Mackenzie House
Mackenzie House
4.5
Saturday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
temporarily closed due to flooding Mackenzie House is the restored home of William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto's first Mayor, a radical journalist and publisher, and leader of the Rebellion of 1837 in Upper Canada. This house was given to Mackenzie by friends and supporters, when he retired from public life, and in recognition of his many years of serving the community. Mackenzie House is one of 10 historic museums operated by the City of Toronto. Toronto's Historic Sites engage visitors, inspire passion, challenge ideas and connect the past to the present.
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Downtown
At the heart of Toronto, Downtown is the destination for cheap eats and fast fashion. Cut through by hip and trendy Yonge Street, the vibe here is young, with a strong student influence from the Ryerson University Campus. As a result, the Downtown area is always in flux: undergoing the construction of new facilities, with fresh retail spaces and pop-up cafes. Home to Toronto's largest indoor shopping mall, a number of vintage cinemas, and a healthy nightlife centered on the area's Distillery District bar and clubs near the East End, it's both an easygoing daytime spot and a popular party place after sunset. It also features some of Toronto's best outdoor landmarks, including Yonge-Dundas Square and the Nathan Phillips Square: perfect for a concert, a skate, or a relaxing sit-down.
How to get there
  • Dundas • 3 min walk
  • Queen • 5 min walk
Reach out directly

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles84 reviews
Excellent
55
Very good
21
Average
4
Poor
1
Terrible
3

Tracy K
New Jersey68 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Family
House is not currently open for visits, and apparently has very little inside anyway (according to our tour guide). We walked by during a Tour Guys tour of the Old Town. I wouldn't head there independent of a walking tour unless you are interested in one of their occasional printmaking workshops. Not architecturally significant.
Written June 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marjanne
London, UK14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019 • Solo
I decided to do some solo touristing for the first time while my husband was in meetings and very much enjoyed the tour here. Having arrived when a small group was finishing their tour and getting their souvenir prints, I was kindly added to the printing portion of the tour normally done at the end and then taken around the house by myself before another couple of people joined us half way through. The tour guide was very good at accommodating awkward walk-in times and ensuring everyone gets to see and do everything by simply doing the bits of the tour in a different order based on when you joined and I appreciate that he took me round by myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour which was interesting, informative, and humorous. I would say it is definitely worth the $8 and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in historical house museums or, like me, simply likes beautiful buildings and a view into a different time.
Written July 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

travellingsinclairs
Toronto, Canada571 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2017 • Solo
Toronto which likes to bury its History under cement has a small downtown gem in this authentic historical structure. This is the building where WL Mackenzie lived with his family and died. Applause to the curators and staff that bring not only MacKenzie to life but also the time period. Can one voice in life make a difference in the political landscape. Well vist this site and learn why and how. A first rate site in Toronto...and why did it take 60 years to appreciate it? Worth the visit and excellent tours and demonstrations.
Written November 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ivona K
Toronto, Canada363 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2017 • Family
Learn about William Lyon Mackenzie, a man who shaped Canada's democracy and as a result all other other British Commonwealth countries. Tour his furnished house, learn about life in mid 19th century Toronto from a guide in period clothing. Best part of the tour was the talk in the printshop. A gentleman named Bruce - who is a fantastic story teller - gave us a great recap of Mackenzie's efforts to bring responsible government to what was then Upper Canada.
Reasonably priced admission, (free admission until Nov 30, 2017 as part of Canada 150), washrooms, paid parking on lots and streets nearby, minutes from Dundas subway station.
Written November 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

2ndhnymoon
Ontario66 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2013 • Couples
We stopped by to kill a little time before lunch and ended up spending more than an hour. The tour guide was very informative and answered any questions we had. I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed the museum. For $7 admission, we got our moneys worth for sure.
Written April 30, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sdempsey
Belfast, UK170 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2012 • Couples
We visited this on our last day in Toronto because we were running out of things to do and thought this might kill half an hour, however when we got there, we got a much more detailed guided tour of both the house of William Lyon Mackenzie and of a printing workshop than we expected.

The guides (Kate and Mark - both dressed in period costume) were both very knowledgeable and interesting. A real surprise was the print workshop. This sounds quite dull, but Mark (who actually undertook a printing apprenticeship to further his knowledge) made the topic fascinating and we got a chance to actually use the 19th century printing press to take home a memento of our visit.

If you are into ghosts, the Mackenzie House is reputedly the most haunted location in Toronto. But even if you are not, this is a fine place to visit.
Written June 12, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

runningwild32
united kingdom319 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2019
Not knowing anything about the history of Toronto, having been on a walking tour, we decided to go back to Mackenzie House and not past it this time. At $8 we thought it was excellent value for money. We were the only ones on the tour to start and got our own personal guide, who gave us information on the family life of Mackenzie along with the history of the house. We then had a fascinating chat from Bruce explaining about Mackenzie, the printing press and Mackenzie and the newspaper, going into exile along with being the first Lord Mayor of Toronto.
Excellent value for money, definitely a case of small is best, highly interesting couple of hours delivered by staff enthusiastic about Mackenzie.
Written November 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Diana C
10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2018 • Friends
I highly recommend experiencing this window into early York/Toronto history. Our excellent tour guides brought MacKenzie’s story to life with their enthusiasm and vast knowledge. As a Torontonian born and raised, I really enjoyed learning more about my city. Who said Canadian history was boring?!
Written January 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

citypins
Wiarton, Canada586 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Friends
The price is right, and the tour is not long. However, it is extremely informative about William MacKenzie, his home, his history, and the history of Toronto. Without going into much detail, you will learn of his newspapers, his one year as Mayor of Toronto, and his rebellious acts to reform the Government of that time. The house itself will let you understand what the times must have been like in the mid 1800's. Enjoy the tour, we did!
Written September 1, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

schweiz2816
Toronto, Canada107 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Friends
This is a really enjoyable little museum and well worth a visit. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic and even stayed open late to accommodate a late arrival (note: budget an hour and a half for a relaxed visit). There are two parts to the museum :
1) a tour of the house, which gives a really interesting glimpse into life in the 1850s (we learned some neat titbits) as well as stories about the adventures of Mackenzie
2) a tour of a working printing press and the chance to operate it yourself (great for kids and kids at heart!)
All in all a very enjoyable afternoon no matter what your interests.
Written August 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Mackenzie House - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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