The Bata Shoe Museum has the distinction of being the largest shoe museum in North America. The museum is located in an award-winning four-storey structure that was designed by architect Raymond Moriyama. There are more than 12,000 artifacts in this museum, and it takes you through 4,500 years of shoe history. Shoes that have graced the wardrobe of celebrities like Elton John, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Ginger Spice can also be seen in this collection. You even have the shoes of a smuggler who lived in ancient Egypt in 300 BC!

While the process of evolution has made very little changes to our feet, it is remarkable to see how the shoes have changed and evolved through history. There is more diversity than you would think possible for shoes. The Bata Shoe Museum, with the help of its fascinating exhibits takes its visitors through some interesting aspects of human culture.

It not only collects various kinds of shoes from all around the world, but also researches, preserves and interprets them. It has also funded several field trips for the same purpose. Apart from the regular expeditions in Asia and Europe, it has also looked at the circumpolar cultures and regions, where traditions change and evolve at a rapid rate. Some of these regions are Siberia, Greenland, Alaska, and the Canadian Inuit.

There are four galleries in the museum that display curios from ancient Egyptian sandals and Chinese bound foot shoes, to something more modern such as glamorous platforms and stylish stilettos. Of the four exhibitions that are conducted at all points of time, three are time bound and change periodically. Therefore, there is something interesting on display every now and then. There are also lectures, family events, guided tours, and performances that visitors can enquire about.

If you wish to carry back some memorabilia, the Bata Shoe Museum Gift Shop should be checked out on your way out. You can choose from a wide selection of books, trinkets in the shape of shoes, ornaments, T-shirts, jewelery, accessories, key rings, and lots more. A visit to the Bata Shoe Museum is definitely going to change the way you look at those innocent shoes lying in your shoe racks.

In the ‘70s Toronto faced extensive problems in communication thanks to the skyscrapers that were mushrooming throughout the city. These skyscrapers caused a lot of trouble in the reception and transmission of radio and television signals. The CN Tower was conceptualized for the purpose of solving this problem. It had to stand well above all the skyscrapers and it was to serve as the centre for telecommunications. Construction began in full swing, and after 40 months of grit, hard work, and planning, the CN Tower was completed in June of 1976

Today, of course, the CN Tower is a lot more than just a centre for communications. It has become a sort of an icon in Toronto, as more than 2 million tourists flock to it to marvel at this modern example of architecture and engineering.

What can you do here? Well, for one, there is the killer view of the entire city of Toronto. And this isn’t just any kind of view. A glass floor that spreads across 24 sq. meter, located 113 stories above the ground literally has Toronto lying at the tourists’ feet. Do you dare to walk on this floor?

It’s just 2 ½ inches of glass, but don’t let that fool you. This glass floor has the strength to accommodate the weight of 14 hippos, so we consider you fairly safe up there! Besides, if you are in Toronto, you just can’t miss the visual thrill of ‘walking-on-air’, or at least that’s the way it makes you feel. If you have the stomach to take in more, you can take a sky pod and go higher up the tower, to be exact, 33 stories higher, and see what the world looks like from there.

If all the thrill and rush of blood makes you hungry, you could head over to the revolving 360 Restaurant that is located in the tower. The combination of great food, served at dizzying heights is unbeatable, as is the breath taking view of Toronto’s harbor and skyline. You also have the world’s highest wine cellar here which has a premium selection of 550 Canadian and international wines.

A market place at the base of the tower has a fresh market café with the choicest of international foods and delicacies. If you’ve had enough of heights, you can come down here and enjoy some good food, and good old shopping.