I love Toronto in the summer, but I don't think you need me to tell you to go up the CN Tower or catch the ferry to the Toronto Islands.
They're classics for a reason, but some of the best things to do in Toronto in the summer go beyond the usual tourist attractions.
For me, it's the slightly more spontaneous plans that make the season memorable - watching a movie under the stars, finally trying that patio you've walked past a hundred times or checking out a ridiculous pop-up that'll quietly disappear by September.
Unfortunately, we've now reached that horrible point in August when every warm evening feels like it comes with a countdown clock.
So, before summer in Toronto officially slips away and we all start pretending we're excited about fall — although, truthfully, I'm not pretending — here are my top seven things to do in Toronto before the season ends.
Get an ice cream sandwich at Mandy's
Mandy's is already one of my favourite summer lunch spots. The salads are fresh and colourful, every location is ridiculously cute and eating a giant bowl of vegetables somehow makes me feel like the picture of summer health.
But this summer, there's another reason to stop by on weekends — and it has absolutely nothing to do with salad.
Mandy's is serving a nostalgic ice cream sandwich made with vanilla ice cream squished between two chocolate chip cookies and rolled in rainbow sprinkles.
Honestly, this is exactly the kind of food I want during the final weeks of summer. Nothing sophisticated or reinvented — just the childhood joy of a giant ice cream sandwich covered in sprinkles.
I'd make an afternoon of it and head to the Mandy's in Toronto's Distillery District at 359 Front St. E. Grab an ice cream sandwich, wander the cobblestone streets and pretend you're on a European vacation rather than approximately 15 minutes from Union Station.
You could even pair it with one of Mandy's new dirty sodas — Cherry Lime Cola or Mango Sprite — before catching a show at Soulpepper and turning the whole thing into a proper summer date.
Shakespeare in the Park
If you've somehow lived in Toronto for years without seeing Shakespeare in High Park, don't talk to me until you've bought your tickets.
Canadian Stage's Dream in High Park is one of those Toronto summer traditions that makes living in the city feel genuinely magical.
This year's production is Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, running at the High Park Amphitheatre until September 6.
And if the word "Shakespeare" immediately sends you spiralling back to high-school English class, here's the cheat code: She's the Man is based on Twelfth Night. You already know more than you think. You're going to be fine.
The setting alone is worth going for. The outdoor amphitheatre is tucked among the trees in High Park, with the audience sitting along a natural hillside as daylight fades and the stage starts to glow against the darkness.
Tickets start at $35, which feels like an increasingly rare bargain for a night out in Toronto — especially one this lovely.
The Sky Yard at The Drake Hotel
There are patios, and then there are patios that make me remember why I live in Toronto.
The Drake Hotel has been a Queen West institution for decades, and its Sky Yard remains one of my favourite places to spend a summer evening. A warm night on a patio is already hard to beat. Put that patio on a rooftop above the city and I'm sold.
This summer, the rooftop has had a makeover, transforming into a desert-inspired oasis for the Drake's new Sky Yard BBQ concept.
The menu revolves around a charcoal grill, with grilled meats, fresh ceviches and aguachiles, vegetable-forward sides and plenty of plates designed for sharing. The drinks are equally summery, with tequila and rum cocktails alongside zero-proof and low-ABV options.
My advice: go around golden hour, order a drink and settle in as the sun goes down. Stick around long enough and the rooftop shifts into its evening programming, with DJs and music taking over after dark.
Toronto summer lasts approximately 11 minutes. I intend to spend as much of it on rooftops as possible.
Yoga at Casa Loma
I've been to Casa Loma, but doing yoga in the gardens of a literal castle on a summer morning is an entirely different experience.
This summer, the Toronto landmark launched Breathtaking Gardens, a weekly Sunday wellness series running through August 30.
