Kid-friendly places in Toronto

An indoor pool with a waterslide and play spaces split by age, from toddlers to fifteen, with studios and suites that sleep up to six.

A heated rooftop pool and a 3,000-square-foot play center with a sports court, toys, books and video games, out at Exhibition Place by the lake.

Grand historic hotel downtown, with ornate old interiors and a warm indoor pool.

Luxury hotel with kid-size robes, a welcome for kids and smaller dishes on the menu for them.

Art-themed play zones next to the art gallery.

Downtown hotel within reach of the sports venues and the waterfront.

Hotel a short walk from the market, with connecting rooms.

A snowy owl stage, animal sculptures and a beaver-dam climber, with cableways and swings as well.

Downtown hotel near the train station, the waterfront and the main sights.

Big downtown hotel with a heated pool that runs indoors and out, and a games room with foosball, air hockey and arcade games.

Climbers shaped like food crates and oversized vegetables, so the whole playground plays at being a market.

Waterfront hotel right by the island ferry docks, with a heated pool open all year.

Ramps up the structures plus tactile and musical pieces, so kids who roll and kids who climb play together.

Downtown hotel near the main sights, with a saltwater pool.

A working farm with cows, pigs and sheep, there for watching unless staff bring one over.

Luxury hotel in the financial district with a lap pool under a glass roof.

Animal habitats laid out by world region across a big site, enough for a long day.

A music circle kids can bang and play on, set beside the climbing equipment.

Boutique hotel where the one-bedroom suites have a sofa bed in a separate living area.

A slide and climbers with planes and ferries going by.

Free museum in an old inn, with its kitchen and rooms set up as they were.

Play structures under the highway ramps, so there's cover overhead when it rains.

Neighborhood playground in a quiet residential park.

Free conservatory of greenhouses full of unusual plants, with a pond, warm in any weather.

Playground right next to a Victorian glass conservatory, with climbing equipment.

Lakeside playground on the waterfront trail.

Barbecue restaurant with smaller kids' meals, and kids can eat free on some nights.

Lakeside playground with a rope climbing structure and a sand digger.

Small parkette packed with play equipment, with trains passing nearby to watch.

Two playgrounds along a long linear park on The Esplanade.

Car-free streets of old brick industrial buildings, with cobblestones, shops and cafés.

Neighborhood playground beside sports fields.

Wooden castle-style climbing structure in a park near the river.

Dinosaur-themed play with a fossil hidden somewhere in it, so there's a hunt as well as a climb.

The Stanley Cup itself, plus hockey games to play between the displays. You go in through the shopping concourse, not the old bank doors.

Small neighborhood park with a challenging climbing structure and a sandbox.

Castle-style playground in a park just off the beach boardwalk.

Pakistani restaurant with big dishes for sharing in a lively room.

Several play areas and accessible swings in a big park with paths around a pond.

Small playground in a quiet neighborhood park.

Accessible playground with an obstacle course, in a leafy park.

Raccoon-themed wooden playground in a small urban park.

Neighborhood playground with modern climbing equipment.

Renovated playground in a big park with ravine trails nearby.

Compact neighborhood play space with climbers, swings and a sandbox.

Large playground in a big, busy park with lots of open lawn.

Neighborhood park playground with wooden climbing structures and several slides.

Large playground in a hilly park beside sports fields.

Galleries plus a hands-on center where kids make things.

A ferry ride out, then a 1907 carousel, swan boats and a log flume, with goats and ponies at the farm next door.

Mexican restaurant with colorful decor and a kids' menu.

Free historic farmhouse museum with an old kitchen and rooms showing everyday life long ago.

Bison, capybaras and more along a short outdoor walk.

Pizza and pasta, with a family dining room downstairs that has a playroom, a piano kids can play and menus to color.

A moving walkway through a shark tunnel, and a pool where kids can reach in and touch the stingrays.

Dinosaur galleries, a walk-through bat cave and a play space with building blocks and light tables for ages three to eight.

Big historic market hall with dozens of food stalls to wander and snack through.

Fantasy-themed restaurant with secret rooms, board games and a kids' menu.

Pasta restaurant full of quirky historic decor, with a kids' menu.

Nature-themed indoor playground with climbing, themed play areas, hands-on workshops, a digital zone and a lounge for grown-ups.

Museum of shoes from all over the world and across history, from very old footwear to famous people's shoes.

The city's famous tower, with a glass-front elevator ride up, a glass floor to stand on and views across the lake.

Dim sum restaurant where you choose lots of small dishes for the table.

Country-style brunch spot with biscuits and baked treats.

An indoor playground with a 15-foot play structure, a giant jumping castle, slides, a dress-up corner, and air hockey and foosball for older kids.

A three-level play structure with slides, a ball pit and a small trampoline, plus a bouncy castle and separate areas for toddlers and babies.

Multi-level indoor play with slides and a ball area, for a rainy day when kids need to run.

A drop-in play centre for little kids, the second Jump for Joy on the Danforth.

A drop-in play centre for little kids, one of two Jump for Joy spots on the Danforth.

A kids' gym and activity center with drop-in play, ninja and sports programs, and plenty of open space to run around.

A smaller kids' gym and play hub with drop-in play and sports and ninja programs for energetic kids.

An indoor playground with the Atomic Rush touch-LED game, where kids race from light to light, and room to run around the rest of the time.

An indoor playground with a bouncy castle and slide, climbing towers, a ball pit and Lego area, a supermarket corner and a soft play zone for babies.

A café with croissants (Nutella, almond, pistachio), brownies and gelato.

An indoor playground with soft play for toddlers, obstacle courses for older kids, a game lounge with arcade games, pottery painting and a cafe.

Taiwanese café with mini pancakes and brunch dishes.

Miniature version of Canada with tiny cities, moving trains and lots of small details to find, plus a window into the model workshop.

Greek restaurant with dips and shared plates.

Basketball-themed restaurant with art and memorabilia all over the walls.

Hands-on play for ten and under, a planetarium and a workshop of tools to build with, in its temporary home by the lake.

Middle Eastern restaurant with pita, hummus and falafel for sharing.

Neapolitan-style pizza in a casual room.

Sit-down restaurant built around local ingredients, known for its burger.

A big indoor trampoline park where kids bounce on open courts, with food and snacks sold on site so grown-ups can settle in and watch.

Japanese restaurant with a picture menu and over 80 all-you-can-eat choices.

An indoor gym and playground for babies through age seven, with drop-in play plus dance, music and art classes.

Middle Eastern restaurant with dishes for sharing, the chain's first location.

Middle Eastern restaurant with shared plates in a neighborhood dining room.

The original location of this Italian restaurant, a loud, lively room with Margherita pizza and spaghetti in tomato sauce.

Pizza and bread from the bakery, with a big open production kitchen to watch.

Brunch in a small, old-fashioned diner.

Retro booths with vintage toys to spot around the room while breakfast is on its way.

Historic houses and working trades that show everyday life from long ago. Not every building is open on every visit.

Café with a whimsical indoor play area for under-sixes, full food and drink including snack boards, and classes for kids and caregivers.

Historic trains and railway displays, and kids who love machines get to see the real thing up close.

Food hall in a converted waterworks building, with a range of vendors and shared tables, next to a playground.

Ethiopian restaurant with shared platters eaten with injera, using your hands.