Here's a look at some of the sights and activities in Toronto. Call for hours and admission informat

12/30/1994 12:00:00 AM

By Darla Goodman

Here's a look at some of the sights and activities in Toronto. Call for hoursand admission information.

sUniquely Toronto

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CN Tower: 301 Front St. W.; (416) 360-8500. The tallest freestanding structurein the world has three observation decks, Horizons Nightclub, a futuristiclaser-tag game and Top of Toronto Revolving Restaurant. Call 362-5411 fordining reservations.

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Casa Loma: 1 Austin Terrace; (416) 923-1171. Elegance and splendor from theEdwardian era castle estate. The former home of Sir Henry Pellatt, completewith furnished rooms, secret passages, towers, an 800-foot tunnel and stables.

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The Dini Petty Show: 9 Channel Nine Court, Scarborough, Ontario; (416)299-2370. Be a part of a studio audience.

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Harbourfront Centre: 10 acres on the south side of Queens Quay W. and includesYork, John and Maple Leaf Quays; (416) 973-3000. A non-profit culturalorganization that produces and presents International Arts Festivals,community and educational events, visual arts, literary, marine and children'sactivities.

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Metropolitan Toronto Archives & Record Centre: 255 Spadina Road; (416)397-5000. Theater, exhibits, files and records provide a context forunderstanding the Metropolitan Corp., its current issues and futuredirections.

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North York City Hall: 51 Yonge St., North York, Ontario; (416) 395-7300. Afree 50-minute tour highlights the architecture and civic role of the Hall.

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Scarborough Civic Centre: 150 Borough Drive, Scarborough, Ontario; (416)396-5700. This building, with its unique architecture, features daily tours,Sunday-afternoon concerts, art exhibits and a wading pool (an outdoor skatingrink in winter).

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SkyDome: 1 Blue Jays Way, Suite 3000; (416) 341-3663. Multipurposeentertainment center with a fully retractable roof. Beside the CN Tower andthe Metro Toronto Convention Centre, it features a 348-room hotel, a healthclub and seven restaurants and bars.

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Toronto City Hall: Bay and Queen streets; (416) 392-7341. Prize-winningarchitecture. Special events in Nathan Phillips Square, including concerts andfarmers markets. For event information, call (416) 392-0458.

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Toronto Wedding Chapel: 123 Queen St. W. (in the Sheraton Centre Hotel); (416)366-2111. Religious or non-denominational chapel opposite the City HallMarriage License Bureau. Open 24 hours.

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Upper Canada Brewing Co.: 2 Atlantic Ave.; (416) 534-9281. Tour the breweryand taste lagers and ales. Specialty clothing and glassware boutique.

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Village of Corso Italia: Along St. Clair Ave. W. between Dufferin & Lansdowne;(416) 652-0251. The heart of Toronto's Italian community with traditionalshops, sidewalk cafes, restaurants, specialty shops and boutiques.

sAmusements

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Fantasy Fair: 500 Rexdale Blvd., Rexdale, Ontario; (416) 674-5437. Indooramusement park inside the Woodbine Shopping Centre, featuring a Victorian townwith eight rides, games, restaurants and a children's interactive play area.

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Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament: Arts, Crafts & Hobbies Building,Exhibition Place; (416) 260-1170. Re-enactment of an 11th-century medievalbanquet inside a climate-controlled castle with knights on horses competing inmedieval game, sword fights and jousting.

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North York Ski Centre: Earl Bales Park, 4169 Bathurst St., North York,Ontario; (416) 395-7874 or (416) 395-7931. A full-service ski area with nightlighting and five skiable acres.

sMuseums

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Bata Shoe Museum Collection: 131 Bloor St. W., The Colonnade; (416) 924-7463.A glimpse of history from below the knees. Exhibit of footwear, spanning morethan 2,000 years, illustrates how footwear is a reflection of broader socialand historical events, across cultures and throughout time.

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George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art: 111 Queen's Park, across from RoyalOntario Museum; (416) 586-5551. The only specialized ceramics museum in NorthAmerica; houses a collection of Italian maiolica, English Delftware, MeissenHarlequin figures and other pieces.

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Hockey Hall of Fame: BCE Place, 30 Yonge St.; (416) 360-7765. Experience theevolution of the game through memorabilia displays, movies, trophies andinteractive attractions.

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Holocaust Education and Memorial Centre of Toronto: 4600 Bathurst St.,Willowdale, Ontario; (416) 635-2883. Dedicated to the memory of 6 million Jewswho were murdered during 12 years of Nazi tyranny. Two audio-visualpresentations portray the experiences of European Jews before, during andafter World War II.

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Marine Museum of Upper Canada: Exhibition Place; (416) 392-1765. Dedicated tothe interpretation of the heritage of the waterways of Toronto's harbour.

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Museum for Textiles: 55 Centre Ave.; (416) 599-5321. Devoted to traditionaltextiles from all parts of the world. Also houses a gallery showingcontemporary Canadian textiles. Twelve galleries show changing exhibits.

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Redpath Sugar Museum: 95 Queens Quay E.; (416) 366-3561. A collection ofmemorabilia relating to the Canadian sugar industry and the Redpath family.

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Royal Ontario Museum: 100 Queen's Park (Bloor Street at Avenue Road -- Museumsubway stop; (416) 586-5551. Galleries include: Dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt andNubia, and Chinese collections.

sGalleries

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Art Gallery of Ontario: 317 Dundas St. W.; (416) 979-6648. More than 16,000works that span 600 years. The Henry Moore Sculpture Centre houses the world'slargest public collection of Moore's works. The Grange, the original home ofthe Gallery, is restored as a gentleman's home of the early 1830s in UpperCanada. Tours, traveling exhibitions, concerts, lectures, films, gallery shop.

