City of Toronto museums and cultural centres represent a range of historical periods and architectural styles, many set within beautiful natural surroundings. Our venues can be rented for a variety of functions including weddings, wedding photography, workshops and meetings, corporate events, fundraisers and film and TV shoots.
Many of our sites also offer immersive and interactive birthday parties allowing children an exciting opportunity to step back in time! These birthday parties are staffed by experienced historical interpreters.
The Assembly Hall is located on the scenic Lakeshore Grounds in South Etobicoke. With historic charm, modern updates and amenities, this beautifully restored century-old building is the ideal venue for special events, weddings, performances, workshops, conferences, film shoots, and community celebrations. To book Assembly Hall, please call 416-338-7255 or email assembly@toronto.ca.
Address: 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive
Floor plans of event spaces:
Cedar Ridge Creative Centre is a vibrant arts and cultural hub housed in a 1912 mansion. Flexible for almost any type of event, the historic charm of this former summer home boasts a grand feel with an original chandelier and hardwood floors coupled with modern day conveniences. To book Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, please call 416-396-4026 or email crcc@toronto.ca.
Address: 225 Confederation Drive
Located inside Guild Park and Gardens, the Clark Centre for the Arts is a stunning cultural facility that houses specialized art studios and gallery spaces that Toronto residents and visitors can enjoy year-round. Ideal for wedding photography, film screenings, meetings, ceremonies, exhibits, and birthday parties. To book the Clark Centre for the Arts, please call 416-396-4800 or email cca@toronto.ca.
Address: 191 Guildwood Pkwy
Courtyard
Gallery (Three Floors)
Lobby
Studio 1 – Digital Arts (First Floor)
Studio 2 – Multipurpose (Second Floor)
Studio 3 – Drawing & Painting Studio (Second Floor)
Studio 4 – Printmaking Studio (Third Floor)
Studio 5 – Fibre Arts Studio (Third Floor)
Sculptor’s Cabin (unavailable for 2022)
Log Cabin (unavailable for 2022)
Photography
Colborne Lodge, a rare Regency cottage in High Park, offers a lovely south-facing veranda for small ceremonies and photography. The nearby 19th century renovated Coach House, situated within beautiful parklands, is available for smaller events. For facility rental inquiries, please call Jasmin Min at 416-338-0030 or contact thmrentals@toronto.ca.
Address: 11 Colborne Lodge Drive
Veranda
Coach House
Photography
For birthday party inquiries, please call 416-392-6916 or email clodge@toronto.ca.
Whodunnit? There are secrets at Colborne Lodge. Children become detectives and explore the historic house uncovering hidden clues and work together to unravel the mystery. Once solved, the super sleuths will tackle another mission – make lemonade or hot chocolate the Victorian way in the cozy kitchen. Located in High Park, Colborne Lodge is easily accessible to the Jamie Bell Adventure Playground and the zoo.
Details
Set on several acres in the heart of downtown Toronto, Fort York offers an excellent view of modern downtown from the city’s oldest historic site. Fort York is excellent for commercial photography, film shoots, receptions, gala dinners, tented or large events and more. For facility rental inquiries, please call 416-392-6907 or email fortyork@toronto.ca.
Address: 250 Fort York Boulevard
For birthday party inquiries, please call 416-392-6907 or email fortyork@toronto.ca
Children love to dress-up and role-play. In our authentic 1812-era fort, they will experience life as a soldier. Dressed up in redcoat uniforms, children can explore soldier’s barracks, parade around the grounds in 19th-century drills or cook in our historic kitchen. Parents select from several activities to create the perfect party for their child. Fort York also features acres of green space where children can run and play.
Details
Toronto’s fields and livestock are gone, but the Gibson House, circa 1851, continues to provide a glimpse back into Toronto’s rural past. The period rooms tell the tale of David Gibson and his family while the Georgian exterior provides a lovely backdrop for photographs and film. For facility rental inquiries, please call Jasmin Min at 416-338-0030 or contact thmrentals@toronto.ca.
Address: 5172 Yonge Street
Meeting Room
Historic House Main Floor
Photography
For birthday party inquiries, please call 416-395-7432 or email gibsonhouse@toronto.ca.
Take your party guests on an adventure into the past! Create the perfect party by selecting from a wide range of hands-on activities including: baking over the open hearth, playing with 19th-century toys, making handkerchief dolls, churning butter and ice cream, and preparing wool for the spinning wheel. Seasonal options available. Gibson House Museum is a fun place to try new activities! We thrive on questions and curiosity, and provide a safe and comfortable space for discovery and exploration.
Details
Ideal for an older child’s Birthday Party. Your group will make an authentic 19th-century meal in the historic kitchen. Participants prepare the entire meal and then sit down to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Along with the kitchen experience your group will card sheep’s fleece to prepare it for the spinning wheel, play 19th-century games and explore the home of David Gibson and his family. Seasonal meal options available mid-November to end of December. Gibson House Museum is a fun place to try new activities! We thrive on questions and curiosity, and provide a safe and comfortable space for discovery and exploration.
Details
Mackenzie House is the restored 1857 townhome of William Lyon Mackenzie, complete with original artifacts that belonged to the family, located in downtown Toronto. It is an ideal space for commercial or private photography and small cocktail receptions. For facility rental inquiries, please call Jasmin Min at 416-338-0030 or contact thmrentals@toronto.ca.
Address: 82 Bond Street
Gallery
Photography
For birthday party inquiries, please call 416-392-6915 or email machouse@toronto.ca.
