Castle Farms of Charlevoix Fall Tour 
The tour will begin with a 12 minute video that illustrates the entire history of the property back to its inception in 1918, followed by a 20 minute tram ride around the grounds. After the tram ride, you will be escorted around the property, while guides share 100+ years of history and stories. The tour will end at 6:00 pm and you will have the option to stay for live music, wine and food in their Wine Tasting Room at 6:00 pm. Wine and food costs are not included in the tour fee.
Cancellations are non-refundable within 48 hours of this event.
The History:
Castle Farms was built in 1918 by the acting President of Sears & Roebuck. He built it as a working dairy farm so he could advertise and test all of the great new farming equipment that the company developed and sold. He loved castles, so he asked his architect to design the farm to resemble a French, Normandy style Castle.
Over the years, the Castle became an artist Mecca and concert venue before the current owner, Linda, purchased it in 2001. She immediately began restoring the facility to its former glory. The descendants of the Loeb family were so impressed with the efforts that Linda made on the property that they offered her a copy of the original blueprints. Using those for the remainder of her restoration, Linda and her team were able to rebuild Castle Farms to be historically accurate.
The Castle is now host to an average of 200 weddings per year, special events & fund raisers, and daily historical tours. There are now 10 gardens on property, each boasting many different flowers blooming all season long. The Blacksmith Shop has been turned into a 1918/WWI Museum featuring items from the Sears & Roebuck catalog, complete with advertising page, along with local WWI memorabilia.
60 trains run on over 3/4 mile of track throughout Michigan's largest garden railroad. A model of the Pier Marquette, the train the Loeb family took from Chicago to their summer home in Charlevoix, can be seen pulling into the old Charlevoix Depot in the realistic display. Many fantasy trains, built on property, run around on tracks weaving up on top of, around, and through a nearby hedge maze.
There are also collections from castles all over the world, metal work forged on site by the 2nd owner, concert memorabilia, reflection pond, life sized chess sets, and, of course, a dragon!
