Toronto in Winter: So Cool

In fact, I'm sorry I can't return sometime between Jan. 25 and Feb. 7, when the city is throwing a major party called WinterCity Festival, with free entertainment. Outside, for example, the Flying Canucks, an Olympic-level acrobatic troop, will perform aerial stunts and gymnastics. Inside a temporary lodge built on a major city square, partygoers can warm up at fireplaces, watch free comedy on Friday nights and attend free dance parties on Saturday nights.

Among the special exhibits you won't easily find elsewhere: "fire art" created by France's Compagnie Carabosse. This particular installation involves the lighting of fuel in 1,500 clay pots arranged on an intricate metal sculpture.

No great city can be seen in a few days, but here are my don't-miss picks:

* Royal Ontario Museum: Even if it were empty, it would be worth stopping by the ROM (100 Queen's Park, http://www.rom.on.ca) just to see the new addition, a series of crystal-shaped protrusions made of glass and aluminum that jut high into the air. Part of the new structure has 18-foot ceilings in order to house the ROM's collection of 50 dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. (Admission is $20, free 45 minutes before closing.)

Both the addition and the dinosaur exhibit are wildly popular, so if you happen to arrive when there are long lines, consider popping over to the Bata Shoe Museum (327 Bloor St. West, http://www.batashoemuseum.ca, admission $12) and hope ROM lines have dissipated while you were gone.

If you're anywhere close to the ROM after dark, check out the light show projected on the side of the new addition. (Ditto for the CN Tower, where a new, computer-driven light show projects images over the 1,815-foot-high spire.)

* A night at the theater: Toronto theater, always plentiful, is undergoing a resurgence, and it would be sad to visit and miss seeing a show.

Mirvish Productions is famed for bringing shows from London, in addition to Canadian premieres. Mirvish currently is showing the only North American production of "Dirty Dancing." Coming in September: the North American premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of "The Sound of Music."

A new production company, DanCap Productions, is specializing in bringing top Broadway shows to Toronto. Coming soon: "Jersey Boys" and "Avenue Q." While live theater in Toronto used to be an incredible bargain, the tanking of the U.S. dollar has made it less so, although you still may save compared with Broadway prices. A good place to find what's showing: http://www.onstagetoronto.ca.

* Catch the local talent: Toronto's large performance centers offer a broad array of performances by world-class musicians, dancers and actors, but also consider a performance at some of the smaller venues.

Among places to check: Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar ( http://www.therex.ca); Hugh's Room, the premier folk venue in Canada ( http://www.hughsroom.com); Dakota Tavern, a new venue for country ( http://www.thedakotatavern.com); and Graffiti's Bar and Grill, which features some of the city's exciting new singer-songwriters ( http://www.graffitisbarandgrill.com).

Also find what's playing at Now Magazine ( http://www.nowtoronto.com) or Eye Weekly ( http://www.eyeweekly.com).