Sometimes, a day just seems to work out. Here I was, armed with a Toronto VIP Pass from Destination Toronto, with a free day downtown before meeting family to attend the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. (As a total aside, the concert and venue were both wonderful.) What to do? I gazed through the list of activities included with my pass, cross referencing those with my location. I’d already been to the CN Tower this trip (click here to read about that), and to the Royal Ontario Museum on my last visit (click here to read about ROM). And then something jumped out at me, an interactive multimedia exhibition about the environment and sustainability called Arcadia Earth. Ok, I thought, let’s give something totally new a try.
Arcadia Earth is located at one corner of the top floor of a mall called The Well on the western side of downtown Toronto. Upon entering, I was connected to their WiFi and told to download their app, which I would need to interact with many of the rooms. That done, I entered… and I was honestly blown away.
Arcadia Earth advertises itself as “a multi-sensory journey that combines creative art installations and exciting technology to inspire visitors to take action towards a more sustainable future”. It has two locations in the US along with this one in Toronto, and based on my experience here, I am guessing all three focus on local issues. Here, I was treated to displays ranging from Canada’s wildlife to various challenges facing the environment.
The way it works is simple. Your phone or tablet, once inside of the Arcadia Earth app, is basically an augmented reality device. By putting various symbols on the floors and walls into the viewfinder, the rooms come to life, with incredible scenes unfolding in front of you (via your screen). Turtles swim around the room, plants grow, bees and butterflies take to the air, and trivia questions even pop up. The graphics (all computer generated) are beautiful and varied, and a camera function allows visitors to save those memories to their photos.
Examples are a room dedicated to coral reef conservation with various marine life coming into virtual existence and a room with an art display made from recycled fishing nets talking about sustainable fishing paired with graphics of swimming rays and sharks.
Other rooms are simply immersive without the aid of the app. I sat for about ten minutes to watch an entire room light up with whales and dolphins, broadcasting a relaxing “sounds of the sea” track. (Cushions provided definitely helped that experience.) I wandered a tunnel talking about some of Canada’s most iconic species, smiling when a large bear poked his head down to say hi.
Perhaps my favorite room was one dedicated to pollinators like bees and butterflies. Visual displays via the app of those beautiful and important creatures paired with informative signage on the walls and “scent stations” where I could smell fresh rain, fragrant meadows, and even honeycomb, all piped in.
After about an hour and a half, during which I saw, clicked on, and tried everything, I left Arcadia Earth inspired, both to learn and to act to help the environment. I imagine many visitors would feel the same way. Well fortunately, it was just a few minutes’ walk to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, which sits directly below the CN Tower. Here, many of the wonderful marine species I loved in graphic form could be experienced in real life!
As far as aquariums around the world go, I’d say this one is midsized. And while it has some of the things that pretty much every aquarium has, like a large and colorful display of a coral reef environment, there are a few standouts.
After entering, the basically one-way tour begins in a large series of rooms dedicated to species that live in Canadian waters. The highlight of this for me was probably the giant kelp forest, where I found it hypnotic to watch huge cold water fish just floating, almost motionless, with the artificial current being piped in along with the water circulation.
Smaller tanks hold fascinating species found in northern oceanic waters along Canada’s coasts, with digital displays cycling through what a given exhibit has inside. Some are fairly recognizable; others are new to me.
After seeing Canadian fish, and learning about local conservation efforts, I stepped on a slowly moving walkway through a tunnel. This exhibit is home to sharks (a few different species), sea turtles, huge fish, and one fascinating creature with a saw for a nose (although I didn’t immediately notice any large teeth, so it might just look scary and be harmless).
The walkway moved around corners, with the animals swimming around, and even over, visitors. I stepped off at multiple points to not pass too quickly by, and to get to spend my fair share of time with these stunning creatures. Then I’d step back on and continue the “tour.”
(Note: this same exhibit can be seen from above right near the gift shop at the end of your visit.)
Then it was a visit to a huge tank with giant sting rays. A show – with scientists feeding the animals – was just concluding, so while I was sad to miss that, I was happy to be able to go right up to the glass to say hi to these majestic shark relatives. It was especially exciting given the beautiful rays from Arcadia Earth earlier.
The best part about my visits to both Arcadia Earth and to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada was knowing that the children – and the adults, too – having these experiences with me would leave with a bit more knowledge about the fragility of the environment. In the shark tunnel, a group of teens was aghast that all of the species there were endangered, or even critically endangered. I can only hope that these young people grow up to advocate for the animals they loved on a visit like this.
Toronto is an incredible city, with so much to do and see. And to eat. But if you have an extra day, making it one honoring the environment here in Canada is a great way to add some extra meaning to your visit.
Thank you again to Destination Toronto for sponsoring my Toronto VIP pass, allowing for admission to both of these awesome places.
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