Our Favorite Date Ideas in Toronto

WARNING: Amazing date ideas in Toronto you’re not allowed to steal.

I love to take Eunice out on regular adventures. Though we don’t have pre-planned “date nights”, we definitely have date routines. Here are some of the most amazing date ideas in Toronto that we have tried and tested. We hope they inspire you to do your own exploration!

Humane Society – Distillery

This one might be our go-to date. We start the date at the Toronto Humane Society. This is Eunice’s guilty pleasure (she feels for cuddly pets more than people). This place has a special place in our hearts because that’s where we adopted our disaster artists, Marbles and Scrabble. This place has even grown on me over the years even though I wasn’t originally fond of pets (pardon my pragmatic Chinese upbringing). We creep around chirping at giant bunnies, befriending red-eared turtles (someone adopt Warturtle!), and daydreaming about a future dog heist. After all the fun, we drive to the Distillery District and find our ultra-close-secret-free parking spot (email us and we’ll tell you where). Depending on the time of day, we might grab some lunch or just a pint of local brew. I also particularly enjoy picking up a nice coffee from Balzac‘s.

Leslie Spit Park

This place is Toronto’s best-kept secret! We heard about it from our good friend (thank you Sarah!) and since then, have gone many times. Leslie spit park is the peninsula that juts out near the Studio District. The whole walk is roughly 10 km there and back. I confess we have never completed it because we keep getting sidetracked by all the off-paths and secret attractions! We aim to arrive around 8AM to enjoy the park before the sun peaks at high noon. Parking is again free – if you haven’t noticed, that’s a big deal for us. Right away, we’ll take the off path along the coast and enjoy the interesting beach of eroded brick, entangled rebar, and the odd Inukshuk. Look out for minks, snakes, and black birds as they are common visitors.

Talk to the birdwatchers and they’ll show you magnificent birds in HD with their scopes. Go use the washrooms that are in a hidden bunker and pay attention to the walls and ceilings – you’ll see dozens of mud nests with baby swallows inside. There are also beaver dams, wetlands, and a path that will take you to see hundreds of cormorants nesting in the trees. If you love nature, this place will blow your socks off.

Unionville – Toogood Pond

The spot that comes up last on our list is our favourite and most frequented: Unionville. I first learned of this beautiful place because my office was right on Main Street, across the road from the recycling depot. Numerous attractions keep us coming back again and again. There was one summer when we went once a week!

We usually drop by the recycle depot because there is a shelf of free books – my guilty pleasure. Then we’ll head to either Starbucks, Firehall Confectionary, or Real Fruit Bubble tea for a nice cold treat to take on our adventure. Then we’re off to Toogood Pond! Toogood Pond is a decent sized “watering-hole” for animals and people alike with picturesque views. Since we go often, we have made friends with the inhabitants there. We’ll say hi to our Muscovy duck friends, spy on Mr. Heron’s hunt, and play hide and seek with the muskrat in residence.

If you’re patient, you’ll find basking turtles, croaking toads, diving cormorants, and sleeping fish all around the pond. To end off the day, we might sit at the patio of one of our favorite restaurants along Main Street. There’s also special events during the summer like live music and outdoor movies. Lastly, did I mention parking is free?

So those are our favorite date ideas in Toronto. It appears that there’s a common thread that runs through all of them: outdoors-y, animals, and free parking.

Which city do you live in and what are your favorite places to go on a date? Let us know below!