Toronto in September

More detail on what you're looking for would be helpful.

What are your interests? How long will you be in the city for? Does your friend have a car, or will you be relying on public transport?

Our interests are pretty open. We aren't much into museums/art galleries. We will be in the city for one week and will be relying on public transportation for the trip. Thanks!!

It's not off the beaten path what so ever, but if you haven't gone up the CN Tower it's worth doing once in my opinion. Yes, it's touristy as hell, but it's also pretty neat.
I once spent a whole day walking around the city visiting different independent bookstores, so if you're a reader I definitely recommend that (bring a backpack though! you'll discover so many new books). I'm not personally a huge vintage shopper, but some of my friends seem to find some amazing clothes and stuff, if that's up your ally I could ask around for shop names and stuff. For interesting stores in general I really like Kensington Market.
Walking around a non touristy area until you see an interesting looking restaurant is fun if you want to do some culinary exploring.

Thanks for the advice! I would definitely be interested in going to some interesting stores, such as vintage or anything similar!! Can't wait to visit Toronto.

One thing that is really worth doing is going to the Scarborough Bluffs! They are super beautiful, and a great place to go for a mini-hike and to lounge about by the water. While it is kinda of outside the downtown core, you can reach it by public transit (it just takes a while, but that's part of what helps it stay 'off the beaten path'). In a similar vein you should definitely go to Toronto Island! It only costs 7$ to take the ferry, and typically it is still warm enough in September. The ferry drops off at three separate points: Ward's Island (mostly residential, but also where the delicious and cute Rectory Cafe is located), Hanlan's Point (best place for swimming, beach lounging, but be aware that one of the beaches is 'clothing optional') or Centre Island (which is more family oriented).

Like thisisroseic suggested, just walking around Toronto can be really fun because of the different neighbourhoods. The Annex, Kensington, and Chinatown are all pretty popular for this, as well as places like Roncesvalles and Parkdale (you can get between all of these really easily on the subway).

If you guys are into beer, then the Steamwhistle brewery tour is also quite a lot of fun.

Hope you guys have a fun trip!

Apparently this is a pretty decent round up of vintage shops, according to my friend. She especially likes Public Butter and House of Vintage.

I love exploring the city by foot; here are my Toronto favourites:

-High Park; gorgeous for a walk (long or short). There is also a little zoo, beautiful gardens, and some historical attractions (Colborne Lodge). It is a short walk from the water as well, so bringing a picnic on a sunny day would be nice!
-Kensington Market; a must-see. Tons of vintage, weird little stores, good food, eclectic folk.
-The Queen car; get a day pass and take the Queen car from one end of the city to the other. Hop on and off as you please and explore whatever catches your eye!
-Humber Campus; in the west end of the city on the water. Used to be the Lakeshore psychiatric hospital and all the buildings are converted into college classrooms. I have heard they do tours on occasion and there is some really neat history!
-The Toronto Islands; a cheap ferry takes you to a whole different part of the city. They have bike rentals on the island to explore that way!
-The Bata Shoe Museum; a different kind of museum experience you won't get anywhere else.
-A walk along Bloor street; it's cool to explore all the different neighbourhoods
-St. Lawrence Market; apparently one of the best public markets in the world
-Check blogto.com to see what's on the week you're there.

Enjoy!

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