This is a cozy little ice trial, the shape of an oval. It is about a quarter the size of a hockey…read morerink. The trail is 5 metres wide. An average skater could skate the entire trail in 1-1.5 mins. Unfortunately there are no skate rentals onsite. This trail is part of the park part of College Park (so many P's!). It was officially opened on 2019-12-07. It is the first outdoor skating path in North America to incorporate state-of-the-art carbon dioxide technology in its refrigeration system. This environmentally friendly technology is natural, non-toxic and non-flammable, with no net greenhouse gas effect. They use a zamboni to smoother the ice. There are 2 firepits nearby and 3 ice sculptures. There is an event called Skates and Sounds held on 2020-01-24, 2020-02-07, 2020-02-28 (all Fridays), 5-7pm, where they have a DJ, FREE 1-hour skate rentals, FREE skating frames for young children, free coffee, and free chocolates. I skated on 2020-02-07. It was about 30 years ago that I skated last! It was fun! Having free skate rental and music was a good bonus! During the warm months, it is a walking trail.

I've been an Organizer for an ice skating Group since Jan. 2007, and yesterday I hosted an Event…read morefor my Group at the Barbara Ann Scott Ice Trail. It was my first time skating in more than 3 years and the last time I skated (in Jan. 2020) it was my first visit to this Trail which was also for an Event with my skating Group. The Trail features a relatively warm indoor change room/area with a washroom but no skate rentals are available here. The Trail itself is fairly small and (of course) narrow, and when I started skating yesterday at 1:30 pm both the change room and the Trail were pretty barren. During the next 1 1/2 hours both the change room and Trail gradually became more crowded; shortly after I started skating music began playing through speakers situated around the Trail and as I was putting on my skates in the change room, several people started setting up a table for free skate rentals (subject to availability) with valid ID. Between 2:30 - 2:45 pm the Zamboni came out for ice maintenance; due to the small size of the Trail this only took about 10 - 15 minutes. Afterward I skated around the Trail a couple more times to check how much better the quality of ice was - it was considerably better - then finished shortly before 3 pm. I've skated on a few other outdoor Trails in Toronto over the years: the Colonel Samuel Smith Skating Trail in Etobicoke, the Trail at Evergreen Brick Works and The Bentway Trail underneath The Gardiner; this one is smaller than the Etobicoke Trail, about the same size as The Bentway Trail and larger than The Brickworks Trail and it's now the first Trail I've skated on more than once. With College Park next door and Yonge Street steps away there are no shortage of amenities nearby. The Trail features 'Skates & Sounds' every Friday throughout February, with a different DJ every week and free skate rentals (again, subject to availability) from 5 to 8 pm.

Harbourfront Centre Rink (formerly known as the Natrel…read moreRink) Once was a five star rink!!! That was before it was closed and moved. The Harbourfront Ice Skating Rink may be back but it's a mere shadow of its former self and is a completely unremarkable venue now. I had planned to skate there but when I saw where they had moved the rink and the awful condition of the ice, I was flabbergasted and changed my mind!! Everything that made the original rink unique and special was gone!! When you came to the Natrel rink you could enjoy skating around the freeform sunken edged rink all while taking in a marvellous, unobstructed view of Lake Ontario. The ice was always one of the best outdoor ice surfaces to skate on in the city as well. It was always very well maintained and a great surface for outdoor skating. Unfortunately it is now just a poor quality rectangular ice pad with a view of the underside of the highway and buildings. Oh sure they have put some lights up on the thin tree trunks to try and make it look better but it still falls short. For me the experience is ruined forever. (Unless they decide to put the rink back where it was and maintain it better). It's sad that they didn't put more thought into what actually made the rink unique in the first place and what made it a great place to skate. I had been anxiously awaiting its reopening but was sorely disappointed to see what it has become. It is comdevoid of any previous charm and is no longer a good skating venue. I will not be back!

I love this skating rink. So beautiful. Once of my favourites. Perfect place for a dateread more

The Bentway is a public space under the Gardiner Expressway. You'll see it when you drive along…read moreFort York Boulevard, between Strachan Avenue and Bathurst Street, across from the Fort York National Historic Site. I have driven by this area many times this year. I did a few times when going to Coca-Cola Coliseum for Marlies and PWHL Toronto (now Sceptres) hockey games. Last night, I passed by it heading to Queen Elizabeth Theatre for a concert. I remember when this space was used for parking during the Canadian National Exhibition (The Ex). It was affordable back in the day. You basically parked on the grass, paid for parking, and walked over to the Princess Gates. Good times. Parking for The Ex is atrocious these days. It's better to take the TTC, mainly because this parking space is gone and it's cheaper than shelling out over $30. If you are looking for parking near The Bentway, you've got a couple of Green P options: - 250 Fort York Boulevard - 800 Fleet Street Paying through the Green P app is convenient. If you need to extend your parking stay, it's easy to do through the app than physically returning to the parking machine to pay for parking. The Bentway is popular in the wintertime. It becomes a skating rink where you can rent skates, skate till your heart's content, and grab some hot chocolate. In the summertime, it becomes a rollerskating party every month. You can rent skates, grab a bite to each from food trucks, and visit a few market vendors. I am looking forward to Dominoes. It's basically a community-building activity of laying down giant dominoes along a 2.5 km path through a number of downtown neighbourhoods. They are cutting through The Bentway. The domino run is scheduled for September 22 (tomorrow). It sounds like a lot of fun! The downside is that traffic is horrible in this area. There was a concert and an Argos game at Exhibition Place yesterday. Cutting through this area to get there was painful. When there aren't a lot of activities in the area, The Bentway is a calming, fun place. Otherwise, pack some patience! (371)