From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., each morning starts with a yoga, Pilates or stretching class led by a community instructor, followed by a Soul Expansion experience with Freddy Gervasi and The Band of Souls. If someone makes it to this before I do, please report back on what, exactly, a Soul Expansion experience entails.
But the setting is obviously the real selling point.
Instead of spending your Sunday morning stretching under fluorescent gym lights, you're doing it surrounded by flowers and fountains in the gardens of an actual castle. If I have to exercise before brunch, this is how I'd prefer to do it.
Tickets start at $64.
Beach Volleyball at Rendezviews
RendezViews is hands down one of my favourite Toronto patios in the summer, partly because it is absolutely massive.
The 30,000-square-foot outdoor space in Toronto's Entertainment District has skyline views, picnic tables, giant screens, food, drinks and, most importantly for this particular summer mission, sand.
Throughout the summer, patio customers can play beach volleyball for free on a first-come, first-served basis. You get the court for 50 minutes, and they'll even provide the volleyball, so all you really need to bring is a group of willing participants.
To be clear, I am not a volleyball player. I have never played competitively, and nobody will be scouting me anytime soon.
But that's sort of the point. Volleyball is one of those games where you can gather a group of friends, attempt to keep a ball in the air and have a genuinely good time without anyone needing to take themselves too seriously.
Add sand, cold drinks, Toronto skyline views and a warm summer evening, and you've basically created the kind of night you'll spend all winter wishing you could have back.
See a concert at Rogers Stadium
I still haven't been to Rogers Stadium, which means this one is as much a reminder for me as it is a recommendation for you.
The massive outdoor concert venue has quickly become one of Toronto's biggest destinations for live music, including hosting one of the most talked-about shows of the summer when Bruno Mars came to town.
And because the whole thing is outdoors, this isn't exactly a Toronto experience you can save for February.
Rogers Stadium also seems determined to make a concert here feel like more than just the show itself. The food is part of the experience, with artist-inspired dishes popping up on the menu alongside options like Sushi Pops, brisket, pulled pork and Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. There is apparently even matcha churro poutine in the premium hospitality areas, which raises several questions I would personally like answered.
There are still some huge concerts left on the calendar, including BTS, Chris Stapleton and AC/DC, so there's time to experience the stadium before outdoor concert season disappears along with the warm weather.
Basically, if you're going to spend an absurd amount of money on a concert ticket anyway, you might as well turn it into an entire summer night out.
Dance outside all night long
What is a Toronto summer without at least one outdoor music festival?
Over Labour Day weekend — which absolutely still counts as summer — there's a massive electronic music event taking over the Port Lands.
On September 6, GORDO is bringing his internationally known TARAKA concept to Toronto alongside Francis Mercier, following the huge Black Coffee showcase that drew more than 10,000 people to the Port Lands earlier this summer.
TARAKA isn't quite a traditional music festival or a club night. Instead, organizers are promising a more immersive electronic music experience, with a 360-degree setup, elevated VIP platforms surrounding the stage, hospitality lounges, an Ibiza-inspired atmosphere and food from The Food Dudes.
Basically, if you'd like to briefly convince yourself you're partying in Ibiza without dealing with an eight-hour flight, this might be your chance.
General admission tickets start at $60, while VIP options start at $110.
And really, dancing outside until 11 p.m. on the Sunday of Labour Day weekend feels like an appropriate way to close out another Toronto summer.
We'll have plenty of time to complain about the cold soon enough.
There's always this weird pressure at the end of August to squeeze every last drop out of summer, and this year, I'm giving in to it.
Toronto will still be here when the patios close and the jackets come back out, but some of the best parts of summer in the city come with an expiry date. Long evenings, packed parks, outdoor movies, rooftop drinks and the ability to sit outside after 9 p.m. without immediately regretting it aren't sticking around forever.
So before Toronto moves on to fall foliage, pumpkin spice and TIFF season, I'm making the most of what's left.
Preferably with an ice cream sandwich in one hand and absolutely no plans to go up the CN Tower.
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
