Travel Itinerary
Fog drifts over mountaintops, waves crash against rocky shores, and tucked among the trees rise America’s own castles – grand estates, stone fortresses, and storybook mansions that feel plucked from Europe but rooted in the East Coast.
From ivy-clad towers to island strongholds, each one whispers tales of Gilded Age opulence and dreamers determined to bring a touch of Old World majesty across the Atlantic.
16. Biltmore Estate – Asheville’s Crown Jewel
Wandering through America’s largest private home feels like stepping into a living fairytale, with a 250-room chateau filled with priceless art and antiques gathered by the Vanderbilt family.
Gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted spill across 8,000 acres, their seasonal blooms perfuming the air and framing sweeping mountain views. A working winery awaits at the end of the tour, offering complimentary tastings that let visitors savor the estate’s charm in every glass.
15. Atalaya Castle – Oceanside Moorish Marvel
Hidden within Huntington Beach State Park, this unusual fortress served as sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington’s winter studio. Her husband designed the home with distinctive Moorish elements after Spanish architecture that captivated him.
Sea breezes flow through open courtyards where Anna once kept live animals as sculpture models. The annual Atalaya Arts Festival transforms the castle each September.
14. Agecroft Hall – Tudor Time Machine
How wild is this? Wealthy Richmonders literally shipped this 500-year-old English manor across the Atlantic piece by piece in 1925!
Reassembled on a bluff overlooking the James River, Agecroft’s half-timbered façade and leaded glass windows transport visitors to Shakespeare’s era. Medieval herbs perfume the authentic knot gardens where costumed interpreters often demonstrate Tudor crafts.
13. Swannanoa Palace – Mountain Marble Mansion
Perched dramatically atop Afton Mountain, an Italian Renaissance palace stands as a millionaire’s love letter to his wife, its entrance hall glowing with a 4,000-piece Tiffany stained glass portrait in her honor. Swannanoa’s white Georgia marble exterior still gleams against sweeping Blue Ridge vistas, even as time leaves its marks within.
Guests speak of phantom footsteps drifting through the grand halls where presidents once gathered for stately dinners.
12. Fonthill Castle – Concrete Castle Curiosity
Who builds a castle from concrete? Eccentric archaeologist Henry Mercer did exactly that, creating this bizarre 44-room labyrinth without blueprints!
No two rooms are identical in this 1912 oddity where handcrafted tiles cover nearly every surface. Narrow staircases wind unexpectedly between floors while built-in concrete furniture challenges conventional comfort. History buffs go nuts for Mercer’s personal collections displayed throughout.
11. Glencairn Museum – Romanesque Religious Retreat
Rising nine stories above the Pennsylvania countryside, this Norman-inspired tower house safeguards one of America’s finest religious art collections. Raymond Pitcairn built it as both home and sanctuary for his medieval treasures.
Stained glass bathes stone hallways in rainbow light. The Great Hall’s vaulted ceiling soars 40 feet overhead while ancient artifacts from world religions fill museum galleries that were once family rooms.
10. Skylands Manor – Garden State’s Hidden Gem
Surrounded by 96 acres of lush botanical gardens, a Tudor-style manor rises like a vision from the English countryside.
Stone gargoyles keep watch at the doors while intricate wood carvings whisper stories within its walls. Spring brings lilac and cherry blossom scents drifting through open windows, sweetening every corner.
Fairy-tale weddings fill the estate year-round, while ghost hunters favor after-dark hours, chasing whispers of former residents said to wander the halls.
9. Gillette Castle – Actor’s Stone Stronghold
Sherlock Holmes comes to Connecticut! Well, sort of. William Gillette, famous for portraying the detective on stage, designed this eccentric fieldstone fortress overlooking the Connecticut River.
Quirky features abound – secret passages, trick door locks, and built-in spy mirrors let the theatrical owner monitor guests. Hand-carved light switches and custom furniture showcase Gillette’s inventive mind while hiking trails wind through 184 wooded acres.
