I'm not quite sure now how I came to learn about the RHDDO, but I sure am glad I did, somehow…read more Possibly it was due to the fact that Astronomy Day was coming up. My husband and daughter enjoy astronomy, so when I saw that we had an observatory with a special event, I jumped on the opportunity to take them there and find out all about this underappreciated venue. The facility was constructed back in the 1930's (opened in 1935.) At that time, Richmond Hill was the boonies, and light pollution was not an issue. Times have changed, of course. It is still situated in a large park, but you would never know it's hiding behind some trees when you drive up on Yonge Street and right past the perimeter. There is plenty of free parking, which is a nice bonus. The services are provided by volunteers, associated with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (or, rascals, as they like to call themselves.) David Dunlop's widow gifted the observatory to the University of Toronto. The main hall does indeed look just like an academic building you'd see in a British film. The beauty of the building lends itself well to its being available to be booked for private functions, including overnights just like a cinematic Night at the Museum. When you want to visit for lectures and events such as the one we went to, you need to book through the City of Richmond Hill. I had to create not only an account, but a profile for every one of us attending. It was a rather laborious task just to buy a ticket, but it's a one-time-only setup that covers us for all City of Richmond Hill programs at any of their facilities in future. Once I finally got through the work of creating an account and filling out our profiles, I purchased the tickets, which came out to just under $20/person. When we arrived for the evening's program, we were greeted by staff who gave us wristbands after checking us off the guest list. We were directed to the lecture room, and greeted by Quintin, our lecturer and one of several hosts for the evening. We were advised that we would be broken up into 2 groups in order to facilitate use of the telescopes outside, and visual presentation in another upstairs room. We came at a rather unfortunate time in that the dome was undergoing maintenance, so we would not be experiencing the main telescope (which is the largest in Canada and at one point was the second largest in the world) The volunteers actually provided their own personal scopes for us to use. It was a cloudy night, so we didn't see much besides the moon, but at least it wasn't raining, too windy, or too cold. This is one issue that you can't avoid when buying tickets: you will be at the mercy of the weather, and events will proceed rain or shine on their scheduled date. When we switched groups to move from the lawn to the upstairs room for the main lecture, we were warned that the room tends to be very warm. Luckily, just down the hall, there is a water dispenser that provided what has to be the cleanest, coldest, public water fountain I have ever experienced. It was highly appreciated. The ladies' washrooms were in the other direction down the hall. Again, the beauty of this building is not diminished by its age - if anything, it's enhanced by its period feel. Quintin's lecture was based around some astronomy apps that we learned about and anyone can use. He used the visuals to discuss planets, astronomical phenomena, and other subjects we ourselves brought up. He was able to answer just about every question we had, and if he wasn't 100% sure, he added where he believed the answer could be verified. If university classes were all this cool, we'd never graduate and just keep staying. Shoutout as well to the several other volunteers who provided telescopes and pointers out on the lawn. I am so glad I found out about this hidden gem. Even if you're not into astronomy, the surrounding park is an oasis of nature, and the venue is a beautiful option to be rented for parties and photography events. When the dome maintenance is finished, we definitely plan to return for the full experience.

Odd to give a fountain or statue a lower than stellar rating but there are some things that make…read morethis an OK landmark, but certainly not my fave. I've realized since beginning my search for odd landmarks to review that I am a little bit of a history nerd and while this statue appears to have some significance (the effigies of what appears to be one man rescuing another) it's not outlined on an plaque anywhere near by. The fountain is surrounded by well kept gardens and with adequate seating surrounding it, I can see how this would be a serene place to relax on a summer day. That being said the fountain itself appears to be in ill repair, chipping paint along the railing and the water appears to be a touch murky. I believe I read online that this statue/fountain was erected in honor of immigrants who moved to Canada to work in trades and labour, but ill update this review once my sleuthing turns up something concrete. Something certainly to see in Vaughan of you're driving past in hwy 7 but for my time a little more history and upkeep would make this perfect. ---------------------------- Historical background: I told you I would sleuth out the truth on this memorial. It does have a name (which I have since changed in the business listing to reflect it accordingly). Italian Workers Memorial "The Memorial, located in front of the Woodbridge Pool and Memorial Arena in Vaughan dedicated to all Canadian workers of Italian descent who perished or were injured in work related accidents. The Memorial committee commissioned a statue to Giovanni Fanton, a local artist of Italian descent who chose a highly defined realistic style to represent the theme. Our task was to design an installation that would provide both a base and an architectural setting around the statue to emphasize its social and symbolic values. For this reason the statue has been installed on a platform surrounded by a series of concrete pillars resembling a bridge collapsing under construction, with precast concrete pieces piled over a shallow pool. Water cascades from behind the statue to the pool, evoking the falling movement of debris. A small Piazza-like structure, elevated from the surrounding area, with seating for public events and recreation crowns the statue, its pedestal and the pool area" - - - Taken from Nino Rico Inc Architect webpage

