Queen’s Park is one of Toronto’s most well-known spots and is located right in the heart of the city. The area features bike trails, the Ontario Legislative Building and monuments of the country’s most prominent figures. Did you know it’s also one of Canada’s oldest municipal parks?

Here’s everything you need to know.

According to the Government of Ontario, “Municipal Parks are public lands set aside for recreation purposes or to protect natural and cultural environments.”

The Toronto park has a history that dates back all the way to the 1800s, making it one of the country’s first municipal parks. The City of Toronto says the park was officially introduced to the city in 1859.

“In 1859, the city leased land here from King’s College, and in 1860, a park, named after Queen Victoria, was opened by the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. Queen’s Park was long considered a location for new parliament buildings, and in 1879 to 80, its construction was authorized by the Ontario Legislature and city council.”

The first legislative session was held in Queen’s Park before the turn of the 1900s, taking place on April 4, 1893.

A huge part of the park is the statues of Canadian historical figures such as Queen Victoria, John Graves Simcoe, George Brown, King George V and Sir John A. Macdonald.

If you’re thinking of taking a stroll through Queen’s Park in the spring, be sure to check out the white trillium garden. The white trilliums are in bloom around April and May, and fun fact: the white trillium is also Ontario’s official floral emblem.

The park is gorgeous any time of year, but if you go soon, you’ll still be able to enjoy some of the fall colours that have taken over the area.

Happy exploring!

Queen’s Park

Where: 110 Wellesley St. W.

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Taylor Lucas

Associate Editor – Taylor is a Toronto-based journalist with a passion for storytelling. Whether chasing a story, writing, or editing, she brings a creative spin to the media world and has a blast doing it. Taylor brings years of journalism experience in sports, local/national news, and entertainment. In her spare time, you can typically find Taylor trying out a new restaurant or cocktail bar, cooking, golfing or binge-watching true crime documentaries.

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