A great repurposed space, I wish Chicago would do something similar…read more A communal space, adults and kids roller balding, skating, making conversation, an art exhibit, and green spaces for pets and yogis like me.

I grew up in the Beaches. The boardwalk was a five-minute walk from where my family lived. We moved…read moreaway shortly after I graduated from high school. I spent a lot of time walking along the boardwalk. There wasn't a bike path parallel to the boardwalk when I was a wee lass. It was developed when rollerblading was popular, so I'm thinking the mid-80's. It's merely coincidence that I was writing about the boardwalk while grieving over the recent passing of a dear friend. When I needed to clear my head and relieve stress as a teen, I'd walk down to the boardwalk and just walk. It made me feel better. Part of me right now has that urge to head down there and walk. It provides peace and comfort. It's also nice to sit on a bench by the boardwalk and enjoy the view. The boardwalk's wooden planks were in horrible shape when I was a Beacher. You truly had to be aware of dips and rotting wood as you walked along the boardwalk. Their maintenance has improved over the years. I was there in September. The wooden planks were sturdy and in pristine condition. The boardwalk roughly starts at the foot of Silver Birch Avenue to the east and stretches until Ashbridges Bay to the west. I would often see the fireworks from the boardwalk at night on Victoria Day. It's the best place over a gorgeous backdrop. One of my favourite high school memories is my hanging out with three friends. We were celebrating our friend's birthday in May. The festivities happened at my place first. We walked along the boardwalk to work off the cake. We were there on the weekend and there were many folks walking with us. My friend had my pocket radio in her pocket. She was blasting Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up." We all sang and walked. It was fun. I do apologize to everyone having to endure our singing that afternoon and is possibly still in therapy... lol I love the boardwalk for sentimental reasons. It has been a fixture for eons. I hope that it continues to endure for many more to come. (6)

Great place to take a walk in The Beaches neighborhood. I took a friend out to Queen St East; and…read moreafter our heavy brunch, we decided to walk off the calories at The Boardwalk. The wooden planked Boardwalk stretches for about 3 km from Woodbine beach all the way to Balmy Beach Park. You have the view of Lake Ontario with it's beaches on one side and the Martin Goodman trail on the other. Family and pet friendly with a number of parks, a community garden, a skating rink, Kew Beaches Lawn Bowling Club, a tennis club, and the Donald Summerville Olympic Pool along the route. Yeah, after our walk we decided to hit a gelato place; maybe it's not so good to be located so close to so many eateries. Come spend a beautiful day at The Beaches and take a leisurely stroll on The Boardwalk.

This park is a great spot for a variety of activities and it has been improving year over year with…read moreinvestment from the city along with the attentiveness of the community. Some of the highlights include a skating trail, skating rink, playground, community garden, off-leash dog park, two baseball diamonds, and a soccer field. I used some of the picnic benches recently to catch up with some friends and just enjoy the outside weather together in these pandemic times. It's a really great public green space where you can enjoy in all seasons. With winter around the corner and the temperature starts to dip down below zero consistently, you can expect to see families at the skating trail and rink (by appointment only) or take runs down the hills on toboggans on the east side of the park. Not a far walk from Greenwood Park is a whole lot of great local restaurants and coffee shops that you can grab snacks and drinks afterwards too.

Sunday afternoon....Don't expect Greenwood Park would be a nice place to chill..have a nap…read moreunderneath the shade or read a book? All I heard was people cheering, ball hitting against baseball bats.... If you into watching "action" then it would have been the park to be. There is an fenced off lease area for dogs, but the whole hour I was there, I only saw 2 dogs.... One good or bad thing about the park is there are not kids playground... good for me? bad for the kids and families?

This is a really cute skate trail that's actually in the GTA! There are others in Muskoka and such,…read morebut those are such a trek. This one is also conveniently located by the Tom Graham Arena so there are facilities and parking nearby. They had an art show the day we were going so the lot was quite full on the side closest to he community center but there was still a lot of parking spots farther on. The skate trail actually has a little dedicated area for changing that's indoors or they have tables and benches outside (fingers might get cold!). It's a trail through some trees that kind of loops around so it's a lot more interesting than going around in circles. They play music as well to add to the liveliness.

Awesome skating trail! Smaller than I imagined but nevertheless still fun for an hour or two. It is…read morefree and they don't have skate rentals on site. Come in the mornings when there are less people. Many families come here with smaller children who are trying to learn too. There are no borders around the trail so be careful of skating off trail. Plenty of parking, and the Zamboni comes every 1.5hr or so.

