Heritage Toronto’s Neighbourhood Tours thru Oct. 23

Sixty-five Tours will be offered from Sunday, April 24 until Sunday, October 23. Featured ones include:

• MUSIC ON THE YONGE STREET STRIP: This tour was fully booked in its 2015 run and is back by popular demand! Participants will learn about Toronto’s rich music history on our city’s oldest street. They will join Nicholas Jennings, one of Canada’s most respected music historians, as he visits sites of famous nightlife venues and tells stories of artists like Oscar Peterson, Ronnie Hawkins, and Glenn Gould.
  This tour is sponsored by Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area and is free  to enjoy on May 19, June 5, July 14, July 24, August 4, August 18, August 21, and September 1.
• PRIDE WALK: PARTS 1 AND 2: For much of the past 70 years, the corridor surrounding Yonge and Church Streets has been a space where Toronto’s LGBTQ community has congregated, often in outright defiance of a less-than-tolerant society. Join historians from the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) as they follow the footsteps of activists who fought to find a public space they could call home.
  These tours are sponsored by DailyXtra. Part 1 (covering the area around Church-Wellesley Village) runs  June 18 while part 2 (covering the area around King, Queen and Yonge Streets) runs  June 25.
• YONGE STREET ARCHITECTURE: For over 220 years, Yonge Street has been the spine of downtown Toronto, with a collection of architectural gems that document the city’s shift from a British colonial garrison to Canada’s chief economic engine. Join us as we explore the changing face of Toronto’s oldest street, from the 19^th century sandstone glory of Old City Hall, to E.H. Zeidler’s game-changing Toronto Eaton Centre. This tour is free thanks to our partner, Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Association (BIA), and our Silver Sponsor, the Ontario Association of Architects. It runs on June 4, June 16, July 7, August 7, September 11, and September 22.
• LOST BREWERIES OF OLD TOWN TORONTO: Toronto was no slouch when it came to suds! Jordan St. John, one of Canada’s leading beer writers, leads a tour of old Toronto where many breweries once operated near the Don Valley. As a bonus, after the tour Heritage Toronto volunteers will escort participants to Mill St. Brewery for a complimentary tour and beer tasting!
  This tour is sponsored by Mill Street Brewery and runs May 12, June 19 (Father’s Day), August 27, and September 15.
• A GLIMPSE OF THE WARD: Toronto is known worldwide for its diversity, and no neighbourhood in the city plays host to this heritage like “The Ward” – the current area surrounding Bay and Dundas Streets. Join John Lorinc and Ellen Scheinberg – two editors of the 2015 book The Ward – as they retell the stories of the early immigrant experience, where new communities were first forged.
  This tour runs on July 10 and September 17.
• WORKERS’ HISTORY OF SPADINA: Years before Spadina Avenue played host to Chinatown, it was one of the biggest textile manufacturing districts in Canada. Join Professor Craig Heron, one of Canada’s best-known labour historians, as he explores the street’s Jewish past, the rise of workers’ organizations, the parades and protests that took place, and the later music scene.
  This free tour is sponsored by the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, and runs on May 1.
  
• “TRUE NORTH STRONG AND FREE:” CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP IN TORONTO: This tour highlights the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, along with histories of key symbols of Canadian identity and notable figures that shaped our country. Themes include Canadian democracy, justice, human rights, volunteerism, and defence.
  This free tour is presented in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and runs on July 1 (Canada Day), July 2, and during Citizenship Week on October 15 and October 16.

Click here for a digital version of this season’s Heritage Toronto Tours brochure which lists all tour dates, times and descriptions