3 Best Sights in Toronto, Ontario

The Georgian mansion of Sir William Campbell, the sixth chief justice of Upper Canada, is now one of Toronto's best house museums. Built in 1822 in another part of town, the Campbell House was moved to this site in 1972. It has been restored with elegant early-19th-century furniture, and knowledgeable guides detail the social life of the upper class. Don't overlook the Lost & Found garden exhibit, salvaged from heritage buildings.

A European-style castle, Casa Loma was commissioned in 1911 by financier Sir Henry Pellatt, who spent about C$20 million building his dream home—only to lose it to the taxman a decade later. Some impressive details are the giant pipe organ, the 60-foot-high ceilings in the Great Hall, and the 5-acre estate gardens. The rooms are copies of those in English, Spanish, Scottish, and Austrian castles. Exhibits feature antique cars and hyper-realistic statues of celebrities (paying homage to the many movies, from Chicago to X-Men, that have used Casa Loma as a location), alongside other rotating attractions and events. Included in the admission price is a self-guided multimedia tour (available in four languages).  A tour of Casa Loma is a good 1½-km (1-mile) walk, so wear sensible shoes.

Once home to journalist William Lyon Mackenzie—Toronto’s first mayor, elected in 1834, and the designer of the city’s coat of arms—this Greek Revival row house now serves as a museum. Among the preserved period furnishings is an 1845 printing press that visitors can try for themselves. Mackenzie held office for just one year. In 1837, he led roughly 700 supporters down Yonge Street in an attempt to overthrow the government. The rebellion was swiftly crushed, and Mackenzie fled to the United States with a bounty on his head. Years later, after receiving a pardon from Queen Victoria, he returned to Canada and was reelected to the legislative assembly. By then, he had fallen on hard times and a group of friends purchased the house for his family. Mackenzie lived there only a few years before his death in 1861. His grandson, William Lyon Mackenzie King, would become the longest-serving prime minister in Canadian history.