Typewriter King

Neighbourhood: Church-Wellesley · Address: Yonge St area, Church-Wellesley, Toronto, ON · Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Price Range: $$ · Editorial status: Not yet verified

Why Visit

Step into a living museum of typewriters where you can touch, test, and even buy machines from nearly every era. The space is a treasure trove for anyone curious about how writing used to feel.

What Makes It Unique

Typewriter King is likely the last shop of its kind in Canada, powered by a one-man expert who has fixed thousands of machines since the '60s. Unlike antique malls or thrift stores, the owner actually restores, demos, and sells working typewriters. It's the only place in Toronto where you can get a custom-typed note on the spot.

If you’re going to Casa Loma, don’t make the mistake a lot of people do and treat the tunnel like the whole show. The 244-metre passage under Austin Terrace is absolutely worth doing — it’s cold, a little damp, and has that slightly eerie hush that makes your footsteps sound louder than they should — but it’s really just the first strange chapter of the place. You reach the tunnel on the lower level and head down into this long underground corridor that once connected the castle to the stables and hunting lodge across the street. The story everyone latches onto is Sir Henry Pellatt allegedly using it for bootlegging during Prohibition, which honestly makes the whole thing even better. Whether you’re deep into Toronto history or just like the idea of a wealthy early-1900s tycoon sneaking liquor through his own private tunnel, it gives the walk a conspiratorial edge. It’s not a haunted-house attraction on a normal day, but it does feel atmospheric in a very old Toronto way: tiled walls, cool air, dimmer light, and just enough isolation to make kids excited and adults a little more alert than they expected to be. Then you come back up and remember Casa Loma itself is completely unhinged in the best possible sense. The interior is far more interesting than people give it credit for. There’s a grand rotunda that feels theatrical the second you step into it, and sitting rooms done up with heavy, floor-to-ceiling gold drapery that are so lavish they almost circle back around to weird. This isn’t a minimalist heritage house with a few ropes and plaques. It’s excess. Thick wood, carved details, dramatic ceilings, fireplaces that look like they were built to impress rivals, not warm a room. And if you’re paying attention, there are turret staircases and odd little passageways that lots of visitors just breeze right by while heading to the more obvious rooms. That’s part of the fun here: wander a bit. Go up the narrow stairs. Cross into the stable after the tunnel and don’t rush it. The stable building has its own personality, less grand but just as memorable, and helps the whole estate make sense as a lived-in fantasy of power and status. If you can, go on a weekday afternoon. Weekends get busy, especially with families and school breaks, and the narrower stairs and corridors are better when you’re not stuck in a slow-moving line. Wear something warmer than you think you need if you’re doing the tunnel; even in warmer months it stays noticeably chilly down there. And if you’re around in October, the Halloween programming in the tunnels is genuinely one of the better seasonal events in the city. They lean into the atmosphere without making it feel cheap. It’s not the cheapest casual outing, but for a place this odd, detailed, and fun to poke around in, it earns the price. Go for the tunnel, sure. But stay for the turrets, the stable, and the weird little corners that make Casa Loma feel less like a museum and more like Toronto’s most elaborate eccentric obsession.