Last weekend I took Mehmet to my favourite place in Toronto. It’s been years since I’ve been there actually, so it was extra fun for me too. We call it Centre Island, but it’s actually a small group of islands – and only one of them is Centre Island. No matter… it’s a great place, and within such easy access from downtown Toronto.

The island is a beautiful oasis… with lots and lots of space. And no public cars are allowed! It’s safe, and perfect for biking, picnics, sports games, canoeing – lots of stuff!

From the end of the pier at the southern side of the island, you get a sense of the size of Lake Ontario.  It’s 311 km long and 85 km wide.  Some more stats: It’s the 14th largest lake in the world, at 18,960 sq. km.

There seem to be lots of  rivers running through one island, but actually they are the waterways between different islands. You can rent canoes, paddleboats, rowboats, etc.  and some people come from the city with their beautiful yachts and float through.

Centreville is an amusement park for kids – lots of rides, games, and activities. We steered clear! :)

Instead of swan rides and mini-coasters, we opted for bicycle rental. Next time we will bike right to the ferry and take our own bikes on the island!

There are also these double and quad-bikes to rent, but I’ve tried that before. Never again! Hard to pedal, hard to navigate… no thanks.

I think my favourite part of Centre Island is the East end, the residential area. It’s quite a walk from the main part of the island, so not many island visitors make it to this end.  There are just under 300 homes, and they’re all quite quaint! There are no streets between the homes, just paths like this:

That makes it really enjoyable to just bike up and down and enjoy the homes. I don’t know if it’s still the case, but these homes used to be quite popular with writers and artists. There are definitely a lot of unique places, and I taught Mehmet the word ‘eccentric’.

Apparently, the houses on the island can only be sold to individuals who are on a government-instituted waiting list.  About once per year, the administrators draw 15-25 names from a pool of applicants.  Those selected are placed on the list, which is capped at 500 names.  I’m not sure how they select the ‘winners’!

The homes which are on the edge of the island have an incredible view of the city.

Of course there’s a marina too. This man is sitting at the picnic table, working on his laptop, dog nearby. What a great environment to work in!

We were on the island a few hours and only got to see about a quarter of it. There are paths and bridges all over the place!

The fruit trees were in full bloom.

And there’s our boat now… better head to the dock!

The ferry ride (return) costs $7.

Of course Mehmet loved it as I do. “I think we should come here every couple of weeks,” he said. Well, no arguments from me! Next time we’ll come with frisbee, soccer ball, books, blanket and lunch!