As an avid castle lover, it’s only natural that my favorite attraction in Toronto is also the only castle in town – the iconic Casa Loma. I try to visit often because of how much I love it, so when Secret City Adventures invited me to be one of the first people to complete their newest escape room adventure inside Casa Loma, you better believe I was excited!
Launched on November 1st, The Dragon’s Song is an immersive escape game played in small teams of up to 12 people. As far as escape rooms go, this one is a game-changer. Teams have an hour to gather clues, solve puzzles to discover the final spell, learn the Dragon’s Song, save the last Dragon egg from extinction and escape the tower.
Out of the five escape rooms set in Casa Loma, it’s the only one that’s complete fantasy and not rooted in historical events – obviously.
Built specifically for Casa Loma, it’s impressive how well-built and meticulously detailed it is. It perfectly complements the space.
The experience was amazing, and I highly recommend you try it out! It makes for an awesome night out with friends or your significant other. You may even end up walking away with more friends since there are plenty of opportunities to bond with the people on your team during the hour.
Here’s what to expect about the Dragon’s Song, the latest in the Casa Loma Escape Series.
Introduction to the Dragon’s Song
Our team met at Casa Loma’s side entrance and climbed the first set of stairs together to get to the main hall. There, the 11 of us were introduced to the Knight that would be with us throughout the game.
Our mission: to save dragons from being extinct by solving the clues and learning the Dragon’s Song.
We were asked to come up with a name for our team, which I thought was a fun element to further get immersed in our new reality for the next hour.
We proudly called ourselves the “Dragon Chasers”.
It’s worth noting that the main hall has a gigantic chest each team can use to leave their personal belongings behind in for the duration of the game. This comes in handy, especially during the cold months when all of us are bundled up. You definitely don’t want to carry all that with you while you’re running around and having fun.
You can also leave your phones and cameras in the chest, as there is no videography or photography allowed – this is to preserve the integrity and mystery of the game outside the Casa Loma walls. After all, it’s more fun to experience the game if you don’t already know what the answers are!
I took pictures for the purposes of this post, but I definitely found myself stashing my electronics away quickly and being pulled into the storyline. It’s old school, but not having your phone on you absolutely makes for a better experience!
You'll end the game in the main hall again where you can take team photos and pick up all your stuff. Until then, it’ll all be safely locked away for you.
What To Expect from Dragon’s Song
Top of the Tower
Leaving the main hall, our first introduction to the game was passing by a sleeping dragon. Since Game of Thrones ended, we’ve all been wondering where Drogon went after taking Daenerys. No? Just me? Well, it made me giddy to find him chilling at Casa Loma! It's the little things in life… Moving on!
We were able to escape without waking the dragon and made our way up all the stairs to the very top of the tower. Waiting for us was our Alchemist, who introduced us to our first few puzzles set over two floors in the tower. We separated into two teams and got to work!
This was my first escape room experience and as such, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
I was blown away by the high-quality setup. The games were intricate, creative, professionally created and very fast-paced. There’s no time to waste, the clock is ticking! The riddles were hard enough to challenge us, but not too hard to make us feel defeated, thus keeping you engaged throughout.
Every single detail is so well-thought-out, it was impossible not to get drawn in. The Alchemist and the Knight, who are played by real-life improv actors, play an important part in the game and make it a full theatrical production. Their ability to keep the action rolling and the game fun, along with being able to seamlessly guide you through the game without giving too much away is exceptional.
They keep the game fun and create a natural flow with their ability to navigate questions and challenges with ease.
Once we solved the tower mysteries, we made our way down to our next level for the next set of puzzles.
Puzzle Room
Once again, we naturally separated into teams and tackled the next few games in search of the last clues. These weren’t easy and we definitely needed every team member’s contribution. It was fun to see people naturally navigate toward the puzzle that fit their strengths best. Divide and conquer at its best!
I have to say, we were really good and absolutely rocked it.
Getting all the clues enabled us to save the last dragon egg and learn the Dragon’s Song.
Of course, we hit a little snag when we accidentally cast the wrong spell on our Knight and broke him! He started spewing gibberish and slowly started losing control of his limbs. Oops.
We fixed him in no time, but not without a healthy dose of adrenaline!
Once we got the Dragon's Song right (took us a couple of tries to get the right order of the notes), we were able to escape the tower! We passed by our good friend, Drogon, on the way back out. He was a lot happier since we just saved his kind from extinction and all.
We made our way back to the main hall, feeling so incredibly accomplished and proud of ourselves. Though the experience was only an hour, we were so present and engaged it felt like much longer!
Know Before You Go
The Dragon’s Song is open year-round and anyone over the age of 8 can play. There are even two levels you can choose from, Easy and Difficult, something that not many other escape rooms have!