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Eskimo Art Gallery: 12 Queens Quay W.; (416) 366-3000. Award-winning Arcticinterior design. Gallery specializes in high-quality Inuit carvings and hasthe largest selection of contemporary Inuit art in Toronto.

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Market Gallery: 95 Front St. E. South St. Lawrence Market, second floor; (416)392-7604. The city's official exhibition facility displays historicalpaintings, artifacts, photographs, maps and documents from the municipalarchival and fine art collections.

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McMichael Canadian Art Collection: 10365 Islington Ave. and Major MacKenzieDrive, Kleinburg, Ontario; (905) 893-1121. Featuring works by Canada'srenowned landscape painters, The Group of Seven, as well as Inuit andcontemporary Indian art and sculpture.

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The Power Plant -- Contemporary Art at Harbourfront Centre: 231 Queens QuayW.; (416) 973-4949. Built in 1927 as a power station for the ice-making plantthat supplied the nearby warehouse (now Queen's Quay Terminal), The PowerPlant is now a showcase for the best in contemporary art.

sScience and Nature

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Kortright Centre for Conservation: Pine Valley Drive, Kleinburg, Ontario;(905) 661-6600. Canada's largest conservation centre encompasses over 225hectares of forest, meadows and wetlands. Guided tours, environmentaldemonstrations, conservation programs and presentations.

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McLaughlin Planetarium: 100 Queen's Park (Bloor at Avenue Road -- Museumsubway stop; (416) 586-5736. Domed ceiling with a Zeiss start projector,hundreds of slide projectors and a sound system create an audio-visualexperience.

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Metro Toronto Zoo: Located in Scarborough on Highway 401 at Meadowvale Road,16 kilometers east of the Don Valley Parkway, exit No. 389; (416) 392-5900.Rated as one of the world's best zoos, with more than 4,000 animals in eighttropical pavilions. Monorail and Zoomobile rides offer comfortable viewing ofoutdoor exhibits.

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Ontario Science Centre: 770 Don Mills Road; (416) 696-3127. More than 650exhibits and programs. Make discoveries about the sports you play, the foodsyou eat, the ways you communicate and the technology you use. Take a walkthrough a steaming tropical rainforest or make and exhibition of yourself inthe shadow tunnel.

sMarkets and more

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Dr. Flea's Highway 27 & Albion Flea Market: 8 Westmore Drive, Rexdale,Ontario; (416) 745-3532. More than 400 vendors indoors and outdoors. Hourlygiveaways. Large farmers and collectibles market as well as new merchandise.

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Market Village Markham Inc.: 4350 Steeles Ave. E. Unit A122, Markham, Ontario;(905) 940-2243. A unique retail concept were east meets west. Shops,restaurants and services.

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Merchants' Flea Market: 1921 Eglinton Ave. E. Scarborough, Ontario; (416)757-5698. Everything you needs for the family and home. Indoors, 150 vendors.

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Queen's Quay Terminal: 207 Queens Quay W.; (416) 203-0510. This specialtyretail center offers a unique shopping and dining experience. Along with itsscenic waterfront setting, there is seasonal decor and ongoing special events.

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Weall & Cullen Country Barns: 4300 Steeles Ave. E. (at Kennedy Road), Markham,Ontario; (905) 477-4475. Three unique interconnected barns offer city shoppingat its country best. Special events throughout the year. After browsingthrough this award-winning tourist attraction, enjoy a meal in one of threerestaurants.

sHistoric Toronto

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Campbell House: 160 Queen St. W. (at University Ave.); (416) 597-0227.Costumed interpreters give continuous guided tours through the restoredGeorgian residence of Justice William Campbell and his wife, Hannah. Acollection of period furniture, changing legal history exhibits and specialevents.

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Colborne Lodge: High Park; (416) 392-6916. This Regency-style cottage was thehome of John George Howard, architect, city surveyor, engineer and artist.Built in 1837, it contains many original furnishings. Daily demonstrations of19th-century domestic life.

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Fort York: Garrison Road off Fleet Street, east of Strachan St., near theC.N.E.; (416) 392-6907. Early 19th-century fort recreates the drama of the Warof 1812 through tours, displays and military demonstrations.

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George Brown House: 50 Baldwin St. (at Beverley); (416) 314-3585. ThisVictorian mansion was the home of George Brown, a father of confederation anda newspaper editor.

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Gibson House: 5172 Yonge St., North York, Ontario; (416) 395-7432. Restored1851 home of David Gibson, local politician and land surveyor. Guided toursreflect the busy rural life of the Gibsons in the 1850s. Monthly themeweekends reflect seasonal activities; visitor participation welcome.

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The Grange Historic House Museum: 317 Dundas St. W.; (416) 979-6648. Theoldest brick house in Toronto. Built in 1817 by D'Arcy Boulton Jr., one of thetown of York's leading citizens. Restored as a gentleman's house of the early1830s in Upper Canada, with costumed guides and a working kitchen.

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Mackenzie House: 82 Bond St.; (416) 392-6915. This mid-Victorian townhouse wasthe home of William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto's first mayor and leader of the1837 Rebellion. See the recreated 19th-century print shop.

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Montgomery's Inn: 4709 Dundas St. W., Etobicoke, Ontario; (416) 394-8113.Georgian inn restored to the 1847-1850 period; shows the lifestyle of acountry innkeeper and businessman. Guided tours and afternoon tea.

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Spadina: 285 Spadina Road; (416) 392-6910. The 1866 estate of financier JamesAustin and his descendants contains elegant furnishings and fine art. Thehistoric gardens are landscaped.