Toronto Aga Khan Museum home of beauty and culture

The stark white, clean exterior of the Aga Khan Museum first welcomes you into their gorgeous courtyard, full of large, raised reflecting ponds, trees squeezed up to a lavender field and the glass pyramid type thing of the adjacent Ismaili Centre. The Museum hopes to foster curiosity of, and also highlight Muslim cultures and their interaction with other societies throughout the many centuries up to now. You can see that cool glass pyramid driving along the Don Valley Parkway. The address of AKM is 77 Wynford Drive, Toronto and there is paid parking on site.

BMO Financial Group has sponsored free admission on Wednesday evenings (4-8pm), "BMO Free Wednesdays provides barrier-free access to the arts, allowing the Museum to remain a welcoming and inclusive environment for all." You can get the free tickets to this BMO event on site without having to pre-register.

Aga Khan has over 1,200 pieces in their permanent collection and the museum also hosts performing arts, educational programming and temporary exhibitions. The works are outstanding and include books, paintings, ceramics, jewelry and much more, originating from the 9th century to current times. 2026 has a number of TD Pop-Up experiences bringing many varieties of music on Wednesdays and weekends.

A fountain sits in the main room of the permanent collection, probably one of the largest pieces

A recent (2014) hanging scroll painting, part of a pair of paintings called Nabog by Havv Kahraman. She painted six figures in the two paintings - all of herself

I liked this all-white installation. It is a simple setup of two chairs facing each other, separated by a table which incorporates a white chessboard, you can even see 64 chess squares along with 32 white chess pieces in their pregame placement. The piece is titled "Play it by Trust" by Yoko Ono (2002, Roskilde version, edition 3 of 6) and I didn't read the plaque until I got home and I'm like is that by the Yoko Ono, famously married to a Beatle and named in a Barenaked Ladies song, and the answer is yes. 

She did a number of these chessboard installations, first shown in 1966, and some are quite large and appearing in a number of museums around the world. Since you have no colour anywhere, you can only play by trusting the other player to remember their own chess pieces, you must also trust yourself to remember yours. All together you must work to complete the game that shows no visible distinction and which Yoko meant as an anti-war metaphor. Both Yoko Ono and John Lennon played a game in their 1972 film "Imagine". Yeah, I was shocked too.

Inside the Museum, permanent collections are well spaced in the relatively small museum, I mean you are not walking through hundreds of rooms in this place, although there is also a large, glassed-in central courtyard and an auditorium. Currently on the second floor is a temporary collection called "Game On! Exhibition", described by the website as "Games transcend borders and generations. As a universal language, they inspire learning, imagination, and global exchange, carrying ideas and traditions across cultures. Whether on a chessboard or a polo field, feel the thrill of strategy, the mastery of skill, and the joy of play, with every game telling a story of human creativity and connection. From board games to daring sports, explore how games connect people, spark creativity, and build communities."

Glorious Bones by Canadian artist Esmaa Mohamoud (2018)

Football helmets on pikes, set on an island of black grit, bring bright colours to the room. The helmets are covered in art reflecting African Kente patterns. She speaks of identity, racism and classification of black bodies.

Later this year the Toronto Biennial of Art will appear at the Aga Khan Museum. The free exhibition will be on from September 26 to December 20, 2026.

Museum Opening Times

Mon: Closed
Tues: 10 am - 5:30 pm
Wed: 10 am - 8 pm
Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun: 10 am - 5:30 pm
Open all statutory holidays, except Dec 25.

Ontario Renaissance, Pirates and Medieval Faires 2026

Time to sharpen those swords and axes, it's almost time for a battle royale on the field of honour - as long as your squire holds the horse for you and provides the little step thingy to stand on. Listen knave, here come the remaining days of your life so check out these Renaissance Faires around Central and Southwestern Ontario.

Niagara Renaissance Faire, Niagara Falls around May 16-17.
Wentworth Medieval Faire, Ancaster May 22-24.

Glengarry Renaissance Festival, Maxville May 30-31.
Robin in the Hood Medieval Festival, Elmira June 5-6. 

Re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek Dundurn Historic Site, Hamilton June 6-7? 

Grey Highlands Renaissance Festival, Owen Sound June TBD. Might be pushed out to 2026?

Essa North Renaissance Faire, Barrie June ?

Black Creek Renaissance Faire, Toronto June 19-24.

Maidens of the Mist Renaissance Faire, West Niagara, July 4-5.

Great Lakes advertising at the Niagara Renaissance Festival

Great Lakes Medieval Tournament and Faire July 10-12.
The Fergus Medieval Faire July 25.

Salty Dogs Pirate Festival, Goderich TBD - hopes to be back in 2026.

Ontario Pirate Festival, Guelph August 1-3.

Oxford Renaissance Festival, near London Aug 28-20. Moved dates and location.

Rustic Renaissance Faire, September 6-7 at Andrews Scenic Acres, Milton.

Kings Town Renaissance Faire, Kingston September 11-13.
Royal Medieval Faire, Waterloo (cash only) September 19.

