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Casa Loma was a great sight to see! Generally I don't like audio tours, but this one was better because they were like mobile phones rather than headsets. Plus, it was included.
The rooms were all different and had lots of interesting things about them. One of the best parts was taking all the circular staircases to the top of the taller tower. As you come down, there is a penny squishier, should you be a collector.
The secret passage was an interesting addition. Nothing particularly lovely about it, but the idea is intriguing. There is an archery area near the stables where you can test your shooting abilities.
not run very well. fee for parking, cash only. ATM was broken. closest ATM a couple km away (had to walk it, of course).
still a very beautiful site and something to experience in toronto's history. weird weird place.
the hubby was great and bought one of those city passes that includes a bunch of famous toronto sights and casa loma was one of 'em. we followed advice and went early in the morning on a weekday to avoid the crowds. it wasn't too busy - parking is $3/hr - but there were a lot of school kids running around. the grounds are beautiful - lots of flowers and greenery and lovely fountains and sculptures - and the inside architecture was cool. i'm not sure if i'd pay regular price for admission (i think there were coupons for discounted admission in our hotel lobby if you don't opt for the city pass) but we spent about 3 hours listening to the free audio tour and wandering around. most interesting stuff on the 1st and 2nd floor, 3rd floor is mostly a museum with stairs to get to the top of one of the towers (the view is worth it!).
mr. pellatt's life was a little sad ultimately - was one of the most rich and charitable people in canada - but had to auction off all of his belongings and died penniless. because of that while the architecture is beautiful and they did a great job restoring it (still in the process), the furniture is unfortunately mostly not original.
summary: like the hearst castle of canada 'cept you can conquer it in a few hours. run by the kiwanis club - having money go to a charitable non-profit that preserves historical sites like this spot rocks. :)
I thought this would be such a cool tourist-spot in the city pass pack. Unfortunately, the most stimulating part of the tour was the curator who told us fun/interesting facts about Toronto...Did you know that Toronto was #6 out of 10 on the list of the best cities in the world to live for quality of life? This is a sneak peak on how interesting Casa Loma is =) LOL
Casa Loma is a creepy mansion! There are rooms full of furniture. The creepiest parts of the mansion were the spiral staircases that take you to the top, and the tunnel that takes you to the stables. Almost everyone writes their names on the bricks at the top. The best way to improve this tourist spot is to have a Who-done-it game associated with the tour instead of walking around with an audio player pressing numbers associated with the rooms. There are rooms that are beautiful like the library, green room, and of course, the breathtaking garden. However, this wasn't enough to make me want to go back.
I wonder if decades later, houses that we live in will be tourist spots...This was the Ikea era...I guess to some this is interesting...
You absolutely have to visit Casa Loma if you go to Toronto. I know that it's not exactly in downtown, but it's worthwhile. You won't be deceived.
An estate located in Toronto, you can drop yourself off here via tour bus or car (not really located close to a public transit station, sadly), and take a tour of the grounds, including some very nice manicured gardens in the non-winter months, and wander through several floors of art, history, and collected items from the house's prior inhabitants.
Check out little secret passages and the view of Toronto from the upper windows. The Library, the rooftop (sometimes closed) and the uppermost servant's quarters where a rifle collection now is housed are among the highlights here.
If it were only closer to anything else in Toronto... it's quite a ways away from the major public transit stops, unfortunately, which makes it hard for people who aren't in a car or on a tour bus. Kids may get bored after the first floor or so... this is hardly the most accessible otherwise, keep an eye on the kids so they don't destroy anything. Slightly expensive, but the fees are hopefully mostly used for restoration and maintenance.
Not quite a substitute for European manors and castles, but a good tour of what people can do with a few million dollars and a dream. Too bad most of the internal furniture has been long gone and sold.
BEAUTIFUL! I fell in love with this place as soon as I read about it online. Once I got there it was more than what I expected.
Even if you're not into history, this is a must see.
You can do the tour with or without the audio guide. There are signs in each part of the castle telling you what each room was used for. The Library is one of my favorite parts - now it's used for events, and I am totally jealous of everyone that gets to go to one of them.
Being there you just wish you could have been part of that time at least for a day, see how every day life would have been walking through those impressive halls, beautiful rooms, gardens... You can even walk to the stables.
We spent about 2 hours there, just admiring it all.
Again, a beautiful place, definitely worth adding this to your Toronto tour.
Listed in: Let's go to..., Oh Canada...
I love Casa Loma, have since I was a kid. As an adult I can appreciate the architecture and furniture so much more. I'm a slight history lover so this totally intrigued me, I always wish I could imagine living in a place like Casa Loma. Or what it would have looked like all finished. LOVES IT.
