The Garden District covers the stretch of downtown east of Yonge Street, roughly between Gerrard and Queen, and takes its name from Allan Gardens at its eastern edge. It is one of the busiest parts of the city — a mix of the commercial core, the campus of Toronto Metropolitan University, and pockets of 19th-century history that survive among the towers.
At its western end, Yonge Street runs through the heart of it past the Eaton Centre and Sankofa Square (long known as Yonge-Dundas Square), the closest thing Toronto has to a Times Square — big screens, crowds, and free summer concerts. A few blocks east the mood changes entirely: Massey Hall, the city's grand old concert hall, and Mackenzie House, the restored home of Toronto's first mayor, sit on quieter side streets.
Allan Gardens, the Victorian park and conservatory that gives the district its name, anchors the eastern side and makes a green counterpoint to the commercial bustle around Yonge. The district is dense, central, and easy to cover on foot.