Plus you can join a pirate ship at Pirate Life Toronto and sail the high seas of Lake Ontario from May to October, or chow down while watching knights battle at Medieval Times in Exhibition Place.

Also check out the beauty and pageantry of Indigenous Pow Wows in Ontario as listed at this site.

Fall Colours at the Bluffs and Guild Park Scarborough

It's the perfect one-two punch destination along the water's edge in Toronto's east end, first Bluffer's Park and the Scarborough Bluffs then second, the art in Guild Park and Gardens further to the east. Add in the beautiful fall colours along the vertical parkland and boom, what a visit.

One of the floating walkways has flipped in the water control area using a multi-cell system 

Now the bluffs aren't made of low-eroding Canadian Shield rocks, they are made from the deposits of sand and clay deposited from the advancing and retreating glaciers between the colden days (combo of old and cold!) of 70,000 to 12,000 years ago. This stuff erodes on a daily basis and you can compare pictures over the years and see the changing face of the bluffs and note the piles of materials that fall to the ground. There are relatively few piles of the gray soils at the base of the cliffs because they keep getting washed away by the currents of Lake Ontario, taken toward the Toronto Islands which were formed by the deposit of soils far from the bluffs.

A lone abandoned sailboat, the Genetic Drifter, sits along the rocky western beach of Bluffer's Park, pounded by the waves. 

Toronto has eleven parks along a 15km stretch of Scarborough Bluffs starting from the Eastern Beaches and proceeding east to East Point Park. The pull of gravity combined with wind and water have created the exposed cliffs which are fascinating and make a great backdrop for exploring the areas. Bluffer's Park has parking (free during weekdays prior to 5pm), bathrooms, beaches and pathways along with a marina (with real live-in house boats). Summer weekends can get a little crowded and often results in traffic restrictions and Brimley Road is a little more vertical than pedestrians or bicyclists would like, especially with narrow roads lacking in pathways. The park itself was built in the 1970s and 80s with about 2.6 million cubic metres of fill poured into the lake.

Then just a quick 20 minutes away to the east you can find Guild Park and Gardens which is a sculpture and architectural component sanctuary in a large park running along the bluffs along with an inn and lots of history. Lately the park has been upgraded and banquet facilities have been bookended to the inn and it really has become home and support for the artist community.

Built in 1914 the Guild Inn was a mansion for a war hero before being purchased and turned into a residence and centre for arts and artists. Then it was taken over for a number of years during World War II by the Canadian Government before returned to the owners in 1947. The art continued to expand after the war but was split from the property and made into a City Park in 1978, while the hotel continued in operation until finally closing in 2002.

Now the park is open for exploring and special events as well as the annual art festival "Guild Alive with Culture Arts Festival" as well as the Guild Festival Theatre operating in the Greek Theatre (the one with all the columns) during the summer.

The outdoor stage Greek Theatre

Colonial Tavern's record monument on Yonge Street

This record doesn't spin but it remembers great jazz musicians that performed at Colonial Tavern in Toronto from 1947 to 1987. The building that housed the tavern at 203 Yonge Street is gone now, demolished the year it closed, but the large granite monument was unveiled in 1996, removed during the condo development and parkette construction before it finally found its way back to the site of the former tavern. The parkette is really just some concrete and a ramp.

Two historic bank buildings bookmark the parkette, one with the large Massey Tower condo over the former Canadian Bank of Commerce building to the south and the old Bank of Toronto building. It probably took a lot of deposits to finance all those columns used by the banks.

The black granite disc, or record, shows 175 musical artists, including many legendary artists, who played the famous jazz venue, breaking the colour barrier in Toronto in 1947. The Colonial was founded by Lawrence and Lichtenberg and also inscribed on the stone is the following.

"Jazz Place: Serves to commemorate the important contribution to the cultural life of Toronto and the North American Jazz Scene. 1995"

The monument in the sidewalk

The Parkette between the banks

Former Bank of Toronto

Looking towards the former Canadian Bank of Commerce building

HMCS Haida National Historic Site

Along Hamilton Harbour's Pier 8 is His Majesties Canadian Ship (HMCS) Haida National Historic Site, floating much like it did in Toronto near Ontario Place before it was spruced up and moved to Hamilton. And Hamilton Harbour itself is also being beautified with great multi-use paths, parks, restaurants, marinas and other attractions.

A memorial for the port crane sits beside the ship

The large warship was made during WWII and later took part in the Korean and Cold Wars, serving Canada from 1943 to 1963 before it was decommissioned and became the ceremonial flagship of the Canadian Navy. The series of destroyers were made for Britain (where they were designed and built), Canada and Australia with 13 sunk during the Second World War.

From the ship's website, "HMCS Haida is Canada’s “most fightingest ship,” the first-ever ceremonial flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy, and the last of the twenty-seven tribal class destroyers in the world. Canada’s most famous warship served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1943 to 1963, participating in the Second World War, the Korean Conflict, and the Cold War. HMCS Haida is now a Parks Canada National Historic Site docked in Hamilton, Ontario. As a museum ship, she now serves as a place to remember, explore, and connect. HMCS Haida began service escorting supply convoys to Murmansk, in Russia, above the Arctic Circle. Convoys were run in winter, when there is almost constant darkness, to make it more difficult for the German Lufftwaffe to spot them and direct submarine wolfpacks to attack. HMCS Haida and the ship's men earned their first battle honour, an honourary distinction recognizing active participation in battle for this Arctic service, during which the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst was sunk."

