One of my favourite past times of my childhood growing up in Toronto was going to Ontario Place. Often dwarfed by amusement park Canada’s Wonderland it was always thought of as the little brother of attractions. As you may know in February it was announced that parts of the park would be closed this year for redevelopment. The parks attendance has dropped significantly and new ways of using the space are being sought out.
Urbanspace Gallery at 401 Richmond St. W. is having an exhibition of Ontario Place’s past, present, and future that runs from August 2nd till September 29 2012. The plans for the future will include contributions from ERA Architects and Creative Urban Projects, 3 crucial principles to guideany future plan for the site, as well as 3 specific proposals that would bring clarity of vision back to Ontario Place, drawing inspiration from recent projects around Toronto and abroad. Readers are encouraged to come down and help support the revitalization of one of our greatest architectural developments.
I explored the Toronto archives to find photos of things that I remembered loving as a child. The bumper boats were one of the first things that I found. I remember being too young for years and that first time I was old enough to use them I didn’t realize how wet your pants got.
Other great parts of the park included the water park which had spray guns, giant heads that spit water, slides, and obstacle courses.
Everyone always loved the punching bag room. As dangerous as this was it was always fun to run through and pray you didn’t come head to head with another brave kid.
My favourite ride at the park was The Wilderness Adventure Ride. The Log Ride of all Log Rides this trip took you through forest with animals, up through a quarry, down a white water river before finally plunging you down a steep shoot.
Other notables were the Caricature artists, the naval ship, the Nintendo and Lego land, the roller rink, and the Mega Maze.
Enjoy the rest of the pics I found in the Toronto Archives and relive your past. Tell us what your favourite part of Ontario Place was and what you think they should have in the future. Check out the Ontario Place website to keep up to date on events and future plans.
