Boldt Castle - Thousand Islands, NY

This was worth going out of our way for. The castle is like an ancient landmark of northern Europe. It is modeled after buildings of the 16th century. Six stories from foundation level of the indoor swimming pool to the highest tower room with an elevator that served over 120 rooms. It was build on Hart Island (later changed to Heart Island) by George C Boldt as a gift to his wife, for her birthday, which was February 14 - hence the heart theme of the entire place. She unfortunately never saw it. She died at age 42 of T.B. and he ceased all construction. From 1904 - 1977 the castle continued to deteriorate until the Thousand Island Bridge Authority assumed ownership and began a rehabilitation program.