After a long period of distinguished service Haida was decommissioned from the Navy in 1963 and a private group turned the vessel into a museum ship beside Ontario Place. The ship was bought by the Ontario Government in 1970 and it was later transferred to Parks Canada in 2002, refurbished and moved to Hamilton. The floating museum opened in 2004 as a Parks Canada National Historic Site and for less than $5 you can visit the ship yourself.

See more of the ship after the jump.

Garrison Petawawa Military Museum

We were camping at Bonnechere Provincial Park, way east of Toronto, when we decided to visit Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, also known as Garrison Petawawa, to check out their Military & Canadian Airborne Forces Museum.

CFB Petawawa was for a number of years the home of the Canadian Airborne Regiment until it was disbanded in 1995. There still are a number of units that have incorporated airborne elements within their ranks including part of the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) and the Queen's Own Rifles (QOR) of Canada (a reserve parachute company). In addition the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) performs special airborne operations when required.

The base was founded in 1905 along the banks of the Petwawa and Ottawa Rivers, providing training and homes for several units of the military and for a time also a home for prisoners of war in both World Wars. Admittance is free but they also ask for voluntary donations if you want to support their work.

Displays, both inside and outside the museum, are numerous and highlight both Airborne memorabilia and the general military exploits and equipment of Canada relating to the base and it's personnel. You can find photos, artifacts, uniforms, weapons and documents inside while outside there is a number of tanks and other equipment, including a Dakota transport plane painted in the striped colours for service in Europe dropping paratroopers during the initial invasion.

The rappelling and jump tower on base for training

Ontario's last wooden railway Water Tower

Specifically the last wooden railway water tower on a wooden base structure and it is located in Barry's Bay, northeast of Toronto by a couple of hours. You can find it in the town's Water Tower Park! The towers were required during the early years of railroads as the steam locomotives needed water to boil to produce steam to power the engine. The railway was also very important to Barry's Bay as the lines were busy transporting lumber in and out of the area in the early 19th century.

It is easy to understand why there aren't too many railway water towers left, firstly there aren't anymore steam trains in active service (beyond the few tourist trains like the South Simcoe Railway) since they ended steam locomotive service in 1960, secondly a number of railway lines became unsustainable and shut down (luckily many have become recreational rail trails, or multi-use paths) and this is the case with Barry's Bay CN rail line, it ceased operations in the 1970s, the tracks were removed in 1984 and the line was converted to the JR Booth Heritage Railway Trail. This was going on throughout North America and most of the old equipment which was no longer required were allowed to fall apart or were actively destroyed for safety or development reasons.

This wooden tank was two-stories high and had a capacity of 60,000 gallons, with a shallow roof on a wood frame, held together with 14 iron hoops and lugs along the outside of the tank, all sitting on top of 12 timber posts on a concrete pad. It was actually the second tank as the first was built in 1894, dismantled and replaced in 1943, by 1964 it was unused and sold to the village in 1965 for less than $80. In 1975 it was going to be demolished due to its deteriorated condition but the community rallied for saving the tower and in 1977 it received its historical, protected designation. It took several years for the people to setup a restoration committee and finally in 2000 the Water Tower was restored and dedicated in the new park.

The park has quite a few attractions including commemorative historical plaques and a small section of rail line with a velocipede (a railway bike), a caboose (also not really used nowadays either), a wind phone memorial in addition there is a small, wooden train and an old steam tractor.

Submarine museum HMCS Ojibwa in Port Burwell

We finally hit the road to Lake Erie and stopped in Port Burwell to take the full tour of the decommissioned Oberon Class Cold War submarine as we had previously only been in the torpedo room. Port Burwell is just over two hours south west of Toronto, but a world away from the hustle and bustle - and extensive construction happening in the city, full of long beaches and cool places to see.

Over 5 stories high and almost 300 feet long the naval ship provides an interesting view of the tight spaces that sailors had to endure on month long voyages around the world. You learn on the tour that the ship was an electric-diesel propelled submarine, designed to run on batteries and be recharged by their diesel engine. It was quiet and apparently sounded like a school of fish to anyone listening.

Made during the turbulent times of the sixties when the USSR was our main potential enemy, an enemy that could ignite a new world war. Instead they played cat and mouse games with each other and occasionally got into wars by proxy. Ojibwa was constructed in England and transferred to Canada before it was scheduled to go into service with the British and after a long period of service for Canada it was decommissioned in 1998 and towed to Port Burwell in 2012 to be part of a future naval museum planned for the town. The museum is still to come but the submarine is open for tours.

The amusing part of the tour is that it seems like the exploits, both exciting and routine are highly confidential and secret so you really come out of the submarine without knowing what it really did during the cold war.

See more photos of the vessel after the jump.