Aunt Josephine’s mansion, in which Anne enjoys opera, fine dining and fancy teas,  is actually Spadina House – a historic estate located in Toronto on the Davenport escarpment.  It is not far from Oaklands – the estate used as Margaret Harris’ home in Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel.

The current Spadina House - the one we see in the films - was built in 1866 (though the first building dates back to 1818) and overlooks perfectly manicured lawns and terraces.  Viewers may also recognize it as the hotel featured in the Road to Avonlea episode, “The Return of Gus Pike” or as a girls’ finishing school in The Piano Man’s Daughter.

The Sullivan team used the estate and its sprawling lawns to their advantage when filming outdoor scenes of Road to Avonlea, as can be seen in the picture below.

The building was built by James Austin, who was the founder of the Dominion Bank and a prominent figure behind Consumers’ Gas.  After he died, the house remained in his family for over one hundred years until his granddaughter decided that the house and surrounding six acres would be useful as a Toronto museum.  To this day, it remains an authentic representation of the lifestyle of Victorian gentry.

Source: Beyond Green Gables, Old Toronto Houses