What a great way to spend the afternoon! I went with my wife and Australian shepherd and we had a blast! This place is dog friendly which you rarely find in these types of places. The castle was so cool and has so many unique and rare antiques. The tour guides were so knowledgeable about the history, building techniques, and all of the antiques and art work in the castle. The castle has a beautiful marble deck outside over looking the green mountains and it was a perfect way to end out the tour. I would highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area! read more

Wilson Castle - Wilson castle - Museums Near Me - Proctor, Vermont

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Wilson Castle is awesome. It's one of my favorite places to bring visitors to Vermont. I've probably visited a dozen times and I look forward to my next visit. read more

Wilson's Castle is worth a visit. It's currently going through renovations which it needs. I will have to visit when the renovations are finished. Smaller than it looks. It is kinda spooky and is located in beautiful Vermont. I visited in October, went through a short tour and we were free to explore on our own. I would recommend read more

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Hidden gem well worth the trip! The castle is full of intricate trinkets and oddities, especially since we visited around Halloween time. We especially loved the painted ceilings and stained glass. And the tour guides showed us such hospitality! They even let us play the antique organ read more

It's just odd to travel a mile up a winding country road in rural Vermont to this enormous brick castle. Doctor John Johnson constructed the structure in 1867 in an effort to impress his bride, an unidentified English nobleman. The narrative goes that Johnson met her while studying medicine in the United Kingdom. The castle's completion cost $1.3 million and eight years. After barely three years of living in the castle with her husband, Mrs. Johnson left for England. Her husband had to sell the castle after she passed away. The castle is a peculiar mixture of 19th-century architectural styles including Dutch Neo-Renaissance, Scottish baronial, Queen Anne, and Romanesque Revival. It consists of 32 rooms, 84 stained glass windows, and 13 fireplaces. There are bunches of videos and a very helpful staff who are proud of the heritage of the building. Interesting things to see in each room and while there are minimal barriers, try not to touch stuff so that it lasts for future generations. The building is not handicapped accessible. [Review 18479 overall - 78 in Vermont - 2001 of 2022.] read more

Wilson Castle - Wilson Castle. Bricks don't do well in Vermont weather. - Museums Near Me - Proctor, Vermont

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I'm so glad we decided to stop here! It's currently under renovation, and I do hope to see it again once it's completed - until then I'll settle for following their progress on social media! It has such beautiful features, and I really enjoyed getting to look around. The stained glass alone is worth making the trip here! There are so many beautiful windows and lamps. The fireplaces are also magnificent! There are multiple statues on the grounds which are quite impressive as well. The people who own and work here are clearly passionate about this place and the history of Wilson Castle! Their passion is clear in how much effort they're putting into maintaining and restoring the castle. It is also a great opportunity to look into the past! read more

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Absolutely awesome tour, history and especially getting to walk around all alone after the tour!! Great staff and the owner was right there. Won't post any pics so as not to ruin your experience, but it is so affordable and a must do adventure if you're in the area. read more

Sad to see the Castle in such sad conditions The tour guides were informative, but sad to say if they don't get the water away from the foundation it will collapse on itself. Just the entrance fee is not going to even touch the disrepair of this once beautiful place. Not sure why the historical society doesn't step up to save it read more

You'd think you're in a spooky haunted house, but it's a bona fide castle, pretty much preserved for about a century, give or take. If you're lucky, your tour guide will be a member of the family! Inside is dark and musty-smelling, but you can go into the rooms, not stand behind a velvet rope. You can touch the artifacts. You watch a DVD first, then take the tour. It's marvelous; furniture from several decades ago, hand-carved imported wood, exquisite stained glass windows, and more. This place should be a national landmark and taken over by a non-profit. It's a treasure! read more

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I highly recommend this tour! You start with an informative video explaining the history of the castle followed by a personal tour if you like (I highly recommend). The castle is predominantly original and in great shape. What stands out about this feature is that you are free to roam and touch things, nothing is roped off. Our tour guide was Adam. He grew up in the area and his parents had previously worked in the castle. We couldn't have asked for a more perfectly passionate and knowledgeable person to share the castle's history with the added bonus of personal experience. read more

What an amazing old gem! Spectacular architecture. I could use a bit of upkeep, but I'm sure the costs astronomical. I went with my little kids, so we didn't do the tour but my understanding is, if you're into paranormal activity this is the place to come! read more

Wilson Castle - Wilson Castle - Museums Near Me - Proctor, Vermont

Really enjoyed this unique experience, great collection of historical artifacts and paranormal energy.

