7 Great Places to Visit on Your Toronto (Winter) Staycation

Remember: These days, it's best to check with your destinations before you head out. Businesses, services and attractions may open or close due to changing restrictions.

The new Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit remains open to the public with added safety measures to counter COVID. The exhibit lets you immerse yourself in 600,000 cubic feet of stunning projection, animating the master's works and illuminating the mind of the genius. Wander through giant projections that highlight brushstrokes, detail and colour as you have never experienced them. The exhibition is custom designed for the historic space that housed the Toronto Star's printing presses at 1 Yonge Street. So, walk the exhibit or drive! The Gogh-By-Car experience is a drive-in preview of the Walk-Thru gallery. Patrons drive in from the rear side of the building to a secondary gallery designed to accommodate vehicles and are immersed in the same beautifully animated paintings as the Walk-Thru gallery.

One of the city's famous art landmarks is totally free to check out. Graffiti Alley, which runs between McDougall Lane and Augusta Avenue near Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue, has become a street art hotspot, slowly transforming over the years to a top outdoor destination. Most recently, local artists updated the Alley with new murals to show solidarity with the anti-racism movement.

Toronto is such a great city, no one ever wants to leave. The Haunted Walk offers spine-tingling tours of many of the city's most haunted locations including the downtown core, Distillery District and Black Creek Pioneer Village. (Though there are plenty of other supernatural places to scope out in Toronto, too.) So, put on some warm clothes and get ready to be freaked out on one of these socially-distanced spook shows.

In the heart of downtown, near Union Station, the St. Lawrence Market offers the best of the artisanal, the specialty and the unique. The South Market is home to 120 specialty vendors, known for the variety of their fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, grains, baked goods and dairy products. The North Market is primarily known for its Saturday Farmers' Market – a tradition that dates back to 1803. St. Lawrence Hall, which was built in 1850, houses retail businesses on the ground floor and City offices on the second floor. It's always worth a visit to St. Lawrence Market.

Casa Loma is Canada's castle. Built in 1914, it took 300 workers nearly three years to complete the almost 200,000 square foot castle at a cost of $3,500,000. (That was a lot of money at the time.) Casa Loma is one of Toronto's top tourist attractions and hospitality venues, with more than 650,000 visitors taking in the castle and estate gardens every year. So, step back in time and visit the Antique Car Display, the Group of Seven Collection or The Dark Side Tunnel Exhibit. Casa Loma is well worth a visit.

With more than 65,000 square feet of hockey artefacts and memorabilia, the Hockey Hall of Fame is the place to be if you're a hockey fan or if you have one in the family. The HHOF always seems to have something new to offer. A few of our recent favourites include Canada: 100 Years of International Gold and 9 & 99: The Howe - Gretzky Exhibition. But, no matter what team you support, you'll definitely find some interesting and amazing things to see at the Hockey Hall of Fame. You can even get your picture taken with the Stanley Cup.

Black Creek Pioneer Village brings the 1860s to life, giving visitors a chance to explore an authentically recreated country village in the heart of Toronto. It features 40 historic buildings, 70 rare and heritage breed animals, 10 gardens that grow flowers and plants from heirloom seeds, and exciting programs that engage people of all ages. Add to that a collection of 50,000 artefacts, interactive offerings and monthly events and you'll have plenty to do during this trip back in time.