, flowerbeds messy. - No staff to welcome visitors or answer questions. The few staff I did see were busy doing work in areas away from the public. TIP: - Come when there's an event to make your trip worthwhile.

    Danica C.

    It is precious to have a farm in toronto for families and children to see the real farm animals. The best part is free. Nowadays, children learn a lot from TV or books, but first hand experience still give them a more vivid impression. My children copied the animals' sound when they heard it. The farm also gave limited information on the animal. I wish they would have more written info on each animal. The staff keep the barns in good condition and the animals are treated nicely and have lot of space to move. There are also monthly educational sessions available. I hope the city will give more support to this kind of facility. It will be good for Toronto people. There are plenty street parking nearby.

    Riverdale Farm residents.

    All of your favourite barnyard friends right here in the city! My husband and I visited on a Sunday morning at the beginning of April 2022. My parents had taken me to Riverdale Farm as a child but I had not been back in many years. It was a delightful way to spend an hour or two in Riverdale. The property is well maintained and easy to navigate on foot. The animals have shelter and outdoor space to roam around. It is a gentle way to enjoy the outdoors while seeing some farmyard animals like hens, sheep, cow, horses, turkey, pigs and Billy goats. We also wandered through the old Necropolis Cemetery across the street from the farm which connects to St. James' Cemetery and to the ravine trails. Free admission and street parking. Farm, cemetery, trails and park all within the same block for a low key, unplugged, outdoor city outing. There is a neighbourhood snack bar that operates nearby but otherwise bring your own snacks or walk up to Parliament Street for cafés or restaurants.

    Tamara M.

    Who knew there was a farm right in the middle of Toronto?! Loved visiting here and walking around the grounds. It's a smaller farm that's easy to walk around and see all the animals. We spent about an hour there. It feels like you're outside the city, yet you're right in it.

    Christopher L.

    This is a really cute, cozy, small farm in downtown Toronto, about a 20 - 30 minute walk from the core downtown area! We came here on a weekend afternoon and it wasn't busy at all. It's a free to enter farm with mostly families and children wandering around. It's a cool place to check out if you have time and they have various farm animals here like sheep, goats, cows and horses! They have some interesting, older buildings around but I'm not sure what they're used for! It's really relaxing because you feel like you're not in the city anymore because it's quieter, a lot of greenery around and just relaxing to walk through!

    Visiting chickens at the Riverdale Farm.
    Anna P.

    I really like visiting the place and spent many, many hours there. It is a very popular destination and it gets really busy on the weekends (many families with small children - it is definitely a treat for the city kids to see real animals like cows, horses and pigs). the opening hours are 9-5 - I wish there were a bit longer, especially in summer. The place is well kept and maintained with beautiful flowers and many trees shading the area (don't miss out on the tulip season!). there are picnic tables and many benches. currently (summer of 2019) part of the area is fenced off for the renovations - like around the Simpson House (that's the lovely building right by the main gate) - I miss the benches around this building that were a great place for reading and relaxing, with less foot traffic and lots of shade. washrooms are also available and they are usually very clean. I like when sheep and goats are in the barn, as you can pet them there (and they seem to enjoy it! - oops scratch that - I've just read on the Riverdale farm website that the visitors are not supposed to feed or interact with animals, oops again) but I guess they are much happier when they stay in the paddocks (during warm months). there are also some cats (a cat?) which live in the farm. the black one I had encountered recently was very friendly and even sat on my lap for a while. the farm gets a few super cute piglets every spring who spend a few months there before they meet their fate... there is also turkeys, hens and rabbits (I wish the rabbits would spend some time outdoors - every time I visit the farm they are always in the poultry ban and look somehow sad :( the staff is very knowledgeable and there are daily presentations by a farmer who talks about different farm animals. altogether it is a really nice place to visit and spend some time exploring it - east of the farm buildings and paddock there is a sizeable pond and a gate - open during warm months - that connects the park with Lower Don River Trail and the pedestrian bridge that would take you to Broadview street. dogs are not allowed and there is no bike riding on the farm (but you're fine walking your bicycle). plenty of bike locks just outside of the gate. if you're planning a picnic bring your food as there are not that many food places in the proximity - great ice cream at SW corner of Winchester and Sumach at Park Snacks (also coffee and snacks).

    Amy Y.

    Great place to bring your partner or kids to stroll around! Free entry to a nicely kept farm with a variety of animals.

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    18 years ago

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    12 years ago

    We enjoy this place, the animals seems well cared for, there is a beautiful path to walk in. It feels like a short getaway from the city.

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    12 years ago

    For a free zoo it's pretty decent. I would probably come here once every few years. Nothing really spectacular.

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    10 years ago

    Nice place. I took my daughter here for alittle walk around. Very low key, not very busy and a nice quiet relaxing day out.

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    9 years ago

    Such a beautiful area, beautiful place and great family outing! Highly recommend.

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    11 years ago

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    Page 2 of 2

    Review Highlights - Riverdale Farm

    There are pigs, chickens, roosters, horses, cows, donkeys, ducks, sheep, and I also think there is a goat.

    Mentioned in 10 reviews

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    African Lion Safari - An eagle but I forgot what kind.

    African Lion Safari

    4.0(93 reviews)
    75.4 km

    I hadn't been to African Lion Safari since around 2005--or maybe even earlier--so my memory of it…read morewas completely different from what I saw this time. I was pleasantly surprised! I loved how it wasn't overcrowded with animals, and you can tell they're very careful about safety--everything is well-secured to prevent accidents or escapes. The lions... wow! Absolutely majestic. Honestly, all the animals looked happy and healthy, and it really felt like they were in their own element. The drive-through safari takes about an hour to an hour and a half if you take your time, but you can also go through in 30 minutes if you're just cruising. We didn't try the food, but there were lots of options available, plus a couple of gift shops. The staff were super friendly and welcoming. I'll definitely be going back! Whether you're with kids, your partner, friends, or even going solo--it's such a fun and unique experience. If you're in or around Toronto, this place is a must-see!