This place is GREAT. Well worth the time and effort to get here. It is an historic early 20th century "castle" in the middle of a restoration. The building itself is very interesting with tons of stain glass windows and a wide variety of furnishing from around the world. The thing that makes this place GREAT. Is that the tours are conducted by the granddaughter and great granddaughter of the "Wilson" the castle is named after, who still live in the castle. The building is not just an idolizes version of how people use to live but provides a much more clear view of how it was to live in an a American castle in the middle of rural VT. read more

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My sister and I love taking pictures in old creepy authentic historic places. This manor is an incredible combination of all those things. But we appreciated most was how you can see the disrepair and the decay happening all around you, and that gives it a sense of realism. All the furniture there is original to the owners of the homes including back to the builders of the homes. It is simply history being preserved as Time wear is away at it. Sheila was our guide for part of the tour, and she was the most down to earth, approachable, and helpful to her guide I've come across. My sister and I took tons of photos and the natural lighting in the bedrooms is truly magical. Even smells like an authentic old building. Well worth the admission price. read more

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Sad that it is not a state site. This house reminds me of Olana in New York. Beautiful stained glass and hardwood floors. Everything is authentic and very ornate. No ropes to keep you back either. You can practically touch everything and go everywhere. Very small fee but worth it. read more

Came here for the first time a couple months ago and now it's one of my favorite. Came back a couple weeks ago for a paranormal investigation and was not disappointed!! Anyone can rent to investigate over night. Up to six people for something like $500. The place is beautiful and active!! read more

Five stars for the architecture. One star for the condition. One and one half stars for the tour (friendly docent but not too knowledgeable beyond what was already shown in the film). This is a lovely example of Victorian "higgely-pigglety" architecture with gorgeous stained glass windows and some fine original furnishings along with some pretty but not always harmonious additions by the current owning family. The main problem with it is that it is in terrible need of restoration. Given the size and quality of the original finishing of the building, I am guessing it would probably cost $5-$10 million to do properly. Not quite as large as the "32 room" description makes it sound, but nonetheless an interesting place to visit. read more

This place was probably awesome ten or twenty years ago, but it is NOT worth the $12 admission these days. The society that runs it is trying to raise money to restore the building, which is great, but there is a lot of work to do. Everywhere you turn there is plaster coming off the walls, bricks lying around, old Halloween decorations thrown in corners or still hanging up, rips and tears in fabric and upholstery, and barely any attempt at conservation. The lady who took our money at the entrance wandered around behind us for about 5 minutes, giving vague information before leaving to go and talk to other visitors. There was no tour to speak of, just a video we watched at the end that was OK. I didn't really learn anything about the history of the house or the family during my visit, and I got the distinct sense that the people working there didn't care to do any teaching. read more

This was a castle built to remind an english woman of her home in England. Definitely worth a look see. We were given the tour by the last owner's granddaughter. The place has a lot of wonderful architectural details and furniture from both sets of owners. Unfortunately it is now run by a private trust that has not had the money to keep everything up. They were working on the outside when we were there to repair a lot of damage done to the building in the Vermont winters. You can also see evidence of the issues inside with cracks and leaking. It is still a wonderful place. read more

Visited here last weekend with a group of 4 and we had an amazing time! The building is so unique and detailed, while not taking itself too seriously (the stained glass in the dining room showing two cherubs with a flambeed pudding comes to mind). Most of the criticisms listed by other reviewers are, in my opinion, unfair. Yes, the castle needs extensive repairs, but the peeling plaster adds something to the creepy charm of the place, and saying that it's not worth $12 because of this when (as the other reviewer acknowledged) the admission goes directly towards the repairs is a total catch-22. The tour was pretty hands-off, which was actually one of my favorite things about the experience! So many historic homes have tours that, while informative, don't allow you to explore, or interact with the house. Wilson Castle is not like this; you are free to walk around, touch things, open doors, and spend as much time as you like in the building, which is great because there are so many little details to see! While the tour was mostly self-guided, we asked the two guides a lot of questions and they were both passionate and knowledgeable about the house. The reviewer who said she didn't learn anything and that the tour guides didn't "care to do any teaching" might not have cared to do much asking or learning. read more

Equal to the mansions of New Port Beach I would suggest any one who loves historic homes visit the Wilson Castle, The castle is older and also has a very interesting history. It is truly unique and a rare gem in Vermont. Everything from the blend of architectural detail to the priceless antiques. This is as close to a European Castle you will see out side Europe. It was well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive. read more