The fall season in Toronto brings tons of fun for kids and families. Jumping into piles of freshly raked leaves is a given—also on our must-do list is visiting kid-friendly farms for hay rides, corn mazes, and apple-picking; theatre performances; Halloween activities; and fall festivals.
We’ve rounded up our fall bucket list for kids with amazing autumn-y activities and events in Toronto and the GTA.
1. Go apple-crazy.
Each fall, Toronto honours the apple, beginning in September with the City Cider Festival at the Spadina Museum and Applefest at the Markham Museum. Apple-picking at nearby farms is a great way to spend the day! Find the best spots for apple-picking in the GTA.
2. Pick your pumpkin.
Find the perfect pumpkin this year by hopping on a wagon and choosing the best jack-o-latern material right from the vine. While you’re at it, get lost in a corn maze! Find the GTA’s best pumpkin patches and corn mazes.
3. Visit a farm.
Whether there’s a festival on or not, fall is the perfect time to visit a kid-friendly Toronto-area farm for corn mazes, wagon rides, jumping around in a huge barn-shaped inflatable bouncer, sipping hot apple cider, and petting farm animals.
4. Celebrate the harvest.
Jump in a hay bale, take a wagon ride, and even cheer at a hog-calling contest at Toronto-area harvest festivals, both in the city and at nearby farms
5. Learn and play at ROM Big Weekends.
Throughout the fall, the Royal Ontario Museum hosts ROM Big Weekends with special activities for kids one weekend each month. In September, it’s Wild Science and in October, archaeological “digs” of Pompeii and other historic places. November brings Burning Bright, a festive launch to the holiday season.
6. Do Family Sundays at the AGO
Beginning the first Sunday in November, Family Sundays at the AGO include special exhibits for kids, activities for the whole family, and ever-changing interactive fun for little ones. Check the website for monthly themes.
7. Nurture your bookworm.
The annual Word on the Street festival (Sept. 27) celebrates everything reading for all ages. There are activity areas and stages just for kids and youth, with writing and illustration workshops, shows featuring TVOKids characters, crafts to accompany storybooks, and nonstop storytelling with children’s authors all day long.
8. Stay up late at Nuit Blanche.
Skip bedtime just this once and stay out all night—or at least a few hours past sundown—for Nuit Blanche (Oct. 3), a free, all-night community art event that begins at sunset. Filter through all the family-friendly projects using the event’s Project Index tool.
9. Join a Thanksgiving feast.
You may have your own Thanksgiving meal planned, but why not go for another? Black Creek Pioneer Village’s Thanksgiving Dinners (Oct. 11 & 12) are held annually and include a three-course meal with the bonus of wagon rides through the historic village and historic ales to sample. Or dine in Edwardian elegance with Casa Loma’s Thanksgiving Feast (Oct. 11).
10. Volunteer.
The Thanksgiving season is a great time to teach kids about giving back. There are many Toronto volunteer opportunities for kids and families.
Plus, there are many other ways for kids to give back that don’t require a commitment to regular volunteering and small acts of kindness kids can perform for neighbours, family members, and friends.
11. Ring in the Raptors Season
Canada’s only NBA team, the Toronto Raptors, begin their pre-season games in October, with the first home game on October 12. The regular season starts October 28.
12. Root for the FC.
The Toronto FC soccer team plays through the end of October, with home games on September 19 and 26 and on October 3, 14, and 17. Tickets aren’t difficult to get, and the enthusiastic fans make it a fun time for all.
13. Play at the Children’s Discovery Centre
It was originally set to close in October, Toronto’s first children’s museum, the Children’s Discovery Centre, has extended its first-year pilot project to December 31, 2015. One of our favourite new attractions, this is an awesome indoor place for kids six and under to learn and play.
14. Go on a leaf-peeping road trip.
Some of the best fall colours in all of Canada are right here in southern Ontario. Do a quick trip to Milton’s Halton County Radial Railway for their Autum Colour Weekends and historic rail vehicles. Head up to the Collingwood area for a day of hiking at Scenic Caves (don’t miss the 450-foot suspension bridge!) and a lovely fall drive.
Or combine a day of fall colours in Muskoka with a trip to Santa’s Village for the kids. Santa’s Village amusement park is open on weekend in September; the aerial park with zip-lining is open through October weekends.
15. Explore Rouge Park.
You don’t have to travel far to see fall colours: Rouge Park, Toronto’s urban wilderness park—and soon to be Canada’s first national urban park—has plenty of leaf-peeping of its own. Hit the trails, go canoeing, or take part in one of the frequent nature walks (be sure to read age recommendations) in September, October, and November (TBD).