    The park is great, however, their website is broken, frustrating and just shit! I purchased 4…read moretickets as a Xmas gift. The website happily took my money, but the ticket download button is broken (nothing downloads). The receipt page says tickets would be emailed. Nothing was emailed. Very nice. I used their contact email and only then found out that the park staff are not available from December 19 to Jan 05! Very nice. Now I have nothing to give as gifts and will need to make a promissory note. Also very nice. Suggestion: Hire a student to design a website that works and is current. You can teach them something about the animals. Win, win!

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    African Lion Safari
    African Lion Safari
    African Lion Safari - Flemish giant rabbit.

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    Flemish giant rabbit.

    Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

    Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

    4.1(774 reviews)
    3.5 kmEntertainment District

    I give kudos to Ripley's Aquarium of Canada because after I wrote to them complaining about Get…read moreYour Guide's poor ticketing experience (who refused to provide refunds and defended their UX design), the Aquarium refunded our tickets. Thank you! From Guest Services Team: Typically if someone had mistakenly purchased the Sharks After Dark, we would ask them to email us the tickets at tgservices@ripleys.com and then we would walk them in.

    Amazing aquarium, but go on a weekday…read more Incredible variety of marine life in beautiful displays. Just knocking off a star for the crowd; they seem to have no limit on ticket sales. Some areas we could barely move in the throng, and we got to smell all of the foods of Toronto on the breath of all other other patrons we were in uncomfortable proximity with. Prioritizing the bottom line over the experience of the guests, but that's pretty normal for attractions like this. We were there on a weekend, so that's what we get I guess. If we come back, it will be on a week day, probably later in the day when the toddlers clear out. It's too big for toddler stamina, and by the end they're all whining incessantly. Not the aquarium's fault, but something to look out for nonetheless. A favorite feature was the conveyor belt in the shark tank. At first it seems it's going too fast, but it doubles back and winds around so you have plenty of time there. And instead of making sure you don't bump into people or trip over a pesky toddler, you can just stand and marvel at the sharks, fish, rays and turtles. Informative display on plastic pollution in the ocean, but then you exit through the gift shop which is chock full of little plastic pieces of shit you can buy. So who you kidding.

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    Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
    Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
    Ripley's Aquarium of Canada - Electric eel

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    Electric eel

    Aquarium of Niagara

    Aquarium of Niagara

    2.9(179 reviews)
    68.2 km

    We has such a great time at the aquarium! We made the trip up to the Falls and were so excited to…read morecheck out the exhibits with our son. He loves animals and the ocean so this was perfect. They're currently doing some renovations so we walked around to the entrance on the side of the building. It was relatively close to the parking lot which was nice especially with a toddler. We looked at all the exhibits and the tanks. We loved the penguins and the sea lions. We watched the sea lion show which was really cool on the top level looking down into the tank. They have a touch tank for their rays and baby sharks too which was cool to try. The only downside is that it's a bit small. We were done with everything in less than an hour and could've stayed for another show but opted to leave. It was a great experience but we just needed a little more.

    Our Aquarium is small. I think that's important to take into consideration when planning a visit…read moreand building expectations. It had a face lift from the last time I was there and those changes are nice. I would say it takes about an hour to get through everything if you stop to read some signs, take some pictures, and watch one of the shows. There is a new additional building included in your admission and about a 2 minute walk from the main building. Although it was in good shape, I didn't personally feel drawn to the space at all and felt like there was more that could be done with it. Overall, I like the Aquarium and it was well worth the $7.16 I paid to get in. I'd feel cheated if I paid the full $25 ticket price.

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    Aquarium of Niagara
    Aquarium of Niagara
    Aquarium of Niagara

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    Lionel's Pony Farm & Petting Zoo

    Lionel's Pony Farm & Petting Zoo

    3.3(26 reviews)
    31.2 km

    Lionel Petting Zoo is only in operation from May until October, which makes sense as it looks like…read morethe whole zoo is outdoors. They have a maximum of 10 people inside at a time (according to their website) however even though we booked a specific time frame, there was pretty clearly more than 10 people inside. Unlike some other zoos we went too, there was no real path to follow. It's basically a giant square with a small square on the inside. The outline of the larger square is filled with fenced in animals, and the inner square has fenced animals as well. Although its understandable they have an admission fee for the upkeep of the animals, I feel it should have included the feed. Other zoos are free admission and only charge for feed (ie. high park) so in terms of value, this is a bit below par. Finally, I would never say the animals are aggressive, however when trying to feed the goats, one of them bit the entire feed bag and ripped it away. As I'm an adult, this is fine as I am agile and athletic, however a small child could have easily gotten injured, so perhaps some more training would suffice.

    Went mid August looking for something to do with my son. I though the admission price was kind of…read morepricey ($28 for 5 people), does not matter if you have 3 people, same price for the group and much smaller than I thought. You get to choose time slot and we only got 45 mins before we had to leave which was plenty of time mind you since it was really hot. Extra $5 for a bag of feed to feed the animals. My son enjoyed looking at the animals but I wish the price was per person so I don't have to pay the same amount even if I have a smaller family.

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    Lionel's Pony Farm & Petting Zoo
    Lionel's Pony Farm & Petting Zoo
    Lionel's Pony Farm & Petting Zoo

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    Riverdale Farm - zoos - Updated July 2026

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