3. Centre Island & Centreville
Centre Island consists of an open promenade with central fountain and a bridge that crosses over into the aforementioned wonderland, Centreville.
As you cross over the big arched bridge, take a look to the waters on the left to see the Regatta Course, home to Dragon Boat races annually. On the shore of Centreville you can see the grandstands overlooking the water.
Before too long, you’ll feel the pull of carnival music and laughter urging you to cross the bridge into Centreville.
As kids, Centreville felt wondrous and HUGE. Years later, the former is still true. Laughter is infectious, and Centreville has plenty of that to go around. Between the carnival rides, chairlift & petting zoo, there’s no shortage of things to keep children (& your inner child) engaged. I’m sure we’re not unique in having countless photos as kids exploring this wonderland. On a magical rainy ride in 2019, we were greeted by free-roaming peacocks, granted we’re not sure if this was planned or a happy accident. Either way, we were blown away.
Toronto Island Marina
If you ride past the Centre Island Ferry Terminal, eventually you get to the Toronto Island Marina and its semi-hidden Upper Deck Bar. Riding through the dry dock in the marina, you’ll find people working away on their boats and if you look even closer between the rows, you might notice a few bikes locked away and long forgotten.
The Upper Deck Bar – visible from the ferry on your ride in, its nestled between Hanlan’s Point and Centre Island. We stopped for fish & chips and beers on our ride and they definitely hit the spot.
Just across the water from Centreville on the East is The Island Church. To reach it, back track your way across the bridge that connects to Centreville and hug the water to your left. It’s a beautiful old building and worth the detour to admire the architecture, if that’s your thing.
Make your way back to the huge fountain at the foot of the bridge and continue westward toward the Franklin Turtle Garden, a community education hub with programming around cultivating and harvesting vegetables and the role of pollinators in our ecosystems. Look out for the Monarch Waystation signs. Keep riding west to enter Gibraltar Point.