Parents Day at the Castle

What do you do to have fun with your parents? Do you take them to restaurants? Perhaps, you go on a walk in a park? Now, I am not going to cast dispersions on those things. Certainly, those are fun and reasonable things to do with your parents. But sometimes, I like to go big. And, what’s bigger than taking them on a blog mission. So, one day I found myself in Florida with my parents. I wanted to figure out something to do that did not involve water or sand. Furthermore, I try not to drink in front of them before noon. Then, I got reports of a castle deep in the woods of central Florida. The castle was rumored to be called Solomon’s Castle, near a place called Ono, FL. Well, that’s good enough for me. I say it’s Parents Day at the Castle.

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Solomon’s Castle is the 12,000 square feet vision and creation of artist/sculptor, Howard Solomon. Typically, these life long creations of obscure magnificence require a creator that is dedicated, bordering on compulsive. In my experience, most of them are the starving artist, hippie types. Howard was only 2 out of 3 of those things. Truth be told, Howard is an internationally renowned artist. As such, he had plenty of money to prevent starvation. Howard’s schtick was turning trash to treasure. Consequently, his art and his castle are all made from car parts, metal scraps, and/or discarded/recycled material. For example, the shiny exterior of the castle is actually aluminum newspaper printing plates. New printing technology rendered the plates useless, but Howard built a castle with them.

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Beyond a central Florida fortification to protect against invasion, Solomon’s Castle serves other purposes too. One, it has lodging. Guests can stay in the Blue Moon room if you want the overnight castle experience. Plan accordingly, you will be quite isolated for the night if you choose to stay here. But, more importantly, Howard Solomon’s art museum/gallery occupies most of the first floor of the castle. Tours of the gallery are available for a price. Like the castle itself, his creations were made with recycled and repurposed material. It seemed like old car parts seemed to be a special emphasis in his raw materials.

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Now, I want to be sure that you understand Howard’s status in the art world. He may make art from junk. But, this is not junk art. His gallery is filled with some pricey art. His stuff means something in the art world. The BBC, PBS, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, etc. have all done features on Howard and his art. If the gallery actually ALLOWED photography, I would have given more justice to his work. Alas, Howard Solomon passed away in 2016. Most of the people working/volunteering at the castle still knew him. According to them, he was the kindest of souls, a visionary artist and the hardest working man in the business. If you are anywhere near Ono, Florida, and have a half day to kill, go see Howard’s legacy at Solomon’s Castle.

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If you travel to Solomon’s Castle, you might want to think about eating there. There is nothing but cattle and/or horse country in the immediate area of the castle. I did not know Florida even had horse country until I made this drive. Anyway, Solomon’s Castle has a fun restaurant…Boat-in-the-Moat. The menu at the Boat contains the usual simple, but tasty, fare that you would expect. The outside seating area is very pleasant…unless its a Florida 110 degree day. You can even get a cold beer on the Boat. While there is no PBR, the Boat and the Castle still make for a great Parents Day at the Castle.

I hope you have enjoyed this second installment of the Florida castle series. If I find a third castle, perhaps I will do another post. Take care. PT

I hope you have enjoyed reading “Parents Day at the Castle” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

If you want to check out the first Florida castle in the series https://travelingwithpt.com/coral-castle-a-labor-of-love/

Check this site if you want to brave central Florida to see the castle http://solomonscastle.com/