ROMWalks

Learn about the people who "made the news:" whether by riot, rebellion, assassination, murder, police gunfights, prison time - or by suing for freedom of the press, becoming a Father of Confederation, supporting the Underground Railroad, or championing equal pay for women - and that's just the publishers and journalists themselves.  We'll also look at how this area of the city, like the news media, has changed and adapted over time.

Discover Historic Danforth including the story of the famous Playter family, the landmark Danforth Music Hall (still in use), a former nickelodeon and bowling alley, 3 historic churches, and some beautiful heritage homes as you walk along the neighbourhood streets of this historic east end area.

Riverdale’s history includes indigenous settlements, a river, brickmakers, jailbreakers, medical facilities, a park, and even a Russian royal. View the oldest, continuously occupied house in Toronto, award winning restorations, public art and one of Toronto’s Carnegie libraries. Explore the evolution of this neighbourhood, which reflects the growth and changing demographics of the city. 

See the magnificent 19th century sacred buildings along Church and Bond Streets, starting with St James Anglican Cathedral and ending at St George’s Greek Orthodox Church. Crafted by the finest architects, the landmark buildings of different denominations reveal the importance of religion and its role in the social development of the city.

Join us for a short walk through this 200-acre cemetery in the middle of modern Toronto. The designer, Henry Englehardt, designed the cemetery like a park with winding roads and 200 species of trees. Along the walk, we will admire the grand tombs of famous Canadians and learn about the graves and the symbolism on the grave markers. The site, particularly in the Spring and Autumn, is breathtaking.

Explore the tree-lined streets of this prestigious enclave, the suburb of choice for Toronto’s wealthy citizens in the early 1900s. Learn how the area developed and about the lives of the earliest occupants of Rosedale. Admire the impressive, mostly residential architecture, spanning 150 years and learn about the architects who designed it. This walk also includes a National Historic site with a link to Canadian art. 

Discover the transformation of early 18th and 19th century farms into the subdivision of Willowdale and then the city of North York prior to the amalgamation of Toronto. We also explore the tranquility, history and residents of York Cemetery, just steps from the busy traffic and towering buildings of Yonge Street in the former North York. 

In a bustling neighbourhood where memory and modernity collide, we wander through what was once the old Jewish Market, past late Victorian buildings, and onto the University of Toronto campus. Our walk examines the history and architecture of an area that continues to change yet retains a distinct identity. Among the building en route are houses, synagogues, bars, churches and even a former dairy.

On this walk, you will be charmed by architecture that spans eight decades and will discover Toronto's lost cathedral. Meet inspiring people from the past, pioneers in education, building design and construction, an urban planning icon, community activists and influencers. And yes, there is murder here! One required extradition, the other riveted Canada during the First World War.