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Why the
CN Tower
is special
The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada is the highest and most striking free-standing tower in
the world. It rises an astounding 553 meters (1815 feet) above the ground. On a
clear day you can see about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away.
Tips & insights on
the CN Tower in Canada
 The
447-meter (1465-foot) high Skypod is the CN Tower's observatory.
There
is also a large ring-shaped protrusion (see photo) at about 340 meters or 1100
feet up. An elevator with a glass wall whisks you up the side of the CN Tower to
it (an indoor elevator transports you to the Skypod).
Its
ring-shaped level sports an upscale revolving restaurant, a casual cafe, an
outdoor viewing platform, and an indoor observatory.
The
indoor observatory features a glass floor. Walk on it and you see nothing but
empty space between you and the ground some 90 floors below. Not for
acrophobics.
The exterior of the CN Tower is spectacularly aglow at night with
colorful LED lighting.
The
CN Tower attracts roughly 2 million visitors a year, which means waiting lines
can be long during the peak summer tourist season. Try to avoid summer weekends
- and arrive either before 10:30 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
On
low-cloud days, you might not see anything. Check the weather forecast before
buying your admission ticket.
There
is a 1,776-step interior stairway, but it's closed to the public except for
special walk-up fund raisers for nonprofit organizations.
Despite
its amazing height, the CN Tower has never earned the "tallest building in the
world" title because - by expert consensus - it is technically a tower, not a
building.
And,
it's not even the world's tallest tower. That designation belongs to a rural
communications mast in South Dakota, USA.
The
CN Tower, however, wins the "tallest free-standing tower" accolade because the
South Dakota structure is supported by guy wires.
The
CN Tower was built in 1976 as a communications tower and a tourism attraction.
It gained its first name from its original owner, the Canadian National Railway.
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