You might be hard pressed to find maps of these neighbourhoods woven into pillowcases or on tote bags in boutique shops. They might not be on Vogue magazine’s “coolest” neighbourhood lists. At least not yet. These are some of Toronto and the GTA’s most underrated blocks, where homes may still sell for less than $1 million, where tourists don’t always wander, but where Torontonians can find plenty to satiate their inner urban explorer.

This week: DOWNTOWN BRAMPTON

WHERE: The heart of downtown Brampton is the intersection of Queen and Main Sts., sometimes referred to as “The Four Corners,” about 40 km from the CN Tower.

WHEN: Brampton’s origins date back to 1819 when a team, lead by Richard Bristol, officially surveyed the lands as part of what was then Chinguacousy Township. The next year, the first European settlers arrived from the town and namesake Brampton in northern England. But it wasn’t until 1834 that the land was first called Brampton. Its population, now around 600,000, reached 1,000 by 1853, and eventually became incorporated as a city in 1974.

WHAT: The centrepiece of Brampton’s downtown is Garden Square, the large outdoor space for free outdoor entertainment. The Dominion Building at the north-east corner of the square was designed in the 1880s for a post office by Thomas Fuller, a man who oversaw the construction of Ottawa’s Centre Block on Parliament Hill in the 1860s. The signature domed clock tower was added in 1914. Off the back of Garden Square is The Rose, the city’s theatre space for live shows, featuring everything from magicians to jazz ensembles.

WHO: Brampton has bread a diverse range of talents, including actor Michael Cera, singer-songwriter Alessia Cara, rapper Tory Lanez, comedian Russell Peters, and athletes like tennis pro Milos Raonic and NBA star Tristan Thompson.

Here’s the why of visiting downtown Brampton to eat, drink, pamper yourself, and find a little bit of whimsy.

EAT

Das Brezel Haus

McArter Lane

B-25 Main St. N.

dasbrezelhaus.com

“We’d like to educate people on what a proper pretzel is,” he says. Their small McArter Lane pretzel house does the twisted baked bread the right way: handmade and fresh. Preservative free with no artificial flavours or colouring agents. They get creative too, offering schnitzel sandwiches on pretzel buns and pretzel-wrapped smoked sausages.

Whatever the product, it’s always so fresh that Ziegler and Bellerose made their business slogan “Freakin’ Fresh.” These aren’t “mall pretzels,” that become “rock hard” within 20 minutes, says Ziegler.

“It’s day and night. You’ll take a bite into our pretzels and it will be light and fluffy,” he says. “It’s like a cloud.”

PAMPER

Al’s Barber Shop

247 Queen St. W.

alsbarbershop.com

The story of Al’s Barber Shop begins in the same spot where Ziegler and Bellerose’s airy pretzels are served today. In the small McArter Lane shop, the late Al Widdis, a former gunner in the air force, started cutting hair more than 70 years ago. With just two chairs, he built a loyal customer base and eventually passed the clippers to Robert Rutledge, a former client and now current owner for more than 20 years. The shop has since moved a few blocks out of the downtown core having grown too big for the small laneway with six chairs and eight employees. Forty-seven-year-old Rutledge, who has lived in Brampton his whole life, has tried to keep the barbershop true to its roots.

“It’s ‘Al’s’ out of respect to Al,” he says. “His family was so honoured to have his name live on.”

Inside, the shop is true to its roots too. Rutledge has maintained an “old-school” barbershop environment heavy on conversation and camaraderie. Housed in a renovated garage behind a women’s salon, the shop features traditional barbershop chairs, including one of Al’s own, and some obligatory masculine decor including police badges and taxidermy.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Even though Rutledge has grown the business beyond its 1947 origins, he won’t expand further if it means sacrificing what makes Al’s Al’s: the community.

DRINK

Tracks Brew Pub & Grill

60 Queen St. E.

tracksbrewpub.com

Even more historic than Al’s is the building that now houses Tracks Brew Pub, which brews its own dark ale and light lager on site. Though the name refers to the train tracks that cut across Queen and Main Streets and can be heard from the pub’s large back patio, the exposed brick and wood beams inside point to the building’s more interesting history.

The main building on Queen St. dates back to the 18th century when it was first built as a planing mill and ash factory. Later in 1910 and 1933, the second and third buildings were added as a picker room as part of the Brampton Knitting Mill, or BKM, an acronym still visible inside the pub above the fireplace lounge area. Elsewhere inside, mirrors on the wall are converted doors, wheels hanging from the ceiling are from old pulley systems, and the wooden socks on display were used many decades ago as sock stretchers at the mill, which provided its products to the British military during the Boer War in the early 1900s and the Canadian military during the Second World War.

WHIMSY

Gage Park

45 Main St. S.

brampton.ca

Toronto’s outdoor skating rinks can offer big-city views and waterfront landscapes but they sometimes feel overrun during the winter season. There are rinks all across the GTA, and Brampton has some of the best offerings. At the historic Gage Park you won’t just get some exercise on the 250-metre ice trail. You can immerse yourself in whimsical winter displays while you’re at it on the light-covered, tree-lined skating oval.

“Basically, it’s a winter wonderland of fun,” said Rob Gasper, Director of Parks Maintenance and Forestry. The park and surrounding downtown are draped in 2,000 sets of lights and accented with fanciful displays like the 5-metre moose (with 1.5 metre baby moose) and a 5-metre snowman. The skate trail is surrounded by large, fully lit trees and a set of five light-covered archways across the length of the trail. It is like skating through a bit of history too. Gage Park is one of the GTA’s oldest public parks, and Brampton’s first.

“It’s just a wonderful, unique experience for skaters, and of course it’s all free,” said Dave Cooper, Interim District Manager with Brampton Recreation.

Correction — January 17, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version to update a photo caption that mistakenly referred to Rob Rutledge trimming the beard of Varun Sandhu at Al's Barber Shop in the Garage.

Read more about: