stephen leacock museum

Loved the museum . I feel his presence on the main floor. Have been there many times and this feeling is always there, looking out of the windows in the sunroom is awesome. The kitchen reminds me of my parents home when I was young. The grounds are beautifully kept. When coming to Orilia do visit this museum.

If you are a Leacock fan this is a must. One can imagine Mr Leacock strolling the grounds and sitting in the boat house writing. Although the boat house is not open for viewing one can walk to it down a quaint path look around the outside and imagine. The house is beautiful, romantic and has a wonderful view to the lake and gardens. Not a long day here but on leaving I felt as if i had truly glimpsed some of the past. A lovely place.

Had two work functions in one week at Swanmore Hall. It sorely needs some renovation, first of all, the bathrooms remind me of summer camp in the 80s. The caterer assured the organizers there was room to accomodate quite a few people (up to 100?), there was not enough parking out in the lot, and no direction about where else to park. The tables are rectangles, and were so close together we couldn't get out of our chairs, and we only had 70 people in the hall. The catererer charged an exorbitant price for a meal that I guess was ok, but maybe for half the price. The portions were ridiculous. We had skewers for dinner, and she asked if we'd like a chicken, beef OR vegetable - each meat skewer literally had one square of meat on it, and no dipping sauce. More what I would expect for an appetizer. There was no water on the tables, and because we couldn't get out of our chairs easily, we could not get to the bar once the meal started to get drinks. We were charged extra for coffee and tea, and the desserts looked like they were cut up squares from M&M. I would not recommend this venue for a wedding, not sure how you'd fit more than 40 people comfortably in this room unless half of them were outside.

The gardens on the day of the wedding were lovely. The museum was closed for renovations but the grounds were available for use. The view of Brewery Bay and the boat house along with the actual home of Stephen Leacock made for excellent photos for the wedding party and guests.

We spent the Civic Holiday weekend in Orillia and were disappointed that the museum was closed on Monday. We were able to walk the grounds but really wished the museum had taken advantage of the many tourists visiting. There were a number of us in the parking lot wishing the same thing. Beautiful grounds.

Stephen Leacock Museum could be great if Fred Addis was not so pompus! Fred stop being so pompous! Also, they are too strict!

Interesting to see how this wonderful writer spent his leisure time.Very interesting home in a beautiful place.

A unique spot to visit if you like a little history and like the works of Stephen Leacock. Lovely locaton on Lake Couchiching.Large lawn that is used for a variety of event.

I highly recommend visiting in the summer, the setting and house itself are absolutely gorgeous and I really enjoy going during the writer's festival.

Stephen Leacock was one of those guys whose work we were required to study here in Ontario. His work though, was thoroughly enjoyable. Canada's answer to Mark Twain, but I think more enjoyable - more like Thurber.I have not been to the Leacock Museum in a number of years, so I can't say it's still the same, but for me the highlight was to sit in the Master's chair; what a feeling!

Last winter my son, fiance and I went to a local Wedding show were we meet Penny the wedding co-ordinator for Swanmore Terrace. She had a wonderful set up to show how beautiful the grounds were and menu and wedding info to give us. Since we had lived in Orillia in the past I knew the property and also the group that does the caterering (Sixteen Front Restaurant).The co-ordinators Penny and Rachael were very caring and helped work with in budget giving menu ideas and solutions. We met with the co-ordinators about 3 months before on site and were also comunicating with emails.As any one planning a wedding we were sweating the small stuff and they were reassuring during the process. More than that they delivered! The ceremony site, reception site were beautiful. The details like making sure that guests could go to the Museum between the ceremony and cocktails were appreciated.The Stephen Leacock Museum is very nice and the grounds spectacular. The boathouse made for wonderful picture opportunities.Swanmore Terrace was the perfect venue for a small (80 ish guests) wedding. The addition of having the terrace for cocktail hour was fantastic. The food was all delicious on time and hot. I feel confident in stating that you will not find more caring wedding co-ordinators than Penny and Rachael. We had absolutely no issues with booking, billing or food.Thanks to the decorating knack of my new daughter in law Swanmore Terrace was turned into a wonder wedding venue.

As if the venue isn't stunning enough! The historic site of the LeacockFamily home , now a museum with a lovely waterfront (and I mean you can't get any closer or more picturesque ) To boot it is now under the watchful eye of Orillia's brilliant sweetheart Chef Marcel. A new menu is on the horizon. It is the perfect place to book weddings, gatherings and business events. Minimal fee to visit the museum, lots of family events occur all summer long, also they welcome tour groups!

Although the venue is beautiful and we had a lovely day the wedding organizers at the SLH and Swanmore Terrace are incompetent. They double booked our wedding, even though we booked over a year in advance. After pleading with them they bumped the other reservation. Coordinators would not respond to our emails or phone calls during the planning process. When we finally booked a meeting to coordinate the menu and other specifics, the wedding coordinator did not show. We requested a quote 3 months before the wedding, despite phone calls and e-mails we did not receive out quote until 1 am the morning before our wedding day. Our quote contained many items that were not discussed and other items that we told them we did not want. The meal was very good, however there was a lack of staff help. Our wedding was on one of the hottest days of the summer and guests were without water. Additionally, we had booked the Swanmore hall until midnight and were told that we could have later at an additional fee if needed. The staff started packing up at 9 pm and closed the bar at 11 pm despite us paying for the bartender until midnight. The bar ran out of ice and beer at about 10 pm. As were were packing up to leave, the wedding coordinator informed me that I had to pay my bill before leaving. I did not have any methods of payment as it was my wedding day. She proceeded to call our cell phones shortly after we left asking for a credit card number. The next morning she started calling our cell phones again asking for money and threatening to take further action if she did receive payment that morning. I have contact the owners of Swanmore Terrace regarding our issues and complaints and over a month later we are yet to receive a reply. Although our day was special and beautiful having it at the SLH was not worth the stress and hassle. I would NOT recommend this venue to couples considering this venue for their upcoming wedding.

The summer home of arguably Canada's best humorist, and one of the few writers known outside Canada, is set up as if the writer had just stepped out for a breath of Lake Couchiching air. Don't miss it.

The property at the Stephen Leacock home is stunning. Photographers paradise. I have seen many a wedding here. Sit on the bench looking over the water, have lunch on the patio next to the water and walk out to the boat house and feed the ducks. The home itself is interesting and nice to see. I miss the guided tours but there was lots of information inside the home. The grounds are free to walk but if you want to go into the house you buy tickets in the gift shop.The gardens are so nice. It really gives you an idea of why he liked to write here. Go in the basement to see the Snooker table - you can imagine the odd bet that happened in there. In the dining area if you see the mirror it is positioned so that he could watch the wait staff. He actually had two mirrors but I noticed one was taken down.In his study behind some books is a small secret compartment. Some art work from local artists can be enjoyed inside the home as well. Saying all this it is a wonderful place to stop. Check out their web site as they host some lovely events here! Enjoy!