Toronto Trip: Day 3, Casa Loma

If you ever make it to Toronto, and can only do one thing, this is it!  In the northern part of downtown, there is a giant castle.  Sir Henry Pellatt, a well-to-do business tycoon, built this place for himself and his wife, Lady Mary in 1911.  

Here are some exterior shots:

His hunting lodge (taken from the tower)

We took the subway north, but then had quite a few stairs to climb before arriving at this beautiful destination.  We walked in about 15 minutes after it opened (9:45) and wouldn't end up leaving until almost 2 o'clock.  There was so much to see here.

 

Upon arrival, you can pick up an audio guide to get facts about the various rooms and spaces at Casa Loma and are free to walk around at your own pace for this self-guided tour.  At several (not all) of the places, they had ASL interpretations of the tour so the guide set my audio guide to ASL and I was able to "listen" in sign.

Below are just some of the many interior pictures we took around the castle.

pipe organ

tunnel:  he had a 800 ft tunnel built to take him from the main house to his stables, garage, and hunting lodge so as not to cross a street or be outside in harsh winters

Great Hall - looking at the pipes for the organ

We climbed to the very top of the Scottish Tower - the highest point in the castle

Oak Room - the most ornate room in the place

Conservatory - as we were leaving, a wedding was finishing up there.  It would have been a gorgeous place to get married.

After walking the grounds we decided to go ahead and eat lunch there.  They have a nice Terrace Cafe.  All in all, this was a great outing.  

Our view from our table at lunch