TORONTO GIRL SEASONAL BUCKET LIST: SUMMER EDITION

The start of a new season in the city is full of so many possibilities! It's exciting but also overwhelming, and I quickly start feeling FOMO as events, festivals, concerts, and pop-ups show up on my feed to late for me to have had the opportunity to join in the fun.

Toronto comes to life in the summertime!

My solution for the last several years has been to start every season with a bucket list that I create by combing places like BlogTO, Ticketmaster, and social media for hints about what's coming up. Now that I've got a few years of lists, I also look back to see what happened in previous years that I'd like to do again, and then look up those dates for the coming season to add to the list.

It's always an ever evolving list in my notes app, and I never cross everything off, but it makes for a great reference whenever I'm wondering "what should I do today?". It gives me a sense that I'm making the most of the season by being aware of everything that's going on. It helps me prioritize fun and think outside of my day-to-day routine in a way that I really like.

If you are looking for things to do in Toronto to make this the best summer ever, maybe you'll find some inspiration on this list. But as this is (a slightly more detailed version of) my actual list, there are several items on it that I've never tried before, so if you make your own list, keep in mind that these aren't necessarily my recommendations, they are just things that sound fun to me!

So without further ado, here's my Toronto Summer Bucket List.

Toronto Summer Activities

• Hang out with friends in Trinity Bellwoods Park, maybe with a picnic from Trinity Market.

• Explore St. Lawrence Market and Market Street - and the new Sunday Variety Market.

• Spend a day on Toronto Islands, hang out on the Ward's Island Beach and have a snack at the Island Café.

• Check out Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market and have a to-go drink from La Cevicheria.

• Visit Casa Loma for the Symphony in the Gardens series - maybe Big Band night, or Movie night.

• Sip wine and taste gelato at an On Third Thought tasting event.

• Get fresh flowers from the Toronto Flower Market.

• Give roller skating a try at Roller Pony.

• Experience Hamlet at Dream in High Park.

• Watch a film under the stars at the Toronto Outdoor Picture Show.

• Catch a Jays game at the Rogers Centre.

Festivals

• Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

• Do West Fest

• Toronto Pride

• The CNE

• Doors Open Toronto

• Word on the Street

• Taste of the Danforth

Museums

• Museum of Contemporary Art - Free on Fridays from 5-9.

• Art Gallery of Ontario - Free on Wednesdays from 6-9.

• Royal Ontario Museum - I really want to go to one of their ROM After Dark events!

New-to-Me Restaurants & Bars

• Drom

• Pasta Forever

• The Hamptons

• Skylight

• Valerie @ X Hotel

• Tommy’s Wine Bar
  

• Epoch @ Ritz Carlton

• Judy's Speakeasy

• Danny’s Pizza Tavern

• Florette
  

• Noce
  

Revisit My Summertime Favourite Restaurants & Patios

• Burdock Brewery

• Paradise Grapevine - the best back patio in the city!

• Trinity Market 

• Bandit Brewery

• Sprezzatura Spaghetti Disco 

• Paradise Grotto 

• Downtown Winery 
  

Concerts

• Check out the lineup at the Budweiser Stage. I spy Alanis Morissette, The Arkells, Avril Lavigne, Meghan Trainor, Foreigner, and more that would be fun to watch from the lawn!

• See who is on the list for the (free!) TD Toronto Jazz Festival - sometimes there are surprises like Ashanti!

• Toronto Pride also has some fun, free outdoor concerts happening.

• Other concerts that I'd love to see that are happening this summer include Janet Jackson and P!nk.

Shows

• Mirvish has tons of good stuff running, including classics like Wicked and Les Mis.

• Burlesque shows at Mama's Liquor & Lounge or A Toi.

Classes & Workshops

• Rug tufting at Chillax Studio

• Glass blowing at Playing with Fire

• Floral arranging at Viridi.

• Donut Making at Le Dolci

• Crafts at 4Cats Art Studio

• Rope Yoga at Mosaic Yoga

• Paint night with Original Genes

Out of the City

• Build my own bouquet at the Sun Harvest flower cutting farm.

• Niagara-on-the-Lake winery adventure.

• St. Jacobs + Tullamore Lavender Farm (note that you have to be part of their farm share to get access to the farm, they aren't fully open to the public yet!) + Silver Fox Distillery.

• Take the ParkBus to somewhere I've never been before out of the city

• Revisit one of my favourite spots in Ontario, Sauble Beach.

• Cottage weekends with family and friends, which will hopefully include campfires, s'mores, lake swims, skinny dips, boat rides, and board games.

There you have it! My list of things I'd like to do in Toronto this summer. What's on your list? What did I miss on mine?