8. Castle Hill – Seaside Stuart Splendor
Chicago plumbing magnate Richard Crane Jr. knew how to summer in style, building a spectacular Stuart-style mansion that overlooks Crane Beach and the vast Atlantic beyond.
The Grand Allée, a half-mile stretch of manicured lawn lined with statuary, offers a breathtaking approach that heightens the drama. Indoors, period furnishings whisk visitors back to America’s Jazz Age, while outside, the storied Casino complex recalls Roaring Twenties parties that once pulsed with music, laughter, and ocean breezes.
7. Hammond Castle – Inventor’s Medieval Fantasy
Foghorns mingle with organ music at this coastal curiosity built by eccentric inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. – holder of over 800 patents! Hammond combined architectural elements from medieval, Renaissance, and Gothic periods to create his dream home.
The Great Hall features a 8,200-pipe organ that still resonates today. Hammond’s fascination with the supernatural appears throughout, including a skull-shaped doorbell that once greeted startled visitors.
6. Castle In The Clouds – Mountain Arts & Crafts Marvel
Talk about a room with a view – shoe magnate Thomas Plant created an Arts and Crafts mountaintop retreat offering sweeping panoramas of Lake Winnipesaukee and the surrounding peaks. Remarkably modern for 1914, the mansion boasted central vacuum, ammonia refrigeration, and even a circular shower. Nature trails wind across the 5,500-acre property toward cascading waterfalls, while the Carriage House restaurant tempts visitors with lunch served alongside vistas worth every penny of their million-dollar reputation.
5. Wilson Castle – Vermont’s Victorian Surprise
Smack in the middle of Vermont farmland stands this unexpected European fantasy! Physician John Johnson built this 32-room castle for his English wife using 13 different kinds of marble.
The eclectic design mixes Dutch, Flemish, and English elements with 84 stained glass windows filtering light across parquet floors. Asian antiquities fill rooms where the current Wilson family still occasionally greets visitors during summer tours.
4. Lyndhurst Mansion – Gothic Grandeur
Vampires would feel right at home in a dramatic Gothic Revival mansion designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1838, later adorned with lavish touches under railroad tycoon Jay Gould.
Pointed arches, vaulted ceilings, and flying buttresses conjure a medieval atmosphere that lingers in every room. Lyndhurst even stars in HBO’s The Gilded Age, its grandeur captured on screen.
Seasonal events bring the estate to life, from dazzling holiday displays to summer concerts echoing across the sweeping Hudson River lawn.
3. Boldt Castle – Island Love Letter
Heartbreak and romance intertwine at this Thousand Islands castle. Hotel magnate George Boldt commissioned it as a Valentine’s gift for his beloved wife Louise.
When she suddenly died before completion, grief-stricken George abandoned the project mid-construction. For 73 years, the unfinished castle deteriorated until the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority rescued and restored it. Today’s visitors arrive by boat to explore this monument to undying love.
2. Singer Castle – Secret Passages & Spies
Sssh! A secretive island fortress hides passageways where servants once spied on guests through peepholes, adding mystery to its granite walls.
Sewing machine heir Frederick Bourne built the castle as a hunting lodge, even including a dungeon for extra drama. Unlike many American castles, Singer arrived fully furnished with European antiques and medieval weaponry.
Overnight stays in the Royal Suite invite daring visitors to test the whispers of paranormal activity once the last day-trippers sail away.
1. Bannerman Castle – Romantic Ruins
Rising dramatically from the Hudson River, these crumbling walls tell a uniquely American story. Scottish immigrant Francis Bannerman built this ammunition warehouse resembling a Scottish castle to store military surplus from his NYC business.
A massive explosion in 1920 and devastating fire in 1969 left the picturesque ruins we see today. Kayakers paddle around the island while guided tours reveal ongoing preservation efforts and the residence where Bannerman’s family once summered.