Programme Outings
Saturday is your day to get out and explore Toronto. Visit galleries and museums, learn about our past, or spend time with girl members of Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada. There will be walking on all the trips and we have indicated an activity level for each option, below. All trips will run rain or shine - so please be prepared! Lunch will be included in all trips.
All participants will be back at the hotel by 4:30 pm, at the latest.
ACTIVITY LEVELS DESCRIPTIONS: We assume you can get on/off a bus on your own or perhaps with a helping hand.
1: some walking around museum or gallery; almost all at ground level
2: ability to board a boat or take a 10-minute walk on paved sidewalk
3: walk on uneven ground; some stairs; walking shoes recommended
4: walk on uneven ground; some hilly terrain; walking shoes strongly recommended
Please note: when you register for the outings on the registration page, please indicate your top 3 choices. We will do our best to get you on a trip of your choice. We will assign people on a first come/first served basis.
Tour #1 – TORONTO CITY TOUR
Start your day with a boat cruise around Toronto harbour and islands and take in a unique view of Toronto’s skyline. Then climb aboard your red double-decker bus for a 2-hour tour of Toronto. See its neighborhoods, downtown and Toronto’s own castle - Casa Loma, once the home of Lady Pellatt - the first Chief Commissioner for the Canadian Girl Guides. Return to the hotel for a delicious lunch. Then take a 10-minute walk (with a guide) to the Eaton Center for some afternoon shopping, if you wish. Return to the hotel after your shopping or sight-seeing adventure on your own. Activity Level 2
Tour #2 – McMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION
This trip is centered around the unique collection of Canadian art at this special gallery, an hour’s ride northwest of downtown Toronto. The McMichael’s permanent collection consists of over 6,500 artworks by Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, their contemporaries, and First Nations, Métis, Inuit and contemporary artists who have contributed to the development of Canadian art. There will be an hour-long guided tour of the collection. There will be time to explore more on your own, or visit the excellent gallery shop. We’ll have our box lunch on the grounds before boarding the bus for a short ride into the historic town of Kleinburg to explore the shops and coffee houses before returning to Toronto. Activity Level 1
Tour #3 – BLACK CREEK PIONEER VILLAGE
Spend the day in Toronto’s pioneer museum reflecting Ontario in the 1860’s. We’ll start the day with a guided tour of the main buildings in the Village. Then we’ll have our box lunch within the Village grounds. After lunch there will be an opportunity for a hands-on experience making something using tools and methods from the 1860’s. As outlined on their website, “Black Creek is a working village, typical of those established in south central Ontario between the 1790s and the 1860s. At Black Creek you are invited to escape the modern world, and experience Ontario’s rich rural heritage.” Activity Level 3
Tour #4 – BATA SHOE MUSEUM & GARDINER MUSEUM
Begin the day with a guided highlight tour of the Bata! As their website says, “The BSM celebrates the style and function of footwear in four impressive galleries. Footwear on display ranges from Chinese bound foot shoes and ancient Egyptian sandals to chestnut-crushing clogs and glamorous platforms”. There will be time to visit their gallery shop before we eat our box lunch. Then we will take a short walk along Bloor Street to visit the Gardiner Museum described on their website as “Canada’s national museum of ceramics. It is one of a small number of specialized museums of ceramics in the world.” There is an excellent gallery shop you will want to explore! Activity Level 2
Tour #5 – AGA KHAN MUSEUM & EDWARDS GARDENS
We’ll start the day at the Aga Khan Museum which, according to the Aga Khan himself, “aims to offer unique insights and new perspectives into Islamic civilizations and the cultural threads that weave through history binding us all together. My hope is that the Museum will also be a centre of education and of learning and that it will act as a catalyst for mutual understanding and tolerance”. We will have a tour of the permanent collection followed by some free time to explore the grounds and the shop. Then after a brief bus ride we will arrive at the beautiful Edwards Gardens where we’ll enjoy our box lunches in a courtyard surrounded by spectacular plants and flowers. Following lunch, we’ll have guided tours of the gardens and have time to explore the resource centre and shop. Activity Level 3
Tour #6 – GIRL GUIDES’ GLOBAL AWARENESS EVENT
The World is Calling! Join 100 Canadian Pathfinders (Girl Guides of Canada members ages 12-14) at nearby Girl Guide Camp Ma-Kee-Wa. In partnership with the youth members, OB-PS members will have the opportunity to participate in several hands-on, interactive sessions focusing on global awareness and international advocacy. You will have the opportunity to meet, mentor and learn alongside these young leaders as they explore global opportunities for leadership and advocacy. Your visit to Camp will include small group sessions in which you will participate in service/advocacy activities and projects, a fabulous camp-style meal and of course a campfire complete with fun and action. Activity Level 4
