Casa Loma – a Wanna Be Castle in the Heart of Toronto, Canada

We recently went to see family and friends in Toronto (which is Wendy’s home town).  We have two little kids, one of whom is a three-year-old little girl, so a visit to a castle seemed a natural choice.  The castle is actually really quite modern, having been completed in 1914.  It was built by Sir Henry Pellatt, a wealthy local businessman.

Now, we weren’t expecting Casa Loma to rival some of the castles we’ve seen in France, but we were hoping for something more along the lines of Hearst Castle – where antique elements have been blended into a modern building.  Sadly, Casa Loma didn’t compete with any of those, for us.  It’s a very lovely, very elaborate home.  Certainly nothing like our house looks like, but not really a castle, either.

Touring the building took us a couple of hours, but then we had two little kids with us.  (Things tend to go faster without them).  There are a number of rooms open on the first and second floors.  There is also a very narrow spiral staircase that can be climbed to the attic turret for views out over the city.  You can also go down to the basement, if you haven’t explored enough.  All those stairs (and elevators that can’t accommodate a stroller) mean it’s definitely Ergo time.