Nice. Worth seeing. Can see in an hour or so
Seriously, a three-star average? This place is great! But whatever your opinion, you can't deny that it is a unique attraction, not just in Toronto, but anywhere that I've ever heard of.
I'll let you read elsewhere about the rise and fall of Sir Henry Pellatt and the intriguing saga of his dream home. A tour through this incredible building and its grounds is a delight, especially while imagining it in context of the lives of those who lived, worked, and visited here in the early twentieth century.
Admission includes a personal audio-tour device to let you roam through on your own, which is the perfect setup for me. I have the freedom to move at my own pace, but all of the information available from which to sample.
Highlights for me included: the Great Hall, the Library, the Conservatory, Sir Henry's Study and its secret passageways, Sir Henry's Bathroom, Lady Pellatt's Suite, the towers, the Smoking Room, the basement, the tunnel, and the grounds. I probably would have enjoyed more the Queen's Own Rifles regimental museum, but by then I was beginning to get "museum fatigue" and I just couldn't devote the mental energy and attention that it deserved. However, it does contain a rich slice of modern military history.
Fun note: Apparently over a dozen mainstream movies have filmed scenes in the castle, including Cocktail, The Tuxedo, X-Men, Skulls, and The Pacifier. Hey, I said "mainstream" not "classic."
Casa Loma was really nice. The Audio tour was free and very informative.. but not too long. It helps to understand the history which makes the whole experience even better. We watched the movie and took a much needed rest, it was interesting be sure to climb the steps to the tower and travel the 800 foot tunnel. We thought the deli was fine, (about $5 for a club or reuben). Including lunch and the time spent in the garden we spent between 3-4 hours here. We walked from the sub-way stop, it was kind of a hike. Might take a taxi or drive next time. Be sure and stop for Ice cream at Greg's. On the Corner of Spadina and Bloor. Try the roasted Marshmallow flavor!
Here's how to have fun at Casa Loma. Play "Casa Loma Clue." Here are the rules.
Before you go, assign everyone in your group a character and wear something that gives it away. Miss Scarlet? Where shiny red shoes. Col. Mustard? Where a smashing yellow scarf.
Draw straws, or pick from a hat, or otherwise secretly determine who is the murderer. Now bust out your Clue cards. Everyone draw a weapon card and hide it, everybody draw a room card and hide it. The secret murderer now knows where they committed the crime and with what. Now the fun part.
Casa Loma has a study, ballroom, conservatory(!), games room, hall, dining room & library. I'd convert the kitchen to the Master bedroom and the lounge to one of the parlours.
Then as you tour the building, everyone should drop hints as to what weapon they may hold and if they did it or not. As per the board game, if you think you know something then you accuse, pah-pow.
Might be improved by a drink or two before going.
I must have lucked out on the day I went with my Toronto native friend, we did not pay anything to walk around this historict mansion.
One thing you notice about the size of the rooms are they are not very large by today's standards. The ballroom and library are larger rooms which were used to gather and entertain.
I love the view of Toronto you can see once you climb narrow rickety stairs to get to the roof. The garden and terrace were fabulous.
I like going down into the stables and work house looking at the old equipment. Lots of narrow passages to this place.
If you get hungry, there is a snack bar on the bottom basement floor. The gift shop is located there also.
Listed in: Canada Eh?
I'm going to review it in terms of it's significance to Toronto instead of what a rip off it is to go tour. Course it's a rip off, this is Canada eh. $17 to see a big house. Blah.
But if you are a history buff and you like gossip, then Casa Loma is rife with it.
First of all, it's not even a castle, it's just a big house that Sir Henry Pellatt, listed on the website as a, "Toronto financier, industrialist and military man", built to live in.
Here's the skinny on Big Henry: He was a great entrepreneur who invested heavily in the railroad expansion, as well as several philanthropic endeavors. He toured Europe when he was a young man and was inspired by the castles he saw there.
So, in 1911, he started the build on his own. It took 3 years and 3.5mil (That's like a billion now)! But, he didn't even get to live in it for a decade, the thing was so expensive to keep open and you know, with the common folk taking ownership of electricity public, he didn't have that on his side either. So he, and his wife sold everything and moved out to their farm. She died almost immediately, clearly out of embarrassment.
If you go to the website, they have all their prices listed for photo shoots (weddings and otherwise) as well as rental for private functions, catering an movie shoots right there for public access.
It's actually really affordable to throw a party there (I've looked into it) considering it's a big, honkin' castle!
I wouldn't take a tour, but I would have a dope record release party there any day.
It's a great part of our local heritage. It's worth keeping and recommending to visitors.
