Categories: Travel

Drake once filmed a music video at this Toronto park that resembles ancient Greek ruins

Photo via Alexander Sviridov on Shutterstock

Guild Park and Gardens is truly one of Toronto’s most stunning gems. As though it were stripped away from the pages of ancient history, this park is home to sculptures and stone structures that resemble ruins of Greece and Rome. It’s such a beautiful, “sculptural sanctuary” that even Drake has filmed music videos here.

Just minutes from downtown Toronto lies this historic park. Guild Park and Gardens is known for its outdoor art and serves as a perfect outdoor experience.

A look back at its history

Per the City, the park, formerly known as Guildwood Park, has an interesting history. It “reflects famous artists, powerful political figures and contributions made to the art community.”

The Guild Inn was built as a white stucco, Arts and Crafts-style mansion back in 1914. It was originally surrounded by over 400 acres of gardens and woodlands.

It was built for Colonel Harold C. Bickford, a decorated war hero, and was then purchased by Rosa Breithaupt Hewetson in 1932. Breithaupt Hewetson, who, along with her husband, modelled it after a famous New York centre for the arts.

Per the City, the site “provided a home and a forum for artists and artisans,” and many of the artists were “contemporaries or students of members of the Group of Seven, and the influence can be seen in the work they produced.”

During the Second World War, the property became a training base for the Women’s Royal Naval Service, as well as a military hospital for victims of shell-shock.

Then, in 1978, the property was sold to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to be used as a public park.

The inn closed in 2002; however, the outdoor grounds remain open to this day for all to enjoy.

Photo via Jack Landau

To this day

The site is a part of the famous Scarborough Bluffs, so the entire destination makes for a great day trip, especially this upcoming weekend. Considering it’s such a beautiful place, it’s used for ceremonies and photography too. But that’s not all – it has also been spotted in Drake’s music videos.

It first appeared as the backdrop of Drake’s popular hit “Headlines” in 2011. The Toronto rapper is seen alongside several of his OVO crew members in the first few seconds of the music video.

Almost 15 years later, in Drake’s latest Iceman Episode 4 stream, Guild Park and Gardens make another appearance, recreating the iconic shot. And of course, Drake is seen along with the crew that has stood by him for all these years.

Whether you plan to recreate the shot yourself with your friends or simply want to explore the grounds, Guild Park and Gardens is definitely worth the trip down to the bluffs.