Here are 7 of the most beautiful American castles
If you’re traveling through America and you like to include castles in your tourism activities, here is the perfect plan for you. There are some beautiful castles to visit in the United States, and you can even spend the night at some of them. Here are their stories and imposing architectures in this trip through Castle tourism in the United States.
Boldt castle
The Boldt castle is located in the Heart island of New York. This heart shaped island and its castle can be visited from May to November, and you can also rent the place to get married, if that’s your thing. The castle was built by industrialist George Boldt, it has six floors and 120 rooms, Italian gardens, and an exquisite decoration that ranges from Italian marble to oriental rugs. It was abandoned halfway through its building process for 73 years after Boldt’s wife passed away, until it was recovered for its restoration.
Grey Towers castle
The Grey Towers castle is located within the University of Arcadia, north of Philadelphia. It was built in the late 19th century and it has 40 rooms designed in different styles, from French Renaissance up to Louis XV. The castle has secret passages behind its chimneys and subterranean tunnels, just like in the medieval stories. Currently, the castle serves as the headquarters of the University’s administrative offices and as dorms for the students, even though guided visits can be done even during the academic semester.
Fonthill castle
Built in 1912, the Fonthill castle located in Doylestown, in the state of Pennsylvania, and it belongs to archaeologist Henry Mercer. Its architecture is an impeccable artisanal piece of work, which has handmade ceramics with Persian, Chinese, Spanish, and Danish styles throughout its 44 rooms. Besides it has an amazing array of 200 windows, 32 stairways and 21 chimneys. The castle can be visited currently in its museum format, where you’ll find expositions of objects and decoration of the American pre-industrial life.
Hammond castle
In the Atlantic coast of Massachusetts we can find Abbadia Mare, a castle that was the home and personal laboratory of scientist and inventor John Hays Hammond Jr, also known as the father of radio control, in the early 20th century. The castle exhibits since its origins a collection of medieval art and it was designed with a mixture of architectonic styles of the 15th, 16th and 18th century, including stained glass and an orchestral pipe organ. The castle can be visited by the public and in it are held events during Halloween and renaissance fairs.
Castello di Amorosa
This castle located in Calistoga, California, was built with medieval architectonic techniques in a 12th and 13th century style. With 107 rooms and 8 floors, it has original handmade fresco details such as the candelabra, and a stunning 500 year old chimney that was imported from Europe.
The mystery castle
The mystery castle is a fort located near the mountains of South Mountain Park, in the city of Phoenix. It was built in the 1930s and all kinds of materials were used to build it: recycled bottles, natural stones, granite, bricks, glass, tyres and other elements. Its construction was led by Luther Boyce Gulley. Mr. Boyce passed away in 1945 and, as the story goes, the castle was a gift from him to his daughter Mary Lou. Mr. Boyce was imaginative and uniquely ingenious back then, building arches made out of different stones that would vary according to their shape and color. The castle includes cultural illustrations of dances, masks and other figures, a closet with shoes made out of stone, candelabras in the chimneys, stuffed dolls, and representative objects of the United States such as flags and hats, among many others. Every part of the castle can be visited by the public, such as the chapel, the kitchen and the canteen.
Belvedere Castle
The Belvedere Castle is located in the Central Park in New York. Its architecture is based on a Victorian style. It was built and designed in 1865 and it is located in the highest point of the Central Park. This fort is used as the headquarters of the meteorological observatory. On the castle you can find the Henry Luce Nature Observatory, from which all of the flora and fauna of the park can be appreciated. The castle is a touristic landmark and it offers excellent sights in its surroundings. It was built by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. It is an architectonic hybrid of roman and gothic style, The Vaux design consists on several structures of granite with a corner tower that ends in a conic shape. The castle is used by naturalists for scientific discoveries and tasks. In the place you can find telescopes, microscopes, human skeletons and feathers, all of these objects are in the observatory to be exhibited to children and young adults.