Visited Gibson House Museum in North York and loved it! It's a cozy old farmhouse that gives you a…read morepeek into life in the 19th century. The staff are friendly and share interesting stories about the Gibson family. We got to see the beautiful gardens, It was so fun and different! If you're in the area and like history or just want a peaceful spot away from the city, this place is definitely worth a visit.

A must-visit venue for those interested in Toronto history…read more Oana was super patient and knowledgeable when introducing the house's origin and heritage to us. We learned and felt welcomed during the visit, and really appreciate the venue's historic value and its staffs.

Perfect afternoon to head to the park. Better yet, we headed to the King City Craft Beer Festival…read moreand Food Truck Festival. This is an annual event that's hosted on one Saturday at the start of summer. The entire town seemed to have shown up as the small festival ground was packed with families & groups of all ages (many with pets) to make for a lively atmosphere. Once inside we briefly roamed around the festival ground and craft beer tents, before settling on ordering Urban Smoke's $10 brisket poutine based on the healthy lineup. Fries were crisp but the gravy sort of overwhelmed the flavour of the BBQ brisket slices. Slabtown Cider quenched our thirst well, so we tried both their legendary cherry and founder's dry cider. However another craft beer (aptly named Psychedelic Sunday) tasted like watered down perfume so I'd chalk that as a recipe gone awry. The other food truck that peaked my interest was Buster's Sea Cove. Figured I'd save a trip to Boston by ordering their $15 Lobster Roll! Their roll turned out to be about the size of the accompanying pickle slice, though filled with decent portion of lobster. For dessert, my wife had to try Funnel Cake Express to reminisce of CNE. Their funnel cake was a solid option: crunchy and not overly sweet from the light chocolate, caramel and maple syrup dressings. Admission started at $10. Gate fare was $20 to sample drinks, with 3 tokens that redeemed basically half a cup each (additional tokens were $2). Since we came with family, the festival was not perhaps the best value for the limited itinerary plus live music. We were in-and-out within 1.5 hours before heading to the nearby playground to enjoy the beautiful day.

