Sunnyside is a lakefront district in west Toronto sitting along Lake Ontario’s Humber Bay, extending west from Exhibition Place to the mouth of Humber River.
Interestingly, the area has notable history in Toronto, first documented as the landing location of an 1813 attack during the War of 1812. Later on in the early 20th century, Sunnyside became the site of a massive waterfront reclamation public works project, which expanded the land area by 38 hectares. It grew in popularity as a summertime recreation zone between the 1920s and 1950s, acting as home to the Sunnyside Amusement Park, and was an evening entertainment hot spot. The night clubs have long since closed and the amusement park was eventually demolished to facilitate building of the Gardiner Expressway, which now borders the northern edge and separates Sunnyside from the neighbourhoods of Parkdale, Swansea, and Roncesvalles.

Today, the shoreline area features park space, an expansive beach, the Sunnyside Pavilion Cafe, and recreation facilities including an outdoor pool. It is accessible from the Martin Goodman mixed use trail, via a pleasant waterfront walk or bike ride. You can spot the occasional brave soul enjoying a dip in the murky E. coli ridden water here, but I would recommend the Toronto Islands as a better option for swimming in Lake Ontario.









It’s amazing to see old photographs and comparing them now. I was supposed to be visiting my family in Toronto this year as well but I guess I’ll just to wait until the full reopening of Canada’s borders for tourism!
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Yes those old photos are fascinating. This area in particular is so different nearly 100 years later.
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I spent a couple of days in Toronto years ago but I didn’t see much because it was winter and I got caught in a blizzard. It certainly looks lovely in summer.
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Yes, it’s definitely much nicer here in summer ๐
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Well we did not know Toronto had a beach. That changes things for us. We were due to visit this year but when we eventually do it will now be in the summer. Thanks!
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that shot of the butterfly is gorgeous!
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Thank you! That was taken in the butterfly garden, a luckily timed shot ๐
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