The house in the Tintin comics is based on this chateau so they had a Tintin exhibit on the…read moregrounds. The comic series was never that big in the US so the exhibit meant little to me. I learned though that Tintin was huge in France so all the French fam were oohing and aahing. Afterward we took a tour of the chateau. Lots of very ornate decorations and paintings of dead folks. Considering we've got small kids the pieces they had relating to child care were pretty interesting but the jackpot, the real money shot, at least for this dude, was the war room on the second floor. Lots of spears and lances and armor. Even several early firearms and a couple of crossbows. It was amazing to consider that every piece was unique and handmade and that every repair or alteration was a custom job. So much work! And just when you thought the fun was over you read a little more about that massive head in the stairway. It's a prehistoric Moose fossil. This dude was given the head of a bleeping prehistoric moose because some dude in Russia knew he was interested in geology?! And the thing's mounted 10 feet off the ground and they think that that was about the correct living height of the animal. Now that right there was worth the price of admission!!

A great chateau with a treasure trove of period furniture that is still occupied by one of the…read moreoriginal families - the count of something and his young family. Unlike many of the other places in the valley, this one escaped much of the destruction and looting that stripped most chateau to their bones. Here you can see ornately painted rooms and furnishings and even the current Countesses' wedding dress (that's one clever way to recycle your dress!). One of the other big attractions are the kennels of hunting dogs. I am not sure of the breed but they are much taller than what I was expecting sort of the size of coon hound with the markings of a beagle. Several dozen reside together in a large enclosure and are managed by one guy who knows all their names. Each has a "V" snipped with tiny scissors on its side sort of like branding a steer, to identify their ownership. A great spot for a visit.

Le Château Royal de Blois is an excellent example of a Val de Loire Chateau. The guided tour was…read moreslightly long, but I enjoyed getting to know more about the chateau's history and architecture. As an added plus "period" musical performers and actor provided an diversion from the tour in the main courtyard.

Blois is beautiful as is this castle but sadly 1/2 seemed to be closed off :(…read moreI am sure once it is fully open it is great, I think they were changing an exhibit... still had to pay full price. But it was the perfect thing to do in between our visit to the Magic Museum across the courtyard. (The museum closes for an hour and a half in the middle of the day just as an FYI) the castle did not have the closing restriction.

This is an excellent stop for a wine tasting and they have a nifty little vineyard museum on-site…read more Most of the plaques are in French so ask for an English laminate card to navigate your way around. They have a lot of interesting wines and it's fun to chat with the staff.

MAGICAL!!! So fantastic! English available and so much to…read moresee! 5 floors of magic .... let me repeat 5 FLOORS of MAGIC...... hello my new favourite place... can I live here please?!?!?! All it needs is a cupcake shop attached, and I am set. The top floor is CRAZY - holy heck, do not miss it. you put on these funny glasses and hold on to a railing and completely lose a sense... its intense, not for the motion sick.... very trippy. Once every 1/2 hour there is a free outdoor show of the 6 headed dragon... while I was visiting the dragon only had 4 heads but it was still AMAZING to see. AND if you are inside when it happens you will hear it but one of the inner workings of the dragon is exposed, so you can go and check it out!