Toronto Travel: Distillery District

One of Torontos coolest places is the Distillery District, a 13 acre complex of more than 40 Victorian-era industrial buildings. On the beautiful morning of August 3, 2009 I decided to hop on the bike and cycle down to this popular destination. The complex is named after the former Gooderham and Warts Distillery which was founded as far back as 1832. By the 1860s it had become the largest distillery in the world.

As the eastern part of Toronto de-industrialized and the distillery operations closed in 1990, this area became increasingly run down and the now empty distillery complex often acted as a backdrop in various movie productions. In the early 2000s finally a group of Toronto entrepreneurs bought the complex and renovated it to create an award-winning pedestrian village that now houses many different restaurants, cafes, galleries, boutiques and other retailers. The Young Centre for Performing Arts is the home of the Soulpepper Theatre Company.

Among the notable tenants are the Mill Street Brewery which is a micro-brewery and pub that features my favourites: fresh pretzels, which is a perfect snack for a hungry biker on a Saturday morning. Sitting outside on the patio I enjoyed this snack to get ready for the rest of my bike tour.

Today Torontos Distillery District is the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial buildings in all of North America and a designated National Historic site. It has become a popular destination among the locals and out-of-towners alike.

Category:

Travel & Events

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• Toronto
• Travel
• Canada
• historic