Poor to destructive sharpening at best! Brought my new Supremes in for a grind only to have half my…read moreblade missing. Like a chainsaw they delicately tortured my blades into submission. Guy told me he was just trying to adjust his automated blade butcher properly. Should have had him buy me new blades but I was in a hurry for my game. After a few choice words I plunked down a fiver and left. Needless to say I wiped out on Every left turn. I looked like a bona fide rookie and endeared much laughter from my team mates Much thanks go out to the portly know it all sharpener. Live and learn the hard way!!!

Family skate was delightful, with polite ice attendants, clean change rooms, and a heated…read moreobservation area!

Formerly known as Scarborough City Hall before amalgamation, this facility opened in 1973 has been…read moreshowing it's age for a very long time. It still has Toronto city services on the 5 floors on the east wing of the Civic Centre while the Toronto District School Board occupies the 4 floors on the west wing. City of Toronto services includes: a new...the 100th Toronto Public library, a Wedding Chapel, Tax & Water, Traffic Services, City Clerk, City Planning Services, Fire Services, etc. An existing ground floor area is being renovated for a Dental Clinic (which will move from 160 Borough Drive next door that is also home to a Health Clinic). Outside, there's a waterfall and a reflecting pool which becomes a skating rinks in winter plus the surrounding Albert Campbell Square. Many City of Toronto plus community groups hold events here year round. Examples include job fairs and concerts. The Scarborough Town Centre mall and a transit hub for the TTC and GO Transit is just minutes away too!

This review is for the Albert Campbell Square. What a lovely place to get away from the hustle and…read morebustle of the Scarborough Towne Centre and Subway station. This oasis of calm is found between the Scarborough Civic Centre and Scarborough Town Centre. Came here during the lunch rush and just took a look around at the sculptures and architecture. Sat down at one of the many benches (they have many tables as well) shaded by the trees and enjoyed listening to the birds and the sound of the man made waterfall. After my moment of calm I headed to the busy Towne Centre, I was ready to face the masses.

The chalet and ice rink were awesome. I got there early enough there was no one but myself on the…read moreice for 20 minutes or so. That was the best part of my stay there. Today, the temperature hovered above 0 degree so the ice wasn't that great. The ice was well maintained but it looks like the ice is naturally frozen and with the warm weather, parts of it along the edges wasn't frozen hard enough that the tip of your skates will make an indent into the ice. On a cold day, I think the rink would be perfect!

Here's a little tidbit of information about the city of Toronto: we have more outdoor skating rinks…read moreper capita than any other city in the WORLD! Who knew? But, for a city of crazed hockey fans and tens of thousands of hockey playing kids it's no wonder! Christie Pitts rink is one of my favourites and it has little to do with it being on my own street! Every winter I can't wait to lace up my skates and get in one my favourite outdoor workouts in the cold. This family friendly rink is hardly over crowded and has daytime and evening public skating, as well as shiny for both kids and adults nearly every day. The rink house has a wonderfully cozy feel to it. There is a warm wood burning oven inside and once every season the Parks and Rec staff put on a fun community skating party. I went last year and it was a blast! They played music and had games for the kids. There was free coffee and hot chocolate and a wicked outdoor fire pit to roast marshmallows and hot dogs on. You could skate, eat, drink and be merry! As far as the ice itself; it is well maintained and is cleaned off by the rink staff and zamboni man every few hours. Only once last year when the snow was extremely heavy and pretty much shut down the city, was the ice not cleaned off. They're usually on top of it from what I've experienced! Outdoor skating is a great way to get some exercise and fresh air in the winter, and there are no shortage of rinks around the city to do this. Christie Pitts rink is a large rink where everyone from beginners waddling around holding on to the boards for dear life to super awesome hockey players are welcome to learn and play!

This side of the park is where I often neglect, so I explored out West and saw what I've been…read moremissing out on. Visiting a cemetery is not something I do for fun pre-COVID, but I'm glad I went there for a walk for once. Many tombstones from ages ago are wearing away, and I'm wondering whether their descendants still visit them. You can walk along a path with flat-to-the-ground headstones flanking either side into an area shaded by trees. I also saw Jack Layton's monument, with a headstone sculpture of his face. I see people have left some flowers recently. Super cool as I did not know his gravesite is there! Riverdale Farm was closed when I was there, but I could still peek at the farm animals outside the gate. I was there just after they announced on the news that someone stole Juniper, the baby goat! I believe I saw mama and the siblings there? The gates are not high... so I can see how a rascal can jump the fence and take a goat. Like who does that?! Cemetery and a park walk are not the first things that come to mind, but it reminds me that when I open my mind to unique experiences, I'm most of the time pleasantly rewarded.

Lovely Greenspace in Cabbagetown (as if it needed more nice spots) with lots of baseball diamond…read moreand plenty of Greenspace. Not a lot of shade on the hill but the park also has Riverdale Farms, one of the hidden gems of Toronto.