Beautiful gardens, walking paths, Sprout Club (songs & nature crafts), summer camps, Teaching Gardens, and birthday parties. Tel: (416) 397-1341 Website
Ages: All ages to enjoy the gardens, Sprout Club 1- 3 yrs, Storytime drop-in up to 6 yrs, Camps 3- 11 yrs.
Major Intersection: Leslie & Lawrence Avenue East
Address: 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, ON
If you make an inquiry, please mention that you saw this listing on the Melanie On-The-Go / Kids On-The-Go website. Thank you!
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Activities We Did:
Story time, walk the grounds and picnic.
Good to Go!:
It’s beautiful and easy to access by TTC & free Parking. The cafe is also convenient if you forgot to pack snacks. Story time was fun for toddlers/preschoolers. the librarian was entertaining and knew both the stories and the songs she led. There was an age appropriate, nature based, activity planned for the kids after the story/song time too.
Not so Much/ Suggestions for Improvement:
only downfall is there’s limited areas for picnic and “ball playing” (as the employee called it). But this is of course to keep the appearance of the park as beautiful as it is.
Quick Tips for Others:
Be aware of the areas you CAN have a picnic and let the kids kick around a ball and the areas you can’t. Story time starts ON TIME, so if you’re late, you’ll miss it. & both the Lawrence and Leslie buses are slow, give yourself extra time if youre on TTC.
Additional Ratings:
- Amenities: 4/5
- Value: 5/5
Activities We Did:
Saw the green houses, walkways & knot garden, went up the “spiral”, ran in the grass, laid down under BIG trees, saw ducks in the stream, visited the teaching garden & butterfly area, walked (30mins) trail to Wilket Creek Park (in Sunnybrook Park).
Good to Go!:
No entrance fee & free parking is just the start of your wonderful adventure here! They have 2 (or sometimes 3) green houses full of beautiful flowers, a wildflower garden – very pretty! Walking paths to different outdoor gardens, a little hill that has a spiral trail and when you get to the top you can see the wonderful knot garden. There is so much to see, and that’s before you go down the hill! There is a little stream full of ducks! Then there is a waterfall, and a nice shaded trail that goes all the way to Wilket Creek Park. It’s about a 30 minute walk (so, 1h there and back). If you go down-then-up the trail at the stream you’ll find an area full of ancient trees with lot’s of grass to run in. Then to the right there is the learning garden with lot’s of veggie beds that have been planted by kids. There is also a butterfly garden (but I didn’t see any butterflies and it looked quite run down). There is an air-conditioned building at the entrance where you can cool off. There is also a shop in that building, they sell seeds and bulbs and artwork from local artists. There is a reference-only library specializing in gardening books, I think it’s in the main building, but I’m not sure.
Not so Much/ Suggestions for Improvement:
The Cafe has very limited snacks and they are very pricy. $7.00 for a simple sandwich. (Water was $4 per bottle if I remember correctly – very overpriced!)
Quick Tips for Others:
Washrooms are in the cafe building, and I think they have some in the main building at the entrance. Not sure about changing tables. Bring everything you need to protect yourself from the sun (hat, sunscreen…) and bring lot’s of water and snacks.
Additional Ratings:
- Amenities: 4/5
- Value: 5/5