Travel / Castles in Texas

➽ ABOVE: Inside Newman’s Castle, you can practice your sword-fighting skills in the gravel courtyard and climb up to ring the bells in the tallest tower. // RIGHT: The dungeon in one of the corner turrets showcases medieval torture devices, like the bed of nails (not sharp), and toy skeletons.

CASTLES IN THE SKY

Tour these three castles and historic homes around Texas

WORDS ELIZABETH SMITH

IF YOU’VE CAUGHT YOURSELF WISTFULLY SCROLLING the new castles category on Airbnb, or your child is dead set on a princess costume for Halloween, it might be time for you both to indulge in your fairy tale fantasies by venturing out to these real(ish) castles in Texas.

And we’re using the term “castle” loosely here, as our historic Texan homes arguably cannot compare to the centuries-old palaces of Europe, but we generally define them as having a) at least three stories, b) towers or turrets (those notches as part of its defensive architecture), c) regular tours open to the public, and d) that wow factor. Here’s what you’ll need to know about planning a fall family road trip to these not-so-humble abodes.

EDITOR’S PICK NEWMAN’S CASTLE & NEWMAN’S BAKERY

BELLVILLE

979/865-9804 newmanscastle.com The 3.5-hour trip south from DFW is well worth it to tour this impressive replica of a Scottish castle—scratch that, fortress—with a moat, a working drawbridge, and five corner turrets that overlook the sprawling wooded estate and are accessible via winding staircases.

Its resident royal is local bakery owner Mike Newman, who in 1998 designed and began building the castle himself, with the help of only one other assistant, as his private residence. Newman continues to live there full-time, offering tours Mondays through Saturdays and special events year-round.

Here’s how to visit: Call the bakery in advance to register for a tour. Saturdays tend to sell out in advance. Check in by 10:30am at the bakery on Bellville’s Main Street (this is a great opportunity to snag a castle-shaped sugar cookie) to pay for the tour. Tickets are $20 per person and $10 for kids 6 and younger. They’ll provide you with a wristband and a slip of paper with the castle’s private address about 5 miles away.

Upon your arrival, you’ll take in the panoramic view of the pond and moat full of glistening lily pads, a wooden trebuchet, and a nature trail that encircles the property. Finn, a spry Irish wolfhound puppy who likes belly

scratches, pesters the ducks. On the Saturday I visited, the crowd included a friendly horde of children wearing their own tiaras and crowns. Kids are welcome to grab a wooden stick for play sword fighting and to carry with them during the tour.

The king eventually emerges from the castle donning his own crown and tunic, and addresses the tour group under a shaded pavilion. He gives an introduction of the castle’s history, leads the kids in imagining when knights and kings defended their homes from invaders, and empowers them to throw misbehaving guests in the dungeon. (He’s only half kidding. There

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SINGING IN THE GARDEN

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Ads with