One of North America's loveliest parks, High Park was at one time the privately owned "farm" out in the countryside of John George Howard, Toronto's first city architect. It's especially worth visiting in summer, when many special events are held here, including professionally staged productions of Shakespeare's works.

The small Grenadier Pond in the southwest corner is named after the British soldiers who, it is said, crashed through the soft ice while rushing to defend the town against invading American forces in 1813. Today you can fish in its well-stocked waters, either from the shore or from a rented rowboat. There are Sunday afternoon concerts in summer and supervised skating in winter.

The High Park Zoo is more modest than the Toronto Zoo in the northeast quadrant of the city, but it's a lot closer to downtown and it's free. Even young children won't tire walking among the deer, Barbary sheep, peacocks, rabbits, and buffalo.

Colborne Lodge, at the south end of the park, was built more than 150 years ago by John George Howard on a hill overlooking Lake Ontario. This Regency-style "cottage" contains its original fireplace, bake oven, and kitchen, as well as many of Howard's own drawings and paintings. From High Park subway station, enter the park and follow signs for the lodge. It's open weekdays 9:30-4 and weekends noon-5 from April through December; weekends noon-4 from January through March; and holidays noon-5. The cost is $3.50. For more information, call 416/392-6916.

Other highlights of the park are a large swimming pool, tennis courts, fitness trails, and hillside gardens with roses and sculpted hedges. To get here, take the TTC to the High Park station and walk south; you can also take the College Street streetcar to the eastern end of the park and walk west. There's limited parking along Bloor Street, just north of the park, and along the side streets on the eastern side.