Toronto Distillery District Walking Tour: 45 Locations

Solve challenges across 45 Toronto landmarks and piece together the city's history

The Toronto Distillery District Self-Guided Walking Tour is a 3.6 km scavenger hunt through the Distillery District, St. Lawrence Market, St. James Cathedral and downtown Toronto, where you solve 48 challenges on your smartphone to unlock facts about the buildings, fires and people that shaped the city. You start whenever you're ready, move at your own speed, and need only internet access on your phone — admission to any location is not required. The route takes 2 to 3 hours and covers wheelchair-accessible paths throughout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Self-guided walking tour of Toronto

• Start at Ontario's first parliament buildings
• Take selfie with Toronto's Big Heart
• Explore Gooderham & Worts distillery complex
• Solve challenges around theatre and exit Distillery District
• Walk to Toronto's first schoolhouse and solve challenge
• Visit small church and solve challenge
• Explore small theatre and mural, solve challenges
• Learn about Canada's National Newspaper, solve challenges
• Spend time in park learning Toronto's first blocks and fire
• Visit beautiful church and solve challenge
• Discover small garden and solve challenge
• Learn about great fire and grand building, solve challenge
• Learn about Toronto's first public well and walk park
• Explore St. Lawrence Market and Canada's first telegraph
• Learn about Toronto's Flatiron building, solve challenge
• Walk and solve challenges learning Toronto's history
• Visit fire station and solve challenges
• Learn about Canadian Opera Company buildings, solve challenges
• Learn about Canadian Stage company and solve challenge
• Walk to final destination

The Experience

Start at St. Lawrence Market and work through the Distillery District's 19th-century Gooderham & Worts complex, where you'll spend roughly half an hour solving challenges at the various brick buildings that once made whiskey. The scavenger hunt sends you from the Big Heart sculpture into the heart of the district, then circles a theatre as you exit, solving three challenges along the way. Each stop names a puzzle on your phone — you answer it, learn a piece of Toronto's story, and the app tells you where to walk next.

From the Distillery, the route takes you through downtown's oldest blocks. You'll pass Toronto's first schoolhouse, walk past a small historic church, discover a theatre with a mural, and learn about Canada's National Newspaper building. A park holds challenges about the original ten blocks of Toronto and the great fire of 1849. St. James Cathedral sits a few minutes' walk away, with its own challenge to solve. The Flatiron building, visible from St. Lawrence Market, gets its own stop. By the end, you'll have passed the fire station, the Canadian Opera Company's historic buildings, and the Canadian Stage company — each with challenges that connect them to Toronto's past.

The whole hunt runs 3.6 kilometres and takes 2 to 3 hours depending on how long you linger at each stop. You control the pace: pause for lunch, skip ahead if a challenge stumps you, or spend extra time at a building that interests you. The app works on your smartphone and guides you turn by turn. Wheelchair users, parents with strollers, and people with service animals can complete the full route — all surfaces are accessible. Kids enjoy it; so do adults who want to learn Toronto's history without a guide talking at them.

What’s included

• Scavenger hunt app on your smartphone with 48 challenges.
• 45 locations across the Distillery District, downtown Toronto, St. Lawrence Market and St. James Cathedral.
• step-by-step directions and historical facts unlocked at each stop.
• access for up to 6 people per scavenger hunt purchase.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Tourist Scavenger Hunt

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to explore Toronto's oldest neighbourhoods and learn its history on your own terms — the challenges keep you engaged at each stop, and the self-guided format means you move at your speed, pause where you want, and skip the narration.

Top questions

What exactly do I do at each stop on the Toronto Distillery District scavenger hunt?

At each of the 45 stops, your phone displays a challenge — a question or puzzle about the building or location in front of you. You solve it by observing details, reading plaques, or answering from what you see, then enter your answer in the app to unlock the next destination and learn a fact about that place's history.

Can I do this tour if I don't have much time, or do I have to complete all 45 locations?

You set your own pace and choose how many stops to visit. The full scavenger hunt takes 2 to 3 hours, but you can walk shorter sections, skip stops, or return another day to finish — there's no fixed schedule or time limit.

Do I need to pay admission to enter the buildings I visit on this tour?

No. The scavenger hunt works entirely from the outside — you solve challenges by observing the buildings and their surroundings from the street or public spaces, so admission to any location is not required.

Is the Distillery District route accessible for someone using a wheelchair or pushing a stroller?

Yes. The entire 3.6 km route is wheelchair accessible and stroller-friendly, with all areas and surfaces designed to accommodate them throughout the Distillery District and downtown sections.

What do I need to bring or have ready to start the tour?

You need a smartphone with internet access to download and run the scavenger hunt app. The tour starts whenever you're ready — just open the app and begin at St. Lawrence Market.

Which parts of Toronto does this scavenger hunt actually cover?

The tour moves through the Distillery District's historic buildings, then walks downtown to St. Lawrence Market, St. James Cathedral, and the surrounding blocks where Toronto's first schoolhouse, fire station, and newspaper buildings stand — roughly 45 named locations across 3.6 kilometres.