When you mention Ontario, what many people talk about often is: Toronto. Vaughan, Ontario is technically part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), so it is often overlooked in terms of photography. People often assume the only place to get trendy photos is Toronto because of the hipster, social media-catered restaurants and many art exhibitions that get put up weekly. I’m here to tell you that Vaughan too, has many instagram-worthy locations that you may have overlooked.
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1. Civic Centre Resource Library
This is a fairly new building in Vaughan, so it has a very modern feel to it on the inside and outside. The exterior is lined with large windows, giving a very reflective and Toronto-like look to the outside. The inside is well lit from the windows and offers may colourful props and scenes for you to cater your photos. Because this is a library, please be mindful to avoid disturbing studying students or accidentally getting strangers and children in photos, especially without their permission.
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2. Chinguacousy Park
This park is one of the more diverse parks available in Vaughan. It has large greenhouse that’s free to enter, a petting zoo with many adorable animals, plenty of picnic areas, and many more amenities. If you’re looking for a place to get a variety of photographs and scenes, Chinguacousy Park is a great place to check out.
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3. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
BAPS is a beautiful gem in Vaughan. It has a beautiful traditional hand-carved Hindu Mandir, Haveli, and Heritage Museum. It is a place many visitors to Toronto and student go to visit and learn about the culture. Even though it’s a hot spot, it’s not overly crowded like most tourist attractions. It gives you time to soak in the beauty and take photos to remember the location. And best of all- it’s free to visit! Although, it is a religious place, so please remember to be respectful!
4. Vaughan City Hall
A place you often wouldn’t think about visiting for photos is the Vaughan City Hall. Like the Civic Centre, it’s an element of modern architecture, mirroring the many buildings in Toronto. If the trek to Toronto is too far, this place will help mimic the look, saving you the trip!
5. Vaughan Metropolitan Center
Everyone in Vaughan knows of this fairly new building. It’s our easy-access to Toronto, saving ample time taking the subway instead of the train or GO-Bus. The area around the subway is new, so it too has a very modern and clean look. Many had already begun photographing the unique architecture before the construction was finished. Now that it’s done, it’s a beautiful place to visit. BONUS! If you have a very minimal feed, downstairs on the way to the subway, there is a very white-tiled tunnel, perfect for a clean Instagram photo.
6. Highway 407 Subway Station
Similarly to the Vaughan Metropolitan Center, this too is a new subway station with stunning colourful visuals. On sunny days, you can find the art reflecting onto the floor, making it a very dynamic spot to get vivid posts in many angles.
7. Pioneer Village Subway Station
For a more rustic look, there’s the Pioneer Village Subway Station. It may take a little creativity to take fashion or full-body photos here, but any other photography style will be easy with all the different elements available at this station.
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8. Michaels Craft Store
If you haven’t heard of the #MichaelsChallenge, you might want to look it up. About a year ago Michaels Craft Stores started inviting photographers into their stores to try to take creative photos using the props available in store. This decision they made is definitely one of the smarter ones from a traditional brick and mortar store. It sparked many online competitive challenges like the “ugly location challenge” and really brought a lot of attention to their brand. Luckily, there’s one right in Vaughan, close to Cineplex Movie Theatres.
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9. Dave n Busters
You don’t have to go inside for this one, but the outside of Dave n Busters in Vaughan has a very basic horizontal line pattern if you have a minimalistic Instagram theme.
What’s your go-to photo spot in Vaughan?
Looking for other FREE places to take Instagram-worthy photos? Check these out!
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