The Solo Scale:
It may be surprising to those who live outside Toronto that you can find a castle within the city limits. It’s not exactly to the scale of something of visiting Europe, but it’s still fairly impressive as you’re essentially in a residential area. Still, Casa Loma is absolutely worth admiring and the visit.
Casa Loma took three years and $3.5M to build. Sir Henry Pellatt filled Casa Loma with priceless artwork from Canada and around the world.
In truth, Casa Loma (the house on the hill) was built as something of a dream for its original owner, Henry Pellatt. Inspired by European architecture and the thought of owning a castle, Casa Loma came to be. However, like any very cool castle, it has secret passages and the towers mimic medieval castles in Europe. It’s definitely an anomaly in Toronto, but in the best of ways. In the interceding years after bankruptcy made Pellatt lose the home, it’s been a hotel and an entertainment venue. Finally what it is today — a tourist destination.
When you head out to Casa Loma, you can explore the house and the grounds. It’s got tons of history to learn about, including exhibits. You can also marvel at the architecture from the long hallways to the grand greenhouse to the creepy swimming pools. If you’re a movie fan, you can pretend you’re in X-Men or Scott Pilgrim. Scenes for those movies (and more) were filmed here.
If you were charmed by Casa Loma after your visit, you can use it as the backdrop for important events. Parts of the house are available to rent for weddings, parties, or even photoshoots. Learn more about that on the Private Events area on the website.
For those who are visiting Toronto or who have lived here most of their lives, Casa Loma is a unique visit within the city. It’s got a decent history, they’ve managed to highlight a lot of that through exhibits, and it really does feel like you’ve stepped into the past. Between that, the architecture, and the notoriety from appearing in film, it’s definitely worth at least one visit if you’re in the area.
For more information, visit the Casa Loma website here to work it into your Toronto travels!
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