Imagine stepping into an 1850s newspaper print shop and making your own birthday party souvenir! Children learn the art of typesetting and printing using the 1845 printing press and have fun creating a piece to take home. The program includes a second activity. There are three to choose from: Children may write with a steel nib pen, illuminate historic prints or make thaumatropes.
Details
When Thomas Montgomery built and managed Montgomery’s Inn in 1830, it was a lively meeting place for the community, and it continues to be one for the people of Etobicoke. Capture the hospitality of 150 years past by holding your special event in one of our two rooms. This location is great for commercial and private photography, film shoots, meetings, intimate weddings and events. For facility rental inquiries, please call Jasmin Min at 416-338-0030 or contact thmrentals@toronto.ca.
Address: 4709 Dundas Street West
Please note: Permits must be obtained for both interior and exterior photography of the Inn.
Community Room
Briarly Room
Photography
For birthday party inquiries, please call 416-394-8113 or email montinn@toronto.ca.
Montgomery’s Inn provided employment and amusement for the people of 19th-century rural Etobicoke which still can be experienced firsthand. Following a tour of Mr. Montgomery’s Inn, participants will play a variety of authentic 19th-century tavern games in the barroom including ring the nail, shove ha’penny and table-top skittles. Once they’ve worked up an appetite, they will make their very own gingerbread treats in our restored kitchen!
Details
Scarborough Museum is set along the walking trails of beautiful Thomson Memorial Park, once the farm fields of Scarborough’s first settlers and now a popular heritage community. The museum shows the history and development of Scarborough from its founding and early settlement to its growth and emergence as a major suburb in the 20th century.
Address: 1007 Brimley Road
For birthday party inquiries, please call 416-338-8807 or email shm@toronto.ca.
Create a pioneer toy, try wood stove baking and complete a museum scavenger hunt (prizes included).
Create a pioneer toy, cook over the hearth in the log cabin and play pioneer dress-up.
Learn what it takes to be a super spy! Dust for fingerprints, crack secret codes and solve a mystery.
Pirates wanted to locate a lost treasure in the park! Bake Gold Doubloons, make a pirate map and complete a museum scavenger hunt (prizes included).
Details
Spadina Museum, Toronto’s Downton Abbey, offers spectacular views of the city. Acres of beautiful parkland and gardens surround this 1860’s mansion and make an excellent background for wedding ceremonies with afternoon reception and photography. Connected to the main house, the East Sun Room is perfect for small intimate receptions. For facility rental inquiries, please call Jasmin Min at 416-338-0030 or contact thmrentals@toronto.ca.
Address: 285 Spadina Road
East Sunroom
Terrace & Gardens
Basement Meeting Room
Photography
For birthday party inquiries, please call 416-392-6910 or email spadina@toronto.ca.
This party is the bees’ knees! During the 1920s fun-loving flappers shimmied in the latest styles while fashionable debutants wore dresses that made headlines. Why not join the festivities and bring the past to life for your party guests! Children will explore the beautifully decorated Spadina mansion, make a 1920s craft to take home and sample some of the trendy snacks of the period.
Celebrate like Patsy did in the 1920s. Listen to party music from the era, bake cupcakes in the historic kitchen and make a crown to take home. Patsy’s grandparents owned Spadina and in 1920 she turned seven years old. She loved to explore their home and you will too! Lovingly restored to the days of her childhood, this beautiful mansion now looks just like it did on Patsy’s birthday. Host a party here that you and your guests will never forget!
This party for fellas and flappers aged 9-12 years is the cat’s meow. Experience the madcap 1920s and 1930s at Spadina Museum. Learn about fads and fun in the creative and often zany Jazz Age. While you’re here pick up some nifty 20s slang, don a party accessory and tour the house on a scavenger hunt with an eye on the Austin’s fabulous art collection. Create your own collage masterpiece in the quirky style of the Dada and Surrealist artists of the 1920s.
Details
Todmorden Mills is set in the lush Don River Valley, minutes from downtown. The Papermill Gallery is a fully-accessible, renovated heritage venue that features a gallery and reception area. Surrounded by acres of land, the grounds are an alluring setting for your event. The north lawn is available for wedding ceremonies followed by a reception in the Papermill Gallery. For facility rental inquiries, please call Jasmin Min at 416-338-0030 or contact thmrentals@toronto.ca.
Address: 67 Pottery Road
Papermill Gallery
North Lawn (only available for ceremonies)
Photography
Built in 1869 and restored in 1910, Zion Schoolhouse provided elementary education to generations of children of L’Amaroux. Today it is one of Toronto’s last remaining one-room schoolhouses. The schoolhouse provides an intimate setting that is perfect for small wedding ceremonies, meetings and events as well as photography and film shoots. For facility rental inquiries, please call Jasmin Min at 416-338-0030 or contact thmrentals@toronto.ca.
Address: 1091 Finch Avenue East
Schoolroom
Exterior Grounds
Photography
For birthday party inquiries, please call 416-395-7435 or email zionschool@toronto.ca.
It’s your birthday and you still have to go to school. Not to worry – the Schoolmistress knows just how special it is to have your birthday in the classroom. Participants will experience the “day in the life of” a student in 1910, not only in costume but in character. So bring your imaginative costume pieces and your period appropriate snacks because after class it’s recess!
In this fair weather program children will have an extended recess after they experience the “day in the life of” a student in 1910. And this is a special recess too! It’s someone’s birthday and today we will play Edwardian games out on the lawn*. Just remember you have to finish your “seat work” first before the games begin. *Weather permitting
Your recess activities may include: stilts, tug of war, skipping rope, race games, bean bag toss
Details
