Tag Archives: history

Amsterdam Castle: A Medieval Getaway!

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Have you ever dreamed about spending the night in a castle? A castle with turrets, gargoyles, and suits of armor? Maybe you think you’d have to travel to England or France…and that the price would be steep. Well, you can have that experience in a unique hotel that’s only a little over three hours drive from New York!

This is Amsterdam Castle, located in the small town of Amsterdam, NY. The building was originally designed by Isaac Perry, one of the architects who worked on the capitol building in Albany. Built in 1895, it originally served as an armory. After it was decommissioned, it passed into private hands and was transformed into a hotel.

The hotel is decorated in a whimsical, medieval-inspired style. There are suits of armor:

And gargoyles:

And there are sitting rooms with elegant antique furniture, clocks, and lamps…

The highlight of the castle is the Great Hall, which is created from the armor’s former drill hall, and has its original high ceiling:

The Great Hall houses a bar, and a restaurant, the latter open on Friday and Saturday evenings.

You can view a short video that I made about the hotel here:

Rooms at this unique hotel start at $122 a night (plus tax). As I mentioned, it’s within driving distance of New York, and is also reachable via Amtrak service.

The hotel is filled with fun nooks and crannies, and has colorful objects everywhere you look! If you love history and fanciful artwork, it’s your castle getaway!

https://www.amsterdamcastle.com/

Albany: Capitol Castle

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I recently traveled to Albany, NY to visit its capitol building…it’s one of the most flamboyant state capitol buildings. It cost more to construct than the U.S. Capitol! Yet it’s undeniably beautiful, having not one, but THREE monumental staircases…it’s also decorated with an astonishing amount of carved stone, featuring portraits of famous people, animals, and natural motifs.

You can view a video that I made of the Capitol building’s highlights:

Video highlights from the Albany Capitol

Albany is about an hour and a half train ride from New York City. Free guided tours of the capitol building are offered several times a day on weekdays. There are also other attractions in the vicinity, such as the New York State Museum (also free!), which has exhibits about natural history, and the history of New York State!

https://www.albany.org/listing/new-york-state-capitol/893/

Oheka Castle: A Long Island Chateau

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Last month, I got to visit a storybook chateau…but instead of going to France, I traveled to Huntington, NY!

Oheka Castle, named for its owner, financier Otto Hermann Kahn, was completed in 1919. While other area mansions, like Coe Hall at Planting Fields Arboretum and Hempstead House at Sands Point were built in the Tudor Revival style, Kahn’s home was based on French Renaissance models.

You’re greeted by this elegant grand staircase. The wrought iron staircase was created by Samuel Yellin, who produced ironwork for other mansions of the period.

Kahn threw many parties here, entertaining celebrities like Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and Enrico Caruso. While the decoration of this ballroom is not original, it is faithful to the era, and gives a sense of the luxury that he and his guests enjoyed.

Here’s the stately library, with Kahn’s portrait hanging over the fireplace. (He is said to have been the inspiration for “Mr. Monopoly.”) The walls may look like wood, but they’re actually painted plaster! The castle was constructed to be fireproof.

Oheka still retains a French style garden, with clipped hedges, statues, reflecting pools and statues, like the one seen above. When I visited, the fountains were still turned off for the winter, but it was still a great pleasure to walk around!

After Kahn’s death in 1934, the castle was put to different uses…including being a vacation venue for New York sanitation workers! Eventually, the building was abandoned and fell into a severely neglected state. Luckily, the developer Gary Melius bought the property in 1984 and restored it.

Today, the castle has been reborn as a luxury hotel and event venue. You can visit as I did, by buying a ticket for a guided tour…or you can make a reservation at the hotel’s restaurant. Either way, it’s a treat to experience this beautiful Jazz Age mansion!

Learn more about the castle at their website: https://www.oheka.com/