As of late, I have been entering contests and have had good luck on my side. Here's hoping that I…read morehave not jinxed it. On Instagram, I saw that Yelp GTA was giving away tickets to the King City Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival. I decided to give it a try, which required reposting Yelp GTA's pic, tagging a couple of sponsors, and declaring that you want to go. My dearest friend saw my post and sent me a direct message saying, "I was hoping that we could hang out on June 9. Were you really thinking of going to this festival or just going if you win tickets? If you aren't a winner, we can still hang out." We have known each other since grade 7. I like that she still will be my dear friend, whether I am a winner or loser. Guess what? I got the nod that I have won a pair of tickets. Go, me! I tagged my friend, saying that we're going. The plan was for her to drop by my place, park, and we'd go in my car. Perfect! Thanks to Amanda, Kris, and King City Parks and Recreation for having us at this festival. The catch was figuring out whether we wanted to pick up the tickets through a quick Yelp get-together, or simply pick up tickets at Memorial Park just before the festival starts. We went with the latter. My friend and I got to venue at around noon. I didn't know where to park and ask what seemed to be a volunteer in a purple shirt. She said that parking on the residential street that we were on was fine. The downside was that she was talking to us facing the park. We were looking at her back in my car. Weird. Anyway, I parked and we walked in. I was to look for Kris and a Yelp sign. I saw nothing. My friend needed a washroom and she left to investigate. I seem to be an easy target for Kris to find me. He yelled my name out, which is now customary, and walked over. He told me that he loves this festival and hoped that I would, too. He gave me my tickets. We chatted some more. He pointed out to stop by the Yelp stand to vote for the best beer and food, and we wished each other a great day. You also get free wifi to vote, which lasts for fifteen minutes. The volunteers were not all that prepared, which is the main reason why I am not giving a five-star review. First, we asked whether we were going to drink beer at the front makeshift gate. Um, yes. My guess was that the tickets come with drink tokens. You get a green-coloured wrist band. Second, we had to show ID. No one looked at our ID. Did we look like senile old women that we didn't need to flash our IDs chiselled on rocks? Third, we didn't know which lineup to go to. We chose the one on the left. The fourth point needs a new paragraph. I approached the table. There were two volunteers. One asked for my name. I gave mine to her. She looked at her list and then realized that I wouldn't be on it, as I was holding tickets. She proceeded to give me three drink tokens. I said that I have two tickets. I should be getting six tokens in total. Her sidekick agreed with me. She didn't give my friend three tokens. Um, I'm waiting. I literally had to tell her to provide three tokens into the palm of my friend's hand. OMG, kill me! Anyway, my friend had to use the portable potty. We walked over. We were the first folks to use them, so they were clean. There was a handwashing area to the right. Perfect! We sampled some beer and cider. We ended up chatting with a number of vendors. The two beers and cider that I tried were fantastic. The folks selling them were enthusiastic and nice. Everyone was nice. My friend took a photo of the BMO folks working the stand for them. We enjoyed the various musical bands and acts that were playing. We got food. I had to get a tornado potato with sea salt. It is essentially a spiralized potato on a stick that is deep fried and salted. So good! My friend and I liked it. I have such a weakness for empanadas. We raided the Chacha Churros truck. I got beef and my friend got vegan empanadas. They were so delicious and packed full of fresh, flavourful ingredients. We loved them so much that we came back to get churros. Both folks working the truck remember us. I told them that their food was amazing. The churros had the best cinnamon flavour I have had in a long time. Wow! We visited every stand. I liked visiting the York Region one. You answered trivia questions and you end up winning a cup made of recycled materials that comes with a straw and a lid. We both got one. You could also fill up your water bottles and even these cups at the free water fountain next door. Nice! Naturally, I stopped by the Yelp booth to get some swag and vote for my favourite beer and food vendors. I liked that one person there said that she has seen me around. I suppose that I have been to more Yelp-sponsored events this year than my four years being a Yelper combined that I am fairly easy to spot! I had a fabulous time at this event. I got to experience so much wonderful food and chat with friendly people. I would definitely give it a go again. (227)

Warning: spoilers ahead!…read more Agree with other reviewers, come early. It's open 7 to 10pm and we arrived at 7:20pm and had to stand in line out in the cold for an hour. The reason for the lineup is because they space ppl out so each group feels like they're by themselves and get fresh jump scares. Actual haunted house and haunted path is amazing, actors have great costumes makeup and props, path is very long and has many different buildings and themes. My bf was impressed by the fog and laser effect in one place with the actor crouching underneath and grabbing people's ankles. There was free popcorn from an unaffiliated business so that was nice. Only bathroom is a Porta potty. They charge $5 for each carnival add on and they are all pretty lame and should be bundled as all add ons for ten bucks or something. Luckily they were lax in checking tickets. (You get a single ticket from the lady at the entrance at the haunted house) In the middle part of the attraction you jump across the fence and the lady takes your ticket and grants you the Hellevator experience (disappointing because unlike what the trailer shows it doesn't go anywhere just rattles around with a voiceover) and the zombie paintball (they were broken, had to wait for repairs, and there were only 2 zombies popping our and you can't even see the impact of the paint) Just march over to the carnival area and no one will check for tickets. The museum of oddities is like 3 statues and 2 small shelves of stuff. The ax throwing is tossing axes at a wall of wood. The rest of the games are as described, very small scale. On the table there was a bowl with sticker packs of 3 promotional stickers for free so don't bother paying $6 for a sticker pack. All in all I paid just under $100 for 2 ppl and had a great time at this experience.

Sadly this is not the "Original" Planing Mill which was burnt down 1983…read more The historic Unionville Planing Mill had been operating since 1840 and had been a working water mill for over 140 years. The site was redeveloped in cooperation with the town and the historical society, in May 1987 and it now housed some salons, boutique and a restaurant. One of the most photographed buildings in Old Unionville for tourists, locals and wedding parties...certainly a landmark!

Stinky Tofu....The whole event just smell like Stinky Tofu...I can smell it even at the underground…read moreparking lot!! That's just insane! Richmond Hill Summer Carnival is like a night market with food vendors plus on stage competition and performers. A lot smaller scale than the other Night Market but the good thing about this is there are tons of parkings and no lines for anything. Similar food vendors as other events selling BBQ skewers, Pineapple drinks, Bubble Tea, Stinky Tofu and Takoyaki. Good to pop by if you have the cravings for the tofu..but if you are not into that, stay away... STAY FAR AWAY!!

