As loyal readers may know, I tend to respond to travel suggestions fairly quickly. Earlier this week my network administrator mentioned that she and her husband had visited Castle in the Clouds in the lakes region. She said they loved it and thought we would too. We’ve passed the entrance a couple of times while driving in the area so I thought it might be a neat adventure. I didn’t really know much about the place except it was a house on top of a mountain that catered to events and weddings.

The drive itself is worth the trip as the lakes region in New Hampshire is very beautiful. The estate is at the summit of a one of the foothills of the White Mountains. It’s quite a climb to the parking area which is a few hundred feet lower than the estate. A trolley picks visitors up at the carriage house and transports them the final way to the mansion.

Tours are self-guided but docents are available in each room that supply lots of information regarding the house and the couple who owned it. Making their fortune in the shoe industry, the husband and wife lived a life of luxury and decadence for about 20 years hosting parties and engaging in many outdoor sporting activities on the mountain. After a few years of mismanaged funds, they lost their wealth and he eventually died. She moved back to Chicago to live with her family. The house was eventually purchased by a historical society and has been in the process of restoration since.

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The rooms have been beautifully restored though the organ pipes are no longer within the house. The lawns and gardens are immaculately kept and provide scenic backdrops to numerous weddings. I found it very interesting that the front of the house and the back of the house are nearly identical as if they were two houses that had been placed back to back and shoved together.

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Rather than board the trolley again, we chose to walk the stairs and woodland path back to the parking area. The shade was a nice reprieve from the heat of the day. The Carriage House Restaurant was closed due to the labor shortage. That was a little disappointing as it offered terrace seating with beautiful views of Lake Winnipesaukee. We opted instead for the Cafe in the Clouds, a sandwich shop at the edge of the property. It was humble but good. If it weren’t so hot, we may have hiked a trail to see the waterfalls, but the temperatures were climbing toward 90 degrees. Nevertheless it was a wonderful day discovering another treasure in New England.