Kew and Balmy Beaches were first opened in Toronto in the 1930s.  Torontonians would swarm the sand, the boardwalk and the amusement parks that dotted the shore.  Today these beaches still hold onto some of that charm and history – with the Kew Beach lawn bowling club, and the Kew Gardens Bandstand (built on the remains of a lost river!).  The bandstand hosts bands throughout the warmer months as well as the annual Jazz Festival.  Right on the shore is a beach club that dates back to 1905.  Members of the Beach Club have won gold and silver medals at the Olympics and their football team won the Grey Cup, twice, in 1927 and 1930.  At the most eastern end of the beach is the Robert Harris Water Filtration Plant – a gorgeous art deco palace – that was memorialized in Michael Ondaatje’s novel In the Skin of a Lion.  The City of Toronto merged Kew and Balmy beaches in 2006.

The description above was copied from or heavily based on Swim Guide, with permission.

More Information

• Swim Guide - Weather and water quality for Kew-Balmy Beach and 8,000 other beaches.
• Wikipedia
• Google Maps