Scavenger Hunt Toronto – 48 Free Finds, City Hall to Lake

How it works

Twenty-seven iron dogs staring at a bone, a piece of the Berlin Wall and a pink parliament: this scavenger hunt Toronto list holds 48 downtown finds, each free to see.

Read the full guide

City Hall first

Nathan Phillips Square opens first, with Old City Hall across Bay Street. Queen's Park and campus lies north up University Avenue, Old Town and St. Lawrence east along King Street, and The waterfront south at the foot of Bay. Set one in the menu, then press Print this list.

What counts as found

Each line wants a word, a count or a sketch on the sheet. That written answer is the proof; the note underneath is the referee.

Tips

The island ferries are scored from the dock. Agree before you leave that nobody buys a crossing.

Questions and answers

Is there a free scavenger hunt in Toronto?

This one is free. Every find is seen from squares, parks, paths and sidewalks; the museum, the market and the ferries are all ticked from outside.

Which area suits kids best?

Old Town: the dog fountain in Berczy Park, a gazebo and a garden fountain sit a few blocks apart. Keep an adult in every team and back from the harbor edge by the ferries.

What if it snows?

Pick Nathan Phillips Square. The reflecting pool becomes a skating rink in winter, and the sign, the arches and the clock tower all show up in any weather.

All 48 finds

Nathan Phillips Square 12

A clock tower at the end of Bay Street Old City Hall, finished in 1899, housed the council until 1966. Its tower closes the view up Bay Street. Write the time on its clock.
A large bronze by Henry Moore Three Way Piece No. 2: Archer was unveiled here on October 26, 1966, and stands 325 centimeters high. Walk round it and write what it looks like to you.
A piece of the Berlin Wall It was placed at the base of the central arch in 1989. Write two colors on it.
A saucer-shaped chamber between the towers Viljo Revell curved the towers round the council chamber. Sketch the saucer.
A sundial at the south end of the Peace Garden The garden remembers the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; the sundial is older than the garden. Copy one word from it.
A war memorial at the foot of Old City Hall's steps The Cenotaph on Queen Street went up in 1925. Stand quietly and write one date carved on it.
An architect's name carved under the eaves Refused a plaque, E. J. Lennox had masons carve 'EJ LENNOX ARCHITECT AD 1898' round Old City Hall. Find one letter of it.

Show all 48 finds (41 more)

Nathan Phillips Square, continued

An iron fence with narrow gates round a lawn The gates at Osgoode Hall are narrow; the tale that they kept cows out is a myth. Count the gates on one side.
Bronze gargoyles on a sandstone clock tower Old City Hall's four gargoyles came down in 1938; bronze copies went back up in 2002. Count the ones you can see.
Lit letters spelling the city's name The sign went up for the 2015 Pan American Games and stayed. Find the maple leaf beside the last O.
Three concrete arches over a reflecting pool They were named the Freedom Arches in 1989. Write what the pool becomes in winter.
Two curved towers of different heights Toronto City Hall opened in 1965. The east tower has 27 stories and the west 20. Write which is on your left.

Queen's Park and campus 12

A 143-foot memorial bell tower Soldiers' Tower, finished in 1924, holds a carillon of 51 bells. Write the time on its clock.
A campus doorway with a year carved above it Write the year.
A college crest over a doorway Sketch one symbol on it.
A Gothic student center from 1919 Hart House is one of North America's earliest student centers; the bell tower is joined to it. Count the chimneys you can see.
A museum entrance shaped like broken crystal The Royal Ontario Museum's Bloor Street entrance opened in 2007: 25 percent glass, 75 percent aluminum. Count its sharp points.
A pink sandstone parliament building The Ontario Legislative Building is nicknamed the Pink Palace for its Credit River valley stone. Write the color you would call it.
A squirrel on the lawn at Queen's Park Write its color.
A stone face carved on the Legislative Building Gargoyles, grotesques and friezes cover the outside. Sketch one face.
An oval lawn inside a ring of stone buildings Front Campus sits inside King's College Circle, a street for walkers since 2024. Walk the loop and count the buildings on it.
The college at the head of Front Campus University College's main building went up between 1856 and 1859 in a Norman Romanesque style. Count the arches round its main door.
Names carved on a stone screen beside the tower Soldiers' Tower lists university members lost in the Great War. Read quietly and write one year.
The park named for Queen Victoria Queen's Park opened in 1860 on land the university leased to the city for 999 years. Find a park sign and copy it.