The Dragon’s Song is the perfect activity to do in a group of up to 12 people. You can play with all your friends (as long as you book it all together) or you can bring a smaller group and be paired up with strangers. Though, they won't be strangers for long! The ice breaks very quickly.
Tips for the Dragon’s Song
A few tips to make your experience even more awesome:
- Plan your night a week or two in advance, tickets sell quickly!
- Consider scheduling a (group) dinner afterward to extend your night once you escape from Casa Loma. You’ll feel pretty hyped up by the end and you'll want somewhere to go.
- Wear comfortable shoes! You'll need to walk up a lot of stairs to get to the tower and you'll be running around solving clues. Heels are not a good idea.
- Go to the washroom on the ground level before you start the game, if you need to go later on you'll need to go up and down all those stairs again!
About Casa Loma
A century-old impressive structure, the Casa Loma used to be the first private residence in Canada. Nowadays, it’s mysterious nooks, crannies, and towers are home to some of the coolest adventures in Toronto that give you the opportunity to explore it from various angles.
I'm not kidding when I say it's my favorite attraction in Toronto. There's always a cool event to attend, game to play or something to explore.
Getting There
Casa Loma is in mid-town Toronto at 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto, ON M5R 1X8.
There are designated carshare pick-up spots in front of Casa Loma, so it's easy and convenient to use Lyft or Uber.
Tip: Enter the exact address above to get to the right place, if you simply enter “Casa Loma”, you'll be taken somewhere in the neighborhood.
The Dragon's Song uses the side entrance to the left.
Secret City Adventures
Besides The Dragon's Song, Secret City Adventures has created four other escape room games set in Casa Loma. All of them are based on historical events and run all year-round.
My bet is that you'll have so much fun playing The Dragon's Song that you'll want to check some of them out. Each has an intriguing and unique storyline. Here's a bit about each of them.
Casa Loma Escape Rooms
Escape from the Tower
The original Casa Loma escape room takes you all the way back to 1941 to the Anti-Submarine Detection Research Center. You'll be playing real-life battleship as you and your team of 12 race against time to find the coordinates of the U-boats and escape. This is an active game and has the most amount of stairs since you'll be going all the way up to the tower! Check availability
Station M
Set after the end of World War II, Toronto is celebrating but things aren't what they seem. This game gives you an opportunity to try your hand at playing a spy for an hour. In teams of 12, you'll have one last mission before Station M is decommissioned. If you're not a fan of a lot of stairs, this one is for you as it has the least amount of all the escape rooms in Casa Loma. Check availability.
Murdoch Mysteries Escape Series
You'll love this escape room if you’re a fan of the Murdoch Mysteries! The game is set at the Stable Coachman's House on the Casa Loma grounds and is an extension of the show's set. You'll have an opportunity to let your inner Detective William Murdoch loose and see what you're made of! You'll get one hour to crack the case and solve Station House No. 4's secret. Check availability.
King of the Bootleggers
This is the biggest escape room at Casa Loma, played in teams of 20 players. You'll go all the way back to the Toronto prohibition time in the 1920s. You'll be invited to the hidden bar under Casa Loma and will be helping take down the big bad of the prohibition world and help his wife take over. Check availability.
Games Outside of Casa Loma
Secret City Adventures an additional three games outside of Casa Loma, only one of which is an escape game. Each adventure is incredibly interactive and works in groups of various sizes.
Where Dark Things Dwell
Set in the Black Creek Pioneer Village, Where Dark Things Dwell is a huge escape game that can incorporate as many as 60 players, 10 teams of 6, each team with their own storyline and challenges. Being set outside, it is only open during the summer and shuts down in November. It’s longer than the other escape rooms, taking 90 minutes to complete. Check availability.
TO Game Show
The biggest adventure of them all, this two-hour game is not an escape room and can incorporate 30 to 300 players. You'll be part of a live game show with this cool theatrical and competitive stage game. The best players in the audience have a chance to compete live on stage. You'll want to bring your A-game and your competitive side. Check availability.
Big Top Battle
A social experience with up to 120 players that's best played as a corporate team-building activity. Your goal? Strategize, beat the other teams in games and rise to the top of the society. Let your competitive side soar with this one! The game lasts up to two hours The best part? The game can be played in the venue of your choice. Check availability.
Should You Go?
Absolutely! I had such a great time and would recommend this as a fun activity in Toronto any day. I also had so much fun getting to know my team, most of which I know I'll see again.
It's a unique adventure and you'll definitely have a fun time. Enjoy!
Let me know in the comments about your experience if you've gone.
Many thanks to Casa Loma, Secret City Adventures and Liberty Entertainment Group for hosting me for The Dragon's Song. All opinions, as always, are my own.
Hi, I read your blogs like every week. Your story-telling style is
witty, keep up the good work!