16. Take a stroll in Kensington.
Take advantage of Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market (through Nov. 1) before they’re gone for the year! Grab a bite to eat from anywhere around the globe, indulge in ice cream at Sweet Olenka’s (a fave on our ultimate ice-cream list), and shop for one-of-a-kind toys and gifts at Blue Banana and Good Egg.
17. Get in the Halloween spirit.
Halloween is the highlight of the season for many kids and getting ready for the big day is an event in itself. Start by planning your kids’ costumes early—maybe even creating one for yourself—and swooping in on the best stuff at Value Village and costume shops around the city.
18. Celebrate Halloween in the City.
Attend spooktacular Halloween events around the city like the Halloween Extravaganza at the Bata Shoe Museum (Oct. 24 & 25), spooky ghost walks at Black Creek Pioneer Village (Oct. 24) or the annual Howling Hootenanny party for families.
Many of the family-friendly farms near the city have Halloween-themed events, too. Be sure to check our events calendar for more events closer to Halloween!
19. See the pumpkin parade.
The annual Sorauren Pumpkin Parade takes place every November 1. Sorauren Park is lined with glowing jack-o-lanterns donated by locals who bring them by when the trick-or-treating is done. Kids love investigating all the carved pumpkins.
20. Kick off the theatre season.
Check out the exciting season for kids this year from Toronto’s children’s theatres and theatre troupes. The Young People’s Theatre has educational and entertaining fall shows that include Hanna’s Suitcase and the West African tale Baobab. Solar Stage children’s theatre shows this fall brings classics like Treasure Island, Sleeping Beauty, and Sleepy Hollow to life.
For family-favourite musicals, head to the Lower Ossington Theatre for Mary Poppins and Legally Blonde The Musical.
21. Go for a show on ice.
If you’ve been meaning to do an ice show, this fall is the time! On from now through November: Peter Pan on Ice, Nancy Kerrigan’s Halloween on Ice, and Sleeping Beauty on Ice.
22. Do a night or matinee at the movies.
When the temperatures drop, it’s the perfect time to do a family night or matinee at the movies. Family movies premiere regularly leading up to the holiday season. Some upcoming releases for kids this fall are Pan, The Peanuts Movie, and The Martian.
Check local indie movie theatres for second-run family movies, too. Or spend just $2.99 per person on a Cineplex Family Favourites film on Saturday mornings.
23. See a splashy show.
Big-budget kids’ musicals, concerts, and more live shows hit stages in and around Toronto this fall. Top picks include Alvin and the Chipmunks (Oct. 4) at Massy Hall, Sesame Street Live, (Oct. 17–18), Bubble Guppies Live! Ready To Rock (Nov. 28), Raffi in concert (Nov. 21) at the Hamilton Place Theatre, and Peter Pan at the Elgin Theatre (Nov. 27–Jan. 3).
Opera for kids? Yes! The Canadian Opera Company is presenting two back-to-back opera performances just for kids this fall (Nov. 14) with its Opera for Families event: The Bremen Town Musicians and Operation Superpower.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has its first Young People’s Concert of the season (through May 2016) on November 7, with Big Bold Brass! at Roy Thompson Hall.
25. Have fun with science.
Kids’ programming ramps into full gear in the fall at the Ontario Science Centre. Some highlights are a lunar eclipse celebration on September 27, a “Robots Rule!” weekend (Oct. 24 & 25), and several IMAX films.
26. Go biking.
Fall is the perfect time to out on two wheels with the kids. Check out our favourite kid-friendly biking trails in Toronto.
27. Take a trip to the falls.
Niagara Falls is a no-brainer in summer, but in fall the crowds dissipate and many of the best family attractions in Niagara Falls are still open. The Hornblower Tours (formerly Maid of the Mist), for example, operate through mid-October.
You can always combine it with a trip to Great Wolf Lodge with its amazing indoor water park: it’s the closest thing we’ve got to a Disney-style family resort with driving distance of Toronto!
28. Experience the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
For animal lovers, this annual event that brings the country to the city is an absolute must. Book your tickets for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (Nov. 6–15) to see amazing equestrian events, from world-class English horse-jumping to rodeo competitions, plus a petting zoo, and shows featuring hard-working border collies and even goats.
29. Attend the Santa Claus Parade.
We know, it doesn’t seem like a fall activity, but the immensely popular Santa Claus Parade—now in it’s 111th year—takes place squarely in the fall season, on November 15. Arrive early to get your spot at the front of the fray!
30. See the Cavalcade of Lights
Wind down the fall season with a bang! The annual Cavalcade of Lights (Nov. 28) is the perfect way to welcome the upcoming holiday and winter season, with a DJ skating party, the city’s huge Christmas tree lighting, and fireworks.
