Exploring Toronto’s Annex and looking for the best and most fun things to do in the neighbourhood?
This lively neighbourhood is located right by the University of Toronto (AKA it’s full of students), so you’ll find plenty of casual eateries, cute cafés, and cool boutiques in the area.
Here are some of the best things to do in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood!
Be sure to also follow me on Instagram and TikTok – I share a lot more content on those platforms that don’t make it to the blog!
More things to do in Toronto
If you’re looking for more fun things to do in Toronto, you might enjoy these posts:
- Searching for somewhere to eat? Visit one of the best restaurants in the Annex.
- Looking for more things to do in the area? Explore nearby Yorkville and visit the best restaurants and coffee shops.
- On the hunt for more cool Toronto neighbourhoods? Visit the cutest neighbourhoods in Toronto.
Best things to do in Toronto’s Annex
Get competitive at Snakes & Lattes
Board game cafés are actually so fun to visit, whether you’re on a date or hanging out with a group of friends!
Snakes & Lattes is definitely one of my favourite things to do in the city, and they’ve got a location in the Annex.
You totally forget how fun board games actually are until you play them again, and there are so many to choose from.
Go for classics like Scrabble or Settlers of Catan, or try something new – the employees at Snakes are always happy to suggest and teach you new games!
The entrance fee is $8 per person, and they also have food and drink for purchase as well.
Adam and I always love getting the Nutella Latte here!
It’s nice that they have thousands of board game options to choose from, which you probably don’t have at home.
Scrabble is my fave board game to play on dates (mostly ’cause I always win lolz).
Besides their Annex location, they’ve also got locations on College and in Midtown Toronto!
LOCATION: 600 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON
Take in history at the Royal Ontario Museum
If you love museums, you absolutely need to pay a visit to the ROM.
The ROM is actually the largest museum in Canada, as well as one of the largest museums in North America, which is really cool!
You can see all kinds of incredible art, world culture, and natural history exhibits.
My favourite part of the ROM has always been the dinosaur exhibit – it’s just so cool to see!
You can buy your tickets to the ROM online ahead of time to make it easier.
There’s also a really fun themed 19+ event called ROM After Dark that happens every month, where you can enjoy live entertainment and food and drink at the ROM.
Tickets are $40 per person and include a free drink and coat check, and you can get discounted tickets if you’re a ROM Member!
LOCATION: 100 Queens Park, Toronto, ON
Explore the Bata Shoe Museum
For the shoe lovers out there, you’ll want to check out the Bata Shoe Museum.
You’ll get to explore over 4,500 years of footwear history, with hundreds of shoes on display from around the world.
From Chinese bound-foot shoes and ancient Egyptian sandals, there are so many cool shoes to see!
They even host some cool special exhibitions.
You can grab tickets to the Bata Shoe Museum online.
LOCATION: 327 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON
🎟 Buy tickets to the Bata Shoe Museum
Wander through Casa Loma
Casa Loma is a stunning historic mansion that was built sometime in the early 1900s, and it’s one of the most unique landmarks in Toronto.
There is an entrance fee to go inside the mansion, but it’s definitely worth it for all the nice photo opps!
The gardens at Casa Loma are probably my favourite part of the entire property – it literally looks like a fairytale during the summer months.
If there are any events going on at Casa Loma, it’s totally worth buying tickets to both enjoy the event and get access inside!
LOCATION: 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto, ON
Go café hopping in the Annex
With all the students in the neighbourhood, of course you’ll find plenty of great cafés to work or study from.
There are some really nice coffee shops worth visiting in the area, including:
- Rustle & Still Café: a super cute, plant-filled café with Southeast Asian-inspired drinks.
- Cong Caphe: a Vietnamese coffee chain that just opened their first Canadian outpost.
I also love 18 FEET Espresso Bar & The Cheong, which is all about their house-made cheong, a type of Korean fruit preserve.
They do have very minimal seating, so it’s not a very work-friendly spot!
Watch a documentary at the Hot Docs Cinema
Stop into the Hot Docs Cinema to check out screenings of some of the best documentaries alongside other special screenings.
Right now, they’re screening a bunch of classic holiday movies, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Home Alone!
There’s also a Hot Docs Festival that happens in Toronto every spring, and it’s the largest documentary festival in North America.
LOCATION: 506 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON
See the cool murals in the Annex
There are some really nice murals in the Annex, if you’re looking for some cool and unique photo opps.
I especially love the Hokusai-inspired mural outside Kinka Izakaya (an amazing Japanese restaurant), as well as the colourful Toronto skyline mural.
Just take a stroll along Bloor and check out all the vibrant murals in the neighbourhood!
Explore the University of Toronto St. George campus
U of T’s downtown Toronto campus is absolutely stunning, and it’s such a lovely area to walk around.
Snap some photos of all the historic buildings and do some people-watching on the bustling campus.
You can even access the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library during Doors Open Toronto, which happens every spring.
The library features four floors of rare books and manuscripts, with some dating back to the 11th century!
LOCATION: 27 King’s College Cir, Toronto, ON
Check out a concert at Lee’s Palace
This iconic rock concert hall in Toronto was built back in the early 1900s, and it’s been home to a bank, shoemaker shop, and silent film theatre.
The building turned into a music club back in 1985, and it’s been operating that way ever since.
It’s a landmark in Toronto’s live music scene!
You can also check out the Dance Cave on the top floor, a nightclub that’s popular with rock lovers during the week and students on weekends.
LOCATION: 529 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON
Dine at the many incredible restaurants in the Annex
If you’re a big foodie, you’ll absolutely love the restaurant scene in the Annex neighbourhood.
Since it’s located by the University of Toronto, you’ll find an extensive selection of international eats, as well as plenty of affordable eats.
The Annex is also located right next to Koreatown, so you’ll also find some of the best Korean restaurants in Toronto in this area!
Stop into Woojoo Bunsik for some of the best tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes) in the city, Playa Cabana for incredible Mexican cuisine, or Her Father’s Cider Bar + Kitchen for amazing brunch.
If you’re craving some treats, you can pop into Fuwa Fuwa for fluffy Japanese soufflé pancakes, LA LA Bakeshop for Vietnamese-inspired baked goods, or Eva’s Original Chimneys for decked-out soft serve chimney cones!
Best things to do in the Annex:
- Get competitive at Snakes & Lattes
- Take in history at the Royal Ontario Museum
- Explore the Bata Shoe Museum
- Wander through Casa Loma
- Go café hopping
- Watch a documentary at the Hot Docs Cinema
- See the cool murals in the Annex
- Explore the University of Toronto campus
- Check out a concert at Lee’s Palace
- Dine at the many incredible restaurants in the Annex
These were some of the best things to do in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood!
What are your favourite things to see and do in the Annex neighbourhood? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram!
More things to do in Toronto
If you’re looking for more fun things to do in Toronto, you might enjoy these posts:
- Searching for somewhere to eat? Visit one of the best restaurants in the Annex.
- Looking for more things to do in the area? Explore nearby Yorkville and visit the best restaurants and coffee shops.
- On the hunt for more cool Toronto neighbourhoods? Visit the cutest neighbourhoods in Toronto.
Be sure to keep up with me on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest if you aren’t already!
Feel free to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get my blog posts delivered straight to your inbox.
Like this post? Pin it for later!