Stinky Tofu Hong Kong Style The very first booth that we…read morestopped by because we are in need of some stinkiness XD These stinky tofu is made the moment you put in an order, such that all customers will have the best of the stinky tofu. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. After three minutes, the deep fried stinky tofu is ready! We added lots of sweet sauce, spicy sauce, pickled cabbage and it's ready to eat! When you're actually eating it, it doesn't smell stinky at all. I think the essence of HK style stinky tofu is in the sweet sauce so make sure you add lots of it! A variety of seafood available at HK Seafood Station. We wanted to try everything! Here it is! We got Grilled Whelk in Shell and Stuffed Clams. The Grilled Whelk in Shell is very good and perfectly seasoned. They did not taste fishy at all. On the other hand, we felt like we were scammed by the Stuffed Clams, as there was very little clams in it. The clams did not taste bad, but it's not worth the money for it. Taro Tornado Fries! We were told to add EVERYTHING to the crispy goodness and so we did. powdered ranch, ketchup, ceasar, garlic powder, chilli powder etc. it was super fresh and crunchy not to mention fun to eat! Here's a video of the making of tornado fries! Notice how it's night time already. Although this was a relatively small event, we managed to spend a few hours there and ate all the food items we missed at Night It Up as it was less crowded and not as stuffy. And so here's a close for this year's night market events, until next year!

I have attended four different ribfests this summer. This one in Woodbridge was my least favourite…read moreout of the batch. All ribfests that I have attended this year have been in drive-thru format, including this one. I headed over here a couple of Sundays ago. This year, it was held at the highways 7-400 Power Centre. I pulled into the entrance where the Leon's is. You couldn't access the ribfest from there, so I had to pull out and around to the only entrance available. There were a few things that put a damper on my experience. The first was getting a QR code presented to me by a volunteer. I am growing to dislike QR codes. This one was circular with the Rotary Club of Woodbridge logo smack in the middle of it. My guess is that my phone is sensitive to any QR code. If this QR code is tweaked or customized in some way, it won't work. Frankly, I would like to see both the QR code and URL to the site presented. Instead, I got a paper menu. I'd rather have that than any QR code! I am all for donating to a worthy cause. The minimum donation was $2. All donations went to Mackenzie Health. I did not have any cash and hoped that I could do debit. The alternative was to text a number and donate $10. I didn't like the lack of flexibility in donation amount. The Scarborough ribfest had a $5 denomination using your debit card if you didn't have cash. I was not pleased, especially when we are in a pandemic and cash is often not high on the acceptable payment list. The next aspect that was odd was getting dessert vendors in my face during this ribfest. The other three had dessert, drinks, and corn at the end of the drive-thru experience. I had one woman present dessert items that she was offering. It turned me off. I was here for the ribs. I want to order my ribs first! The pylons marking the lanes to the three vendors weren't clearly placed. I actually had to ask a volunteer where to go. If I need to ask for that sort of help with where the lanes are, it says a lot. I typically don't pose that question. There were three rib vendors. I decided to go with Uncle Sam's. The man taking my order was great. I got a full rack dinner that comes with coleslaw and beans. I paid using a credit card. I wish that there were an option to tip, but it didn't appear on the machine. I got my food in a paper bag fairly quickly. I thanked the man and drove over to Home Depot to have a late lunch in the comfort of my car. The baked beans were delicious. They were rich and so flavourful. They were gone immediately. I appreciated getting plastic cutlery. The three other places didn't give me many. Luckily, I always have some in my car. The coleslaw was one of the better ones that I have had. It had flavour and a crunch that I thoroughly enjoyed. Yum! The ribs were amazing. They had a generous amount of sauce that was smokey and amazing. The ribs were meaty and done perfectly. They were by far the best ribs that I have had out of all four ribfests, which made up for the horrible start that I got here. I'm not sure if I'd come back. If it ends up being a walk-in ribfest next year, I may give it a try so I don't get dessert shoved in my face before I get some ribs. (366)

Rain Rain goes away…read more.. All these rain made the 6th Annual Woodbridge Ribfest such a muddy one. I should have wore my rain boots! This is one of the smallest Ribfest I been to with only 5 ribbers. But what makes this ribfest different from others are the local craft beers from smaller breweries, a pizza vendors that make wood oven pizza on site and a taco vendor that roasting a pig on site for pork taco! Tons of other vendors promoting their services from photography studio, insurances and home improvement. Woodbridge Ribfest is A-OK if you are in the area and want to have some ribs, but definitely not worth a special trip for the event!