Old Town and St. Lawrence 12

A brick storefront from the 1800s Old Town keeps many 19th-century buildings. Write the year if one is carved.
A cathedral spire that was once Canada's tallest St. James's spire, finished in 1874, stayed the tallest structure in Canada until Old City Hall. Write the time on its clock.
A dog spouting water from its mouth Every dog on the fountain does. Count the ones you can see from one spot.
A fountain ringed by 27 dogs and one cat The dogs in Berczy Park's two-tier fountain all look up at a bone on top. Write which way the cat looks instead.
A garden fountain where two paths meet The formal gardens in the south of St. James Park meet at a fountain. Write one flower color.
A gazebo where two paths cross St. James Park has X-shaped walkways with a gazebo in the middle. Count its sides.
A market hall that was once city hall St. Lawrence Market South held Toronto's city hall from 1845 to 1899. Tick it from Front Street and copy the name on its front.
A meeting hall at King and Jarvis St. Lawrence Hall was built as the city's public hall, with a thousand-seat ballroom; Fathers of Confederation spoke here. Sketch its roofline.
A painted wall of windows that are not there The mural on the flatiron's back wall uses a trick of the eye to add windows. Count the real ones and the painted ones.
A red-brick wedge of a building from 1892 Toronto's flatiron office building stands where Front and Wellington Streets meet. Count its floors at the narrow end.
A street sign in Old Town It was Toronto's first named neighborhood, called Old Town by 1815. Write a street that crosses King Street.
Two small statue birds on a lamp post They perch about 3 meters from the dog fountain, and the cat is watching them. Write their color.

The waterfront 12

The 553-meter tower on the skyline Completed in 1976, it was the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years. Find a spot where a mast lines up with it.
A boardwalk along the harbor Harbour Square Park has one. Count the boats tied up in sight.
A concrete sphere you can step inside Sundial Folly went into Harbour Square Park in 1995. Stand inside and write what you see through the opening.
A flag flying from a boat Write its colors.
A gull standing on a post Write what it does next.
A life ring on the harbor wall Write its color. Keep back from the edge.
A sailboat on Lake Ontario Count its sails.
A street sign for Queens Quay Much of Harbourfront was lake until the early 1900s, filled in for the port. Write the nearest cross street.
An island ferry with a name on its side The William Inglis dates from 1935, the Sam McBride from 1939 and the Thomas Rennie from 1951. Write the name you see.
The island ferry dock at the foot of Bay Street The terminal was renamed for Jack Layton in 2013. Tick it from the dock; nobody buys a crossing.
The Toronto Islands across the harbor Ferries carry 1.4 million people a year to Centre Island, Hanlan's Point and Ward's Island. Write how many ferries you see at once.
The Toronto Music Garden One of Harbourfront's parks at the water's edge. Write one plant or path shape you see.

How this list was compiled: Written for this page in September 2026: 48 finds on foot in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on and around Nathan Phillips Square, in Queen's Park and on the University of Toronto's front campus, in Old Town and the St. Lawrence neighborhood and on the Harbourfront, sorted by area, all scored from public squares, parks, paths and sidewalks with nothing bought, no ticket and no ferry ride. Nothing was copied from another list; no brand, bar or living person is named. Levels are our judgment. Names, dates, sizes and places in the notes were checked on 2026-09-24 against English Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by Nathan_Phillips_Square, Toronto_City_Hall, Three_Way_Piece_No.2:_Archer, Toronto_Sign, Old_City_Hall_(Toronto), Osgoode_Hall, Queen%27s_Park_(Toronto), Ontario_Legislative_Building, University_College,_Toronto, University_of_Toronto_St._George, Soldiers%27_Tower, Hart_House_(University_of_Toronto), Royal_Ontario_Museum, Berczy_Park, Gooderham_Building, St._Lawrence_Market, St._Lawrence_Hall, Cathedral_Church_of_St._James_(Toronto), St._James_Park_(Toronto), Old_Town,_Toronto, Jack_Layton_Ferry_Terminal, Toronto_Island_ferries, Harbour_Square_Park, Harbourfront,_Toronto, CN_Tower and Toronto_Music_Garden. Licence: own work