CONGRATULATIONS!

You (or your child) has graduated high school! Where to throw an amazing shindig? Here’s 5 venues that will transport you from those hallowed halls in style…

THE APERTURE ROOM

Aperture Room is a stylish event space located on the third floor of The Thornton-Smith Building in downtown Toronto. The name is derived from one of the building’s most prominent tenants, Toronto Camera, which occupied all four floors in 1966. The space features original exposed brick walls, three magnificent skylights, hardwood floors, plaster ceilings, LED lighting throughout and a refined heritage flare. Aperture Room also offers built-in AV equipment including state-of-the-art screens, projectors and architectural lighting, lending itself to all types of social and corporate events. The space can accommodate 120 guests for a seated event and 180 guests for a standing reception.

DISTRICT 28

District 28 is a boutique events company located in Toronto's iconic studio district. You can choose from three unique studios, an in-house screening room, restaurant, and reception area. The white, blank canvas of the event venue allows for your own creative input into hosting your own corporate event, high-end fundraiser, and more. 

GEARY LANE

Toronto’s hub for culture and creativity. Nestled away on a seemingly industrial stretch of Geary Avenue at Dufferin & Dupont, the Geary Lane studio is centrally located in an area of the city that is ripe with creative drive and youthful energy.

Housed in a 3000 square foot professional film studio and former recording studio, Geary Lane is a multi-purpose space that can magically transform to suit the needs of your creative projects. Whether you are looking for a state of the art location to shoot film or photography projects, a comfortable and accommodating space for intimate music or theatre rehearsals, or to educate the community through workshops, exhibits, or screenings, Geary Lane is the ideal space to let your creative ideas run wild.

THE COSTUME HOUSE

The Costume House is another venue situated in the Geary Avenue arts district. Originally built in the early 1900's by the Eaton family as a horse stable, this newly restored, turn of the century hard loft features a 13ft ceiling, original post and beam construction, textured brick, east-facing windows, and original oak flooring. This epic blank canvas provides the ultimate space for bringing your bespoke event creations to life. 

LONGBOAT HALL

Located in the uber hip West Queen West area, LongBoat Hall is part of The Great Hall. This lower level space offers over 5000 sq. ft of event space with 20 foot ceilings and cast iron beams. Grand, modern and classic all at once, this is a great venue for those who need to accommodate a larger crowd.

Imagine stepping off the King St. car on your way to catch the Yonge line north to your meeting/job/appointment. You’ve got a few extra minutes to grab a coffee and snack before you get on the Yonge line. This is the situation that led me to wonderful Dineen Coffee Co. in Commerce Court at Bay St. and King.

The otherwise austere facade of the financial district might lead one to feel this cafe’s location would be stuffy or cramped but quite the opposite is true. It’s set just so beyond the King entrance in a beautiful lobby with lots of comfortable seating around and at the bar and is run by some really great cashiers and baristas!

For this experience, I tried one of my favourite coffees for the morning; a brevé cappuccino (all cream/no milk). It’s kind of like my test coffee to see how good the baristas are; if done wrong, it’s usually very foamy or overly hot and makes for a kind of weak coffee with too much hot cream. But when done correctly (as it was here), it’s a beautifully rich and less sweet alternative to a regular cappuccino. I paired mine with a nicely buttery jalapeño and cheddar scone; delicious!

Next time you’re close to King and Yonge, do yourself a favour and check out this great coffee spot. You won’t be disappointed!

There are currently 3 locations for Dineen. See the map below for the one closest to you!

Here's where Dineen Coffee Co. is in Toronto

It’s one of those mid-summer, sticky Toronto days and you’ve got 2, or 3 or 4 very hot and very energetic kids that NEED to get out of the house for at least an hour. Where to go? Luckily Toronto has some of the most and best splash pads around. From the inventive and unexpected to the more traditional wading pools, we run down a list of 10 that should be accessible with a short walk, drive or hop on transit; okay, you need to take a ferry for Centre Island but... Much thanks to BlogTo and ChatterBlock for help with this list!

For a full list of splash and spray pads available in the City of Toronto, go here

CORKTOWN COMMON

This amazingly modern and stylish park is great without the splash pad, but whoa! What a splash pad it has! The East side park boasts a rubberized field with automated sprinklers set on timers, promising unsuspecting wee ones a wet surprise while you watch from the rocky sidelines.

THE PAUL QUARRINGTON SPLASH PAD AT SHERBOURNE COMMON

An ice rink in the winter and splash pad in the summer, this huge space allows for some serious frolicking in the water. There's also a washroom and changing facility on site and pockets of shade and seating around the perimeter.

SUGAR BEACH PARK

On the other side of the Corus Quay building from Sherbourne Common, Toronto's faux beach features a massive granite maple leaf emblem stuffed with 27 sequencing jets and plenty of seating courtesy of the Muskoka style loungers. Against the Grain is steps away for a post splash pad meal or snack.

HENDON PARK

Soaker style palm trees squirt water from above at this tropical pad near Yonge and Finch. It's home to two splash pads, with one set positioned a little shorter for the lil' tykes.

CHRISTIE PITS

This photo doesn’t do it justice but the maze theme of this splash pad adds another dimension of fun for the kids. The older ones will dig the onsite pool and waterslides.

HIGH PARK

Boasting a pool and a splash pad, this gem of a park is a great place to spend the entire day. The splash pad is its most recent addition, with a canopy of umbrellas and multiple misters to cool your kid off.

CENTRE ISLAND

Source: http://solomomtakesflight.com/destinations/free-things-torontos-centre-island/

Franklin reigns supreme at this frog themed water feature on Centre Island. Gentle mists and heavier flows rain down on kids - a great way of washing away all the sand from the nearby beach.

GLENDORA SPLASH PAD

The renovated splash pad at Glendora Park near Yonge and Sheppard is a wide open space of sprinklers with a playground right across for drying off.

JUNE ROWLANDS PARK

Midtowners celebrate the music of Sharon Lois & Bram via this micro-park tucked inside June Rowlands Park. The well appointed water area is aptly named the Splish Splash splash pad.

DUFFERIN GROVE PARK

Dufferin Park is a great option for the younger kids, they will enjoy the spacious wading pools surrounded by a layer of beautiful trees further protecting the fun-seekers from the scorching sun. It's also equipped with a large playground complete with a vast sandpit great for the explorative minds of the young ones! If you are lucky to visit during the weekly farmers' market, you will enjoy great deals and fresh produce.