With the snow falling and winter seemingly in full swing, we ventured to Evergreen Brick Works to explore their Winter Village.
Before we talk about our fun afternoon at Evergreen Brick Works, we first have to share the fact that we baked bread from scratch on Saturday for the first time. We were/are incredibly proud of this little loaf of bread. So proud that we ate the entire thing in 48 hours...
Okay, back to Evergreen Brick Works.
Evergreen Brick Works is a community environmental centre promoting urban sustainability. The location of the numerous structures that comprise this environmental centre is the former Don Valley Brick Works, where millions of bricks were manufactured from 1889 to 1984. After the Don Valley Brick Works closed, the site was in disrepair but it has since been restored and was recently named one of the world's top 10 geotourism destinations by National Geographic. In saying that, we have to admit that the main reason for our visit was to go to the Winter Village, but we were undoubtedly impressed by everything about the place.
To get there, we got off the subway at Castle Frank Station and wandered through a fancy neighbourhood before hopping on some picturesque trails which took us the rest of the way there.
Evergreen Brick Works is a community environmental centre promoting urban sustainability. The location of the numerous structures that comprise this environmental centre is the former Don Valley Brick Works, where millions of bricks were manufactured from 1889 to 1984. After the Don Valley Brick Works closed, the site was in disrepair but it has since been restored and was recently named one of the world's top 10 geotourism destinations by National Geographic. In saying that, we have to admit that the main reason for our visit was to go to the Winter Village, but we were undoubtedly impressed by everything about the place.
To get there, we got off the subway at Castle Frank Station and wandered through a fancy neighbourhood before hopping on some picturesque trails which took us the rest of the way there.
When we arrived, we walked straight into the Pavillions to check out the "eat and shop local" markets. We paroused the selection of artwork, clothing, and random gifts for a while before we were drawn to the food... it was bound to happen.
Taking a look around the market for different food options, we realized that this was not your typical Christmas Market. In true Toronto style, the food on offer ranged from Vietnamese-Mexican fusion, to Hungarian pastries, to Ethiopian stews, to Belgian waffles, and more. Out of all of the tasty choices, we started off with some Indian dishes and then followed up with some Tibetan dumplings. So many options. So delicious.
Taking a look around the market for different food options, we realized that this was not your typical Christmas Market. In true Toronto style, the food on offer ranged from Vietnamese-Mexican fusion, to Hungarian pastries, to Ethiopian stews, to Belgian waffles, and more. Out of all of the tasty choices, we started off with some Indian dishes and then followed up with some Tibetan dumplings. So many options. So delicious.
Since the market was covered but open-air, we started to feel a bit chilly so we lined up for "The Sipping Container", a food (or should we say, drink) truck which had a variety of warm beverages with the option to spike your drink. At the last second, we both decided on cups of Hot Apple Cider with a shot of Spiced Rum each. Beautiful.
Once we felt a little bit warmer, we wandered around some of the other facilities such as the Kilns, which was showcasing a small art exhibit. This area still feels very industrial as the facilities are relatively well preserved so it was cool to see the space also being used for art.
Once we felt a little bit warmer, we wandered around some of the other facilities such as the Kilns, which was showcasing a small art exhibit. This area still feels very industrial as the facilities are relatively well preserved so it was cool to see the space also being used for art.
It seems like there is always more to see at the Evergreen Brick Works as we passed an outdoor skating rink and indoor shop on our way out. We will definitely be back.
Here are some more photos of our afternoon at the Brick Works:
Here are some more photos of our afternoon at the Brick Works:
(SLIDESHOW)
This time last year we visited the Textile Museum, while in 2014 we were making Luke's first Gingerbread House, and in 2013 we participated in the Annual Mummer's Parade in St. John's... if you dont know what it is, don't worry, it's a Newfoundland thing.
