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6 castles to explore in Texas

6 castles to explore in Texas

Photo courtesy of 290 Wine Castle at Chateau de Chasse via Facebook.

By Marc

July 8, 2024

You may not think Texas and castles go together, but these six spots give a taste of medieval flair within the Lone Star State. 

We often picture castles as a staple of European cities, with majestic buildings and fortresses housing centuries of history on their grounds. But you don’t have to book that international vacation quite yet—Texas has dozens of castles throughout the state.

Unfortunately, many of these castles are privately owned, abandoned, or currently on the market. You won’t be able to step inside those unless you have a cool $5.5 million lying around.

Not to worry, though. Some Texas castles offer tours, allowing you to explore the beauty and stunning architecture within their walls, often while providing impressive views of the surrounding area. We’ve rounded up six of our favorites.

Newman’s Castle

About an hour northwest of Houston lies the small town of Bellville. Despite its population of just 4,000, the town sports a unique attraction: a full-scale replica of a medieval castle. You’ll find a moat, portcullis, courtyard, corner turrets, and a 3,000-pound drawbridge. 

Mike Newman, a longtime Bellville resident, initially built Newman’s Castle to get away from people, though he quickly realized its allure. He had been serving the community for years—now four decades and counting—with pastries, donuts, croissants, and other baked goods at Newman’s Bakery. 

The castle hosts tours and special events six days a week, though reservations are required. Be sure to visit the bakery for the perfect post-castle treat.

504 E Main St, Bellville, Texas 77418

For reservations, call 979-865-9804.

290 Wine Castle

Few experiences can beat sipping a glass of wine atop a castle while looking out at the world in front of you. The Chateau de Chasse 290 Wine Castle sits on 11 acres in Johnson City and offers stunning views of beautiful Texas Hill Country—and generous pours of wine.

The castle hosts a variety of tastings around its castle turrets. The most spectacular is a weekend dungeon tasting where you can sample five wines paired with five chocolate truffles and two Texas cheeses.  

101 Durango, Johnson City, TX 78636

Make reservations online here.

Cottonland Castle

Reality show fans, this one’s for you. Chip and Joanna Gaines purchased Cottonland Castle in 2019 and renovated the one-of-a-kind Waco home on “Fixer Upper: The Castle.” An eight-minute drive from the Magnolia Silos, the castle offers tours for $50 per person, with 20% of net profits going to local Waco nonprofits.

Up to ten visitors per tour can spend an hour learning about the history and design inspiration for the century-old castle. You’ll also get a sneak peek behind the scenes of the renovation, but you may have a limited time to visit. The Gaines family listed the castle for sale in 2023. Though they eventually took the listing down, they said they plan to sell it to someone who wants to live there, which probably isn’t conducive to tours.

3300 Austin Ave, Waco, TX 76710

Make reservations online here.

6 castles to explore in Texas

Photo courtesy of Mike Davis via CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Texas Capitol Visitors Center

Did you know there’s a castle right in the heart of downtown Austin? The Texas Capitol Visitors Center is home to the restored 1857 General Land Office building, which makes it the oldest state office building in Texas—even older than the capitol itself.

Today, guests can learn about the building’s history through several exhibits and view the arched windows, parapets, and thick walls that protected the land, then the most valuable resource in Texas. One of those early land draftsmen was William Sydney Porter, who eventually became a writer under the pen name O. Henry. The O. Henry Pun-Off has entertained wordplay fans for nearly half a century.

112 East 11th St, Austin, TX 78701

6 castles to explore in Texas

Photo courtesy of Larry D. Moore. via CC BY 4.0.

Historic 1885 Courthouse

Much of Shelby County’s judicial business happens in a more modern setting, but the Historic 1885 Courthouse is home to the Shelby County Veterans Office. J.J.E. Gibson designed the courthouse with a Romanesque Revival design to mirror the castles he saw all over his native Ireland.

Today, the Shelby County Courthouse is the only courthouse in this Irish castle style and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s open for tours on Thursday and Friday afternoons and Saturdays.

124 Austin Street, Center, Texas 75935

For reservations, call 936-332-4845.

6 castles to explore in Texas

Photo courtesy of Renelibrary via CC BY-SA 4.0.

Nottingham Castle

Of course, we can’t forget about the castle at the annual Sherwood Forest Faire! While the Faire is in season, you can pop by Nottingham Castle for a visit. It’s a great complement to archery, jousting, theatre, comedy, and all the other adventures at Sherwood Forest.

To visit Nottingham Castle at other times of the year, book a stay in one of the bedrooms of the Great Hall or rent out the entire castle for a larger group. Wandering wizard Mike “Magic Aura” Nystul, a veteran game designer and pro dungeon master, also hosts 12-hour gaming gatherings.

3106 US Hwy 290 E, Paige TX 78659

For reservations, call 940-521-2488. Reservations for 2025 open on September 1.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.6 castles to explore in Texas - Courier Texas6 castles to explore in Texas - Courier Texas

CATEGORIES: THINGS TO DO

Author

  • Marc

    I am the former Web Development and Interactive Technology Manager at the George Eastman Museum of Photography and Film. During my tenure there I designed and built the site and integrated the museum's collection databases, making each of the 650,000 collection items available online. At the Rochester Institute of Technology, I formed a sponsored research partnership and developed advanced versions of my Self-Contained Internet Remote Camera system known as ‘SCIRC’ technology. Focused on alternative power sources and offering customers cameras that work from anywhere within range of a cell tower. I was the New Media Director for Gannett’s Democrat and Chronicle, the flagship outlet that took Gannett from statically produced pages to dynamically integrated content from their newsroom and advertising systems. Oh yeah, and in 1995 I build the first TGIFridays Website!

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