10 Best Romantic Things to Do in Toronto, ON

If the last time you can remember picking up a paintbrush was elementary school, it is time to dust off those art supplies. Paintlounge is a full experience of art, with easels, paint splatters, paint and no judgment. Play around with colours and lines and be walked through the whole process. At the end of the night, you will have a masterpiece and/or a conversation starter. Some events have wine, others allow you to BYOB with a permit (and a $30 fee) and there is always tea at the ready. If date night has looked like the same old, same old, this is the place to go.

It is not exactly surprising that we put a hotel under the umbrella of romantic things to do. Turndown service, plush linens and a room that has a bed as a centrepiece are surefire ways to keep things spicy. However, we included this hotel because of the sublime rooftop lounge. A day spent by the pool (which during the summer can be from 7 am to 7 pm) is a day well spent, provided that you bring enough sunblock and remember that early cocktails need to be paced. The view from this hotel of the city is grandiose, sweeping from skyscraper to skyscraper. Of course, you and your sweetie get to look down on it all. How sweet it is to be in love.

Ping pong used to be about as cool as shuffleboard. Well, we better keep our eye out for a shuffleboard resurgence, because Susan Sarandon made ping pong hot. The SPIN clubs have popped up around the US and now Toronto to bring a little friendly competition to cocktail hour. This 12,000-foot space has 12 ping pong tables, 2 fully licensed bars, a cocktail menu, a full food menu and a private party room. If you have no idea what you are doing, lessons are available. If you definitely know what you are doing, you may want to consider a membership. Refuel with their “elevated street style” snacks, which change seasonally.

For an “out of the box” romantic date idea, consider breaking out the board games. Snakes and Lattes has over 1000 board games with an alphabetical menu to help you to decide which game you want to use to stimulate healthy relationship competition. Games range from retro classics like Battleship to modern favourites like Cards Against Humanity. This quirky cafe is open late most dates of the week in case you become invested in a long-playing game like Monopoly. Wash it all down with a hot drink, like their infamous Nutella Latte or a tall can of draft beer.

Toronto’s Distillery Historic District began in 1859 as the site of the Gooderham and Worts whiskey distillery. 100 years later, the distillery was producing nearly half of the total volume of spirits in the province of Ontario, making it one of the country’s most important manufacturing facilities (people like their spirits!). This historic district got its second chance and today is a charming pedestrian-only village. This area of Toronto is like no other, with cobblestone pathways and Victorian-era buildings housing restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. There is also a big red heart sculpture to kiss underneath if you want to go totally cheesy with your beloved.

Whether you are a former Toronto Maple Leaf or more like Bambi on the ice, it is always a romantic choice to hold hands and attempt to stay upright on skates. Nathan Phillips Square is the perfect place to while away a romantic hour or two. Located right in front of City Hall and around the corner from the Eaton’s Centre and popular restaurants, it is a great activity to sandwich between other downtown pursuits. Bring your own skates for free exercise or rent skates for $10 or less (they even sharpen skates!). During the holidays, the rink sparkles with lights and displays a large holiday tree for Toronto’s version of the Rockefeller Centre. Nothing says Canadian romance like holding cold hands.

The picture we have chosen for ONoir is deceiving. It makes you believe that soft candlelight flickers across the restaurant. Indeed, you will be eating in the darkest room you have ever been in. This restaurant is no gimmick. It is meant to make you understand what it is like to be blind, if only for an hour or two. It will be hard to find your fork, and your voice will sound different. Why is this romantic? Because it will make you focus on your partner in an entirely different way. Without the scene of sight, your other senses immediately become heightened. You will smell and taste the food you eat with renewed passion. You will hear the words your partner says with fascination, rather than expectation. Mains include filet mignon with roasted vegetables or marinated shrimp with risotto. Expect lots of giggles.

What a little moonlight can do (and a little candlelight). If you need a place to talk and listen and enjoy the finer things in life, Jazz Bistro is for you and your beloved. Jazz musician J. J. Johnson once said, “Jazz is restless. It won’t stay put and it never will.” For the foreseeable future, Jazz Bistro is staying put to give Toronto a jazz club with style. From hot music to spectacular food, it entertains on all levels. The stage is visible from all angles and the neon red cursive sign makes sure that your attention is pointed in the right direction. Whether you are going to fill your ears with a new and startlingly talented musician, or you are reminding yourself of the soft spot you hold for a revered artist, the music circulates around the room beautifully. That’s jazz, man.

It is one thing to connect with your romantic partner. It is quite another to feel more connected with the universe. Just a 30-minute drive out of Toronto offers you access to a world beyond the city. The David Dunlap Observatory is a large astronomical observatory managed by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. It houses a 74-inch telescope which also happens to be the largest in Canada. There are public viewing nights that enable you to really see Orion’s belt, as opposed to trying to peer through light pollution. Come during a meteor shower night for a special treat, watching meteors streak across the sky. Everyone has a little astronomy awe in them somewhere.

The Canadian Opera Company unveiled its amazing building in 2006 in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. With majestic staircases, grandiose ceilings and pitch-perfect acoustics, going to the opera quickly became a dream of an evening in the heart of downtown Toronto. This is Canada’s first and only custom-built opera house and it has a European vibe that beckons you to put on your best ballgown or bow tie. Sets and costumes display the romantic themes behind classics such as La Boheme and Aida. Whether you decide to put on your white satin gloves and get swept up by soprano, or you wish to take a breakfast backstage tour of the nooks and crannies of the magnificent building, visiting the COC is an amazing experience.