Casa Loma, the Baldwin Steps and Spadina House

Segments

1. 
   Baldwin Steps 0.5 km Map

   Dupont station → Top of the Baldwin Steps, Davenport Rd at Spadina Rd

   Sidewalk, then a long outdoor staircase

   From Dupont station walk north on Spadina Road until the street stops at a wall of green: the escarpment of the ancient Lake Iroquois shoreline, the edge of a glacial lake that once covered today's downtown. The Baldwin Steps, 110 of them, climb it to Davenport Road and the upper part of Spadina Road. Stairs have been here since 1913; the current flight was rebuilt and named in 1987. The spot has its own history: the cancelled Spadina Expressway would have cut through here. Pause halfway and turn around for the view south to the CN Tower. About 10 minutes.

   About this place

   The Baldwin Steps are a public outdoor staircase located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada dating from the 19th century. The Steps, which are constructed of stone and concrete, transcend a steep escarpment marking an ancient shoreline. The steps are named after the Baldwin family, which included Robert Baldwin, a former premier of Ontario, whose family were the first landowners. The Steps are also famous for appearing in the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels and its film adaptation, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

   Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Dillan Payne · CC BY-SA 4.0
2. The Great Hall and main floor 0.4 km Map

   Casa Loma entrance, 1 Austin Terrace → Conservatory

   Indoor, level

   Inside, the main floor was built to impress guests. The Great Hall rises through several storeys under a timbered ceiling, the Library and Dining Room open off it, and the Oak Room, Pellatt's drawing room, has panelling carved by three artisans over three years. The Round Room curves to fit beneath one of the towers, its doors and windows bent to follow the wall. End in the Conservatory, with its fountain, marble and stained-glass dome. Look for the two secret passages in Pellatt's ground-floor study. Allow 45 minutes.

3. Suites and the regimental museum 0.3 km Map

   Conservatory → Third floor, Queen's Own Rifles museum

   Indoor, grand staircase and upper floors

   Climb to the second floor for the Pellatt suites: Sir Henry's, with its extravagant bathroom, and Lady Pellatt's. She was an early leader of the Girl Guides in Canada, and there are exhibits on that too. The third floor houses the museum of the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, the regiment Pellatt once commanded, which moved here in 1970. Allow 30 to 45 minutes.

4. The towers 0.2 km Map

   Third floor → Tower tops

   Narrow spiral staircases

   Two towers are open to climb, reached by steep, narrow spiral stairs. The reward is a view over the treetops of Midtown to the downtown skyline and the lake, and close-up looks at the battlements. Tall visitors should watch their heads. Allow 20 minutes.

5. Tunnel to the stables 0.5 km Map

   Basement → Casa Loma stables

   Underground tunnel, then stable buildings

   From the basement, a tunnel of about 250 metres runs north to the stables, potting shed and carriage rooms, which were built first and served as the construction base for the castle. The stalls and carriage room show how richly the horses were housed. During the Second World War, the stables are said to have hidden the secret assembly of submarine-detecting sonar equipment, behind an 'under repairs' sign. Walk back through the tunnel. Allow 30 minutes.

6. The estate gardens 0.4 km Map

   Casa Loma terrace → Estate gardens

   Gravel and paved garden paths, some steps

   Casa Loma sits in about five acres of formal gardens terraced down the escarpment, with fountains, perennial borders and woodland paths. They are open seasonally, generally from spring to autumn, and are at their best in June. The castle's south-facing terrace looks straight down over the city. Allow 20 to 30 minutes.

7. 
   Spadina House 0.3 km Map

   Casa Loma → Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Rd

   Sidewalk, then garden paths

   Next door, Spadina House makes a perfect contrast. The name comes from an Ojibwe word, ishpadinaa, for a hill or rise. The Austin family lived here for generations, and since 1984 the city has run it as a museum furnished as it looked in the 1920s and 1930s, down to the art and the kitchen. The house is seen by guided tour on limited days and its gardens, about six acres of orchard, vegetable plots and flower beds, are a quiet place to end. Check the official site before you go. Allow 45 minutes.

   About this place

   Spadina Museum, also known as Spadina House, is a historic mansion at 285 Spadina Road in Toronto, Ontario. It is now a historic house museum operated by the City of Toronto's Economic Development & Culture division. The museum preserves the house much as it existed and developed historically. The art, decor and architecture of the house used to reflect the contemporary styles of the 1860s through the 1930s, including Italianate, Victorian, Edwardian, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Colonial Revival styles. The museum closed for a year for extensive interior and exterior renovations. When it re-opened to the public on October 24, 2010, it was decorated in the style of the inter-war era of the 1920s and 1930s. The estate's gardens reflect the landscape during the Austin family's occupation of the house.

   Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Maksim Sokolov (Maxergon) · CC BY-SA 4.0