Things YOU GOTTA SEE when visiting Scarborough!
Here are some quick suggestions for visitors with limited time in the area. Perfect if you have only ONE DAY to visit (like a business trip, when passing through, or when stopping over between flights). The additional days schedule is a recommendation for those who want to see the essence of Scarborough in only a couple of days.
You can read ALL SORTS of travel guides, and carry around pounds of paper, or just print off this ONE PAGE and have all the info you ever need! These are the area’s top activities, family activities and attractions, tourist attractions, historical sites, museums, interesting architecture, sightseeing and top shopping/dining areas. Organized into a nice walking or driving itinerary!
Sightseeing Suggestions
Scarborough is in Toronto’s east end, and until the 1970s still had wide open spaces. It is best known for the sandstone bluffs along the lakeshore and the wide Rouge River valley in its eastern half (which is now home to the expansive Toronto Zoo). This created opportunities for different attractions than the rest of Toronto.
Rouge River Vally & Toronto Zoo
The Rouge River winds down to Lake Ontario from northern York Region, with lots of parklands and protected areas along its route. Rouge Park in Scarborough is the largest urban park in the Toronto area. From the beach along the lakefront, the park has a campground, a stable, and a number of significant archeological finds.
To the west of Rouge Park, off Meadowvale Rd, is the Toronto Zoo. This large zoo combines extensive outdoor enclosures with 6 pavilions.
Highland Creek & Scarborough Ravines
A number of parks and attractions follow Highland Creek uphill from its mouth including the University of Toronto in Scarborough campus, the extensive Morningside Park
Cedar Ridge Park combines a historical art colony (now a creative centre) and gardens
Further west, along Lawrence (or via the creek’s recreational pathways) is the Scarborough Historical Museum
The Scarborough Bluffs & Lakeshore
The bluffs mark the Lake Ontario edge of extensive highlands between the Don River and the Rouge River rising high above the rest of Toronto. On e of the best spots to view them is Bluffer’s Park, accessed by Brimley Rd.
Waterfront Trail runs along many stretches of the lakefront (as yet, incomplete) from Bluffers Park which has three marinas and a beach, to Sylvan Park with its Doris McCarthy hiking trail, and Guildwood Park which has an outdoor pool and a theatre.