Casa Loma

Toronto’s castle, one of the best-known castle-style houses in North America, was built by a man who thought he could afford it. Sir Henry Pellatt was a financier who made his fortune in electric power and he commanded the Queen's Own Rifles, and between 1911 and 1914 he spent a vast sum on a Gothic Revival mansion perched on the ridge of the old shoreline of Lake Iroquois, high above the city. Casa Loma, Spanish for house on the hill, has towers, turrets, battlements and around 98 rooms. Its builders brought craftsmen from Europe and shipped in marble, oak and other materials, and the house had an electric elevator, a central vacuum system and a telephone switchboard when such things were unusual.

Pellatt's fortunes collapsed in the 1920s, and the city took over the property in 1924 for unpaid taxes. The castle sat empty for years, then served as a hotel and a nightclub, before the Kiwanis Club of West Toronto began running it as a tourist attraction in 1937, and it has been a Toronto landmark ever since. It has also doubled as a film and television set, standing in for castles, mansions and mysterious laboratories in many productions.

Inside, the Great Hall is the showpiece, with a soaring ceiling and a huge fireplace. Visitors move through the Oak Room, the library, the conservatory with its stained-glass dome and the long Peacock Alley, a corridor lined with marble and panelling. Pellatt's own suite and the rooms upstairs have been furnished to show how the family lived, and a documentary tells the story of his rise and fall. Secret passages, narrow stairways and the Scottish Tower, which gives views across the city, add to the sense of exploration. Visitors can follow an audio guide that explains each room.

Beneath the grounds, an 800-foot tunnel leads to the Stables and Carriage House, a separate building of fine mahogany and tile built for Pellatt's horses. The estate's gardens cover about five acres, with terraces, lawns and flower beds that offer a quiet walk above the city, though parts of the Lower Gardens and the Terrace are closed in winter. Seasonal events include summer concerts and Christmas at the Castle, when the rooms are decked with lights and trees.

The castle can be bundled into the CityPASS with other Toronto attractions. Check the official website for current hours and prices, and allow two to three hours. Families, architecture fans and anyone who likes a good ghost story find it rewarding.