As someone who benefits from the reciprocal benefits of working at a "Toronto Attraction" (I won't say which one), I got to by-pass one of the main problems people have had with this particular locale- the ridiculous entry fee. I know there must be a reason for it, but I can't say that I would feel it was worth it, had I paid it.
I have always wondered what the big deal was about, and I'm sorry to say that I still don't really get it. Blame television, maybe. The house is big, but the secret passageways weren't really secret (they were more like steep staircases), and the decor wasn't nearly as opulent as we had hoped. The staff was supremely nice, though. And there were posters for very inappropriate-seeming films that were shot here-- The Pacifier, anyone? - right beside the Druxy's deli, which is right beside the olde tyme swimming pool. Maybe we shouldn't have started out in the basement?
From what I have heard of its back-story, it is really quite sad. I guess, symbolically, it is a worthwhile piece of furniture in the city's history and skyline- and from outside, I think it is really quite lovely. My friend is a photographer, and was hoping to get some cool shots here, but felt (as did I) mildly uninspired by the interior, and also by the grey, sunless day that rendered the facade far less majestic than it usually looks, peeking from behind Dupont station. That, my friends, is where the magic lies, castles and subways, existing side-by-side in my everyday life.
Bit of a hike from the center of Toronto, but worth the trip. It is a decent tourist trap, with plenty to see and snap pictures at.
It is a medieval style castle with a tour of all the rooms. $17 admission.
Listed in: Oh Yelp Canada!
Stunning facade, decent interior, rip-off price. How can they justify nearly $20 for an entrance fee for this place? $10 would be more than fair. Really the only thing inside worth seeing is the view from the turret and the gardens. The stables don't even warrant the walk through the tunnel, and the rest of the house is lackluster, with trite recordings on the audio guides (which were, thankfully, free).
I'm glad I visited, but I'd be hesitant to recommend this as a Toronto "must-do," as others had for me.
My experience was similar to one expressed by most .The exterior looked royal to some extent ,but otherwise the whole trip was extremely boring, especially if you are going to this place with kids-because they would want you to leave the place immediately. Not a place I will ever go again.I did it just because it was included in the city pass.Sad to express all this- but true, especially since Toronto is my most favourite place on earth.
Nice tourist destination for first time visitors. We spent about 2 hours here exploring the estate and following the self guided audio tour. The gardens are especially beautiful, but the highlight is the view from the top of the tower, where you can see the downtown skyline. Definately worth the cost of admission for architecture, history, or estate buffs.
The architecture is unique for the area and there is alot to be appreciated. The walk to the stables is a bit underwhelming. There are nice baubles available in the gift store, too.
Rather a disappointment. Most of the interior splendor hasn't been replaced after Pellatt auctioned it off. The exterior of the castle is the best, and the view from the tower is pretty good. Unfortunately there isn't much inside, and what is there isn't very impressive. It's entirely an audio tour, with very little written information. The hidden passages weren't very secretive. The underground tunnel was rather long to see a few empty horse stalls. We only went because we had a City Pass, so we had effectively already bought admission. I'm a little bitter to have spent my last afternoon in Toronto here.
If you like semi-historical things, and will take the time to listen to the audio guide, the entrance fee (though ridiculous) is worth it. I think we got a coupon from one of those things to see in toronto brochures, just walk into any hotel and grab one. I thought the story was really sad, and that the decor, especially the wood carvings was quite impressive.
we went here on our toronto trip. when we got there, the place was already closed! bummer... so we decided to just bum around and take pictures outside. what sucked was that when we got back to our car, and this was no more than 30 minutes...a copper had written us our second parking violation ticket for the day. booooo!!! i liked the windy road up and down the area though. and danggg, the houses in the area are huge too!!
Casa Loma is one building that really doesn't fit in the Toronto skyline. It's not that it's not nice, because it's very pretty, it's just is that if I saw it in a movie I would think that it was a mistake. Last I checked the castle building period (1000-1700's) missed Toronto and rarely have we had to defend ourselves from attacking Normans. Casa Loma is a really great place to go for an afternoon because it's fun to see what it was like to be a robber baron in the late 19th century. The building is quite large (obviously) but takes about an hour to an hour and a half to take it all in. I am someone who has not been cursed by children and so have an obvious distaste for places that have them in abundance. This is why I would recommend if you are like me, go during the week because while there will still be children there will be fewer and that will save you on your aspirin bill. If you have children then I would recommend the weekend because there will be fewer curmudgeons like myself and there are often activities geared towards the Pokémon set. I would recommend Casa Loma to everyone because it is a distinct, anachronistic landmark.
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Toronto, ON
Neighborhood: Cabbagetown
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Toronto, ON
Toronto, ON
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