Kew Gardens

Situated between the Boardwalk and Queen St. East, Kew Gardens is best known for hosting the Beaches International Jazz Festival each summer, as well as other festivals and events throughout the year. However, go there when there isn’t an event on, and you won’t be disappointed in the slightest.

Whether you’re coming in off the Boardwalk looking for a nice, shady break from the hot lakefront, or coming from an afternoon of shopping on Queen St, Kew Gardens provides an ideal place for a rest, with scenic gardens, a ‘forest walk’ with wildlife aplenty, and has lots of benches and drinking fountains for the tired and thirsty traveller.

If you’re looking to relax for a while with a good book, the Beaches branch of the Toronto Public Library is located on the northeast corner of the grounds. The park is also home to the Kew Beach War Memorial; an intricately sculpted four-sided water fountain; and highly-detailed carvings of the ‘Three Fates’ in the trunk of a fallen oak tree (see photo at left).

For the kids, there’s an extensive fenced-off jungle gym area, next to a large wading pool. For sports groups, there are facilities for baseball, tennis, hockey, and lawn bowling, with a large picnic area for the after-game meal. For dog owners, there’s a nearby off-leash area.

Type	Outdoors
Location	Between Queen St. East and Lake Ontario, east of Woodbine (see map)
Hours	No restrictions
TTC	501/143 from Queen, or 64 from Main goes to Hambly & Queen, just east of Kew
Parking	Large lot off Lakeshore Blvd. East, east of Coxwell; along Queen St, Lee Ave, or Alfresco Lawn

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For more pictures of Kew Gardens, check out our Flickr gallery.

Tags: toronto, photos, park, garden, kew gardens