DOWNTOWN. [Due to facility upgrades, the museum is temporarily closed. It should reopen mid-2008.]This extensive museum is comprised of 50 galleries and represents all media and the best traditions of Western art. Its strongest collections are Impressionist paintings and the Canadian Group of Seven. The latter were a group of 1920s landscape painters who, through their use of bright colors, substantially influenced all Ontario painting. SUBWAY: Take the Yonge-University line to St. Patrick station, then the westbound streetcar to McCaul Street.

DOWNTOWN. Items in this one-of-a-kind museum range widely across the centuries and include pre-Columbian artifacts dating to 3000 BC. Also included are 17th century English pottery, 18th century European and Chinese porcelains, and items from the Renaissance. Ceramics by Canadian artists are featured as well. The Clay Pit allows folks to try their hand at pottery, and classes and workshops are taught by professional potters.

NORTHWEST OF TORONTO. Although 40 minutes north of Toronto, this museum's beautiful woodland setting and magnificent collection of Canadian and native art absolutely justify the drive. Items of note include landscapes by the Group of Seven (landscape artists during the 1920s who used dramatic colors to record the Canadian wilderness) and fine collections of First Nations and Inuit art. A bus service departs for the McMichael Gallery from many hotels in downtown Toronto.

DOWNTOWN. This museum deals exclusively with collecting and documenting textiles from around the world. Included in the collection are costumes, ceremonial cloths, tapestries, an African story-telling cloth, and rich embroideries. The museum also offers educational programs designed to increase public knowledge of the artifacts' cultural and historical significance. SUBWAY: Take the Yonge-University line to St. Patrick station, walk a block east on Dundas Street to Centre Avenue, then go south half a block.

DOWNTOWN. Canada's largest museum and research facility preserves over six million treasures of art, archaeology and natural science. The ROM, as it's called, features an intricate Venetian glass ceiling that illustrates myriad cultures. Exhibits include everything from bats and dinosaur bones to a Ming tomb in the Chinese art and antiquities collection. The Discovery Gallery features hands-on displays created especially for children. SUBWAY: Take the Yonge-University line to Museum stop.