8 essential things to do on a Toronto summer vacation

Toronto is attracting a record-breaking number of tourists - welcome to our fair city. If you're new to town or are showing friends and family around for a day, where should you go? While mainstream attractions like the CN Tower, St. Lawrence Market and the Aquarium might seem like obvious choices, there are plenty of other unique spots to check out.

Here are some essential places you need to go while on summer vacation in Toronto.

Go on a west end brewery crawl
Toronto's craft beer scene is blowing up, especially in the city's west end. Hit up the patio at Bandit Brewery, try some funky and fruity brews at Halo, catch a show at Burdock (it's a brewery, restaurant and concert hall) and explore Sterling Road at Henderson Brewing.

Dine at one of Toronto's hot new restaurants
Toronto's a haven for food lovers, so come hungry. Try something new and visit Her Father's Cider, our city's first ever dedicated cider bar. Grab small plates at the still lineup inducing Bar Raval or its newer sibling El Rey Mezcal Bar. Like your dinner with a view? Lavelle has you covered, but bring your bather too because you might want to take a dip in the pool.

Throw some axes over drinks
Axe-throwing is super popular here, but did you know it's a quintessentially Toronto activity? If uptown, head to the new BATL location near Yorkdale or make like a downtowner and saunter over to the Port Lands during one of its drop-in times. If you're the type who plans in advance you can also book out space for you and your travel buddies. BATL's now licensed so drink up.

Take a tour of Toronto's outrageous ice cream parlours
Toronto's screaming for ice cream. Get an outrageously adorned cone from Sweet Jesus or customize a soft serve creation at La Diperie. Or go all out at try a churro cone, a doughnut cone or an Instagram-worthy ice cream taco.

Work off those calories at an adult jungle gym
You're going to want to hit the gym after stuffing your face, but avoid the weights and treadmills in favour of something a little different. At Pursuit OCR you can jump on monkey bars, dive into a ball pit and generally have the time of your life while breaking a sweat (hard to imagine, I know). This obstacle course and fitness studio will transport you back to childhood while whipping you into shape.

Cross the DVP and explore Leslieville
It's easy to spend time on the west side, but your visit won't be complete without trekking to the Leslieville, the neighbourhood the New York Times once called Toronto's Williamsburg. Start with brunch at Saturday Dinette and later, refuel at one of the area's popular cafes - indulge in an Arabic coffee from just opened Hailed or take your coffee with a raw egg at Lan Restaurant.

Build your cred with a Dupont Street art crawl
Some of Toronto's best contemporary art galleries have emerged on (and around) Dupont Street. Be sure to visit Cooper Cole, Neubacher Shor, Erin Stump Projects, Katzman Contemporary and Angell Gallery.

Shop on one of the coolest streets in North America
Vogue named Toronto's West Queen West one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world for street style and earlier this summer it was named one of the coolest streets again. Shop at one of Toronto's new boutiques like Tusk or The Siista'r before resting your heel's at one of Toronto's most popular parks.

What did I miss? Add more suggestions to the comments.

Photo of Bandit Brewery by Jesse Milns.

by Amy Grief via blogTO