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Boldt Castle wins New Yorkers’ hearts and votes

posted by Deb Denny at 2017-07-07 09:36:00

 

RRecently, when I Love NY  asked New Yorkers to vote on their most favorite warm weather attraction in New York State, the list of 32 amazing places to vote upon was submitted. in the end, the romantic and magnificent Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands,  Alexandria Bay,  was crowned the most favorite place to visit.

The Castle received more than 50,000 votes. Its magical beauty, romantic history and stunning location all play a part in making it a New York favorite.  Boldt Castle was up against the likes of Letchworth State Park, Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame, Wild Center and Wild Walk and Howe’s Caverns Adventure Park, the second most visited natural New York attraction, just after Niagara Falls. Why not take the journey to see what the fuss is all about?
 

A little history:
 

Located on Heart Island, this six-story castle is a testament to love and loss, left uncompleted and deserted in 1904 by its owner, George Boldt, after the death of his wife, Louise.

 

Earlier, beginning in 1900, the Boldt family spent summers in the 1000 Islands at the Boldt Families’ Wellesley House while 300 workers including stonemasons, carpenters, and artists fashioned the six-story, 120-room castle, complete with tunnels, a powerhouse, Italian gardens, a drawbridge, alster tower (children’s playhouse) and a dove cote.

 

For George Boldt, millionaire proprietor of the world-famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, not a single detail or expense was to be spared. But when George’s wife died suddenly, the broken-hearted gentleman could not imagine his dream castle without his beloved. As a result, George never returned to the island, leaving behind the structure as a monument of his love.

 

Now owned by the Thousand Island Transit Authority, the castle has been restored and improved upon, making it one of the most visited tourist attractions in the Thousand Island Region and in all of Upstate NY.

 

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