Visiting Dundurn Castle makes you feel that you're living in the early to mid-19th Century. The restoration of the castle including the furnishings is worth a visit in itself; yet the guides not only provide information about the arts and pieces within each room but also describe vividly what went on in the rooms. I was actually expecting to meet Sir Adam MacNab who built the castle. Part of the tour included visiting the kitchen and hearing from the cook, which involved sampling some of the baked cooks coming from the old oven. I would highly recommend participating in this enjoyable tour.
It's been awhile since we've taken the grandkids to the castle. It is always a pleasant experience. The staff performing the tour are knowledgable and very friendly. It's always interesting to see how people lived long ago. There is plenty of free parking. However, the lot is a distance from the castle itself. The castle is not wheelchair accessible.
Have visited this amazing place several times - technically not a castle but a heritage monster house.Several generations and eras represented in the design, renovations and additions made as well as the displays and artifacts presented.Contains a WW1 area in the visitor centre as well as a military museum also on the property
I took my kids there one summer morning. We enjoyed the guided tour. The kids loved the stories the guide told about McNab's daughters and the diary one of them kept. They enjoy visiting their bedrooms and were fascinated with the fact that they had a separate playroom / study room for themselves. At the end of the tour we went downstairs to the kitchen, where cooks in period clothing offered us samples of food made using recipes from McNab's time period. It was most certainly an interesting experience for my kids, as they rarely eat preserved vegetables or meats. After the tour we visited the small "war museum" that is on the grounds. There are some fun things to do for kids play with and do. After that we went the garden. We ended up talking to the gardeners and they told my kids all about the fruit and vegetables that they were growing there (as they were grown during McNab's days) and answered all of their questions. Then they told us that we could pick any fruit or vegetables we wanted and enjoy them while we were there. My kids loved picking raspberries. At the end they run around the grounds before heading out. Overall it was a very fun and at the same time educational experience for us and the kids.
This was our first visit, despite driving past it many times. A wonderful walk through the past, with the assistance of a knowledgable tour guide. It is certainly a place I will return to, as I can only imagine it's bueaty during the summer months.
I've been to this site a number of times and every time I come away thinking about the past, about the people that lived there and what it must have been like to be part of such an important family at such an important þime in the areas history.It's a must a see!
not much happening here when we went. Boring and not much to see. Lots of other places offer a better trip.
I really enjoyed the tour and felt it was worth every penny. The guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. The short bread cookies at the end were some of the best I have ever ate.
What a great tour we had of Dundrun Castle! I love how it is by guided tour only so you get a really good snap shot of what life was like in Victorian times. Our guide Victoria was great, she was so enthusiastic about showing us all the fantastic features of the home. We also enjoyed the military museum - the interactive section on the second floor was wonderful for young children.
I had been wanting to go back & visit Dundurn Castle after visiting during the holidays quite a few years ago. Finally was able to work out a visit & was not disappointed! Our guide was wonderful, & had so much knowledge to share with us about the history of the McNab family & how they would have celebrated Christmas in the 1850's. Loved the Christmas tree in the main drawing room & the main staircase with the mistletoe ball. The formal dining room with the crystal & china was also a highlight. We had the opportunity to sample some pickled vegetables & shortbread when we visited the kitchen. There are some renovations underway in order to make more rooms accessible to the public... Which hopefully means a return trip in Spring 2015! Highly recommend a visit to this historical site!