High point The CN Tower is the pinnacle of the Toronto skyline, and the world's tallest free-standing structure in the 1996 Guinness Book of Records

TORONTO (CNN) -- Break the traveler's mold: Instead of following the flock south, head north for a winter escape. Toronto in winter is perhaps its truest self, its neighborhoods blanketed with snow and not overrun with tourists. A side trip to Niagara, 81 miles (130 kilometers) southwest, lets you see the famous falls framed by a frozen landscape.

Toronto's name was once synonymous with "dull," but since the 1950s it has made a dramatic emergence as a vibrant international city with a reputation for being clean and safe.

About two-thirds of Toronto's 3.8 million people were born and raised elsewhere. Toronto has 80 ethnic groups, including Canada's largest Chinese community, North America's biggest concentration of Portuguese and a substantial Italian contingent.

Here are some of the city's highlights:

The CN (Canadian National) Tower, located in the Waterfront district on the south side of town, is the highest peak on the skyline. Recognized by the 1996 Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest free-standing structure, the tower reaches a breathtaking 1,815 feet, 5 inches (553.33 meters) and serves as a telecommunications hub for 16 Canadian television stations and FM radio stations.

A glass-faced elevator takes you near the top of the tower, where you'll find a revolving restaurant, a nightclub and observation decks (including one with a glass floor) that offer spectacular views of the city, especially at sunset. On a clear day, you can look to the south and see the mist rising from Niagara Falls.

The area now called Old Toronto is the original city. It began as York in 1793. In 1834, it was officially named Toronto (believed to mean "a place of meetings" in the local Indian dialect). The area is now a mix of old and new buildings, residential and commercial spaces.

While you're in this part of town, stop at the Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum, which has the world's most comprehensive collection of memorabilia related to the nation's favorite sport. The original Stanley Cup is here, along with jerseys worn by famous players. The museum is housed in a building that dates to 1885 -- a former bank.

The midtown area along parallel Dundas and Queen Streets is energetic with street life: There's Chinatown, Kensington Market and Eaton Centre, a huge shopping complex that claims to be Toronto's No. 1 tourist attraction.

In metropolitan Toronto, there are four areas with large Chinese populations, but the Chinatown (with 100,000 people) that is centered around Queen and Dundas is the original.

Kensington Market is a boisterous European-style marketplace, where you'll find Russian rye breads, mounds of cheese, ripe fruit and fresh fish. Even chickens and rabbits are sold in this bazaar started by Russian, Polish and Jewish residents who set up stalls at the turn of the century. In contrast, Eaton Centre, built in the 1970s, is a New World shopper's mecca. It's housed in a 3-million-square-foot building that offers more than 300 stores and services.

The Beaches, the name for an area of Queen Street east of Woodbine, has a California feeling, with a wooden promenade along the shore of Lake Ontario and funky shops and restaurants. Queen Street West has been compared to New York City's SoHo. It has antiques, mainstream boutiques, bistros and bookstores.

Queen's Park is home to the University of Toronto's main campus and the seat of the Ontario Provincial Legislature, as well as the unusual Bata Shoe Museum, which is the first of its kind in North America.

The shoe museum's collection includes more than 8,000 examples of footwear and covers 4,500 years of history. It was created by Sonja Bata, of the Bata Shoe Company. The museum has a set of Napoleon's socks, and celebrity footwear, including pairs from Elvis Presley and Elton John.

Frosty falls An arresting view of Niagara Falls

The Queen's Park neighborhood also is home to the Royal Ontario Museum, which counts among its strong 6-million-item collection artifacts from Mesopotamia and works from ancient Rome. The ROM boasts a fine collection of Chinese art and antiquities as well as strong European and Canadian art collections. Science highlights include an audiovisual program on Darwin's theories of evolution as well as a dinosaur exhibit and a bat cave (fear not, they're freeze-dried or artificial). Your ticket also is good for the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, which is across the street.

Forest Hill is a neighborhood of multimillion dollar homes and leafy streets. It began as its own village in 1923 and was incorporated into Toronto in 1968.

One of its chief attractions is Casa Loma, an estate begun in 1911 by Sir Henry Pellat, who used a hodgepodge of architectural discards and ideas gleaned from some of the finest homes of Europe. The resulting mansion has 98 elegantly furnished rooms, a giant pipe organ, two towers, a stable built of marble and mahogany, along with secret panels and eerie passageways.

Unfortunately, Pellat (who had wanted his house to be grand enough to host the King of England) lost Casa Loma to the tax collector. Now, the city of Toronto owns it and it's operated by the Kiwanis Club. The income from its tours benefits charities.

Of course, don't miss making a side trip to Niagara Falls. The falls are stunning in the frosty landscape, and there are other diversions as well. The recently renovated Minolta Tower Centre offers dining with a view of the falls as well as gift shops and family entertainment, or you could opt for the Niagara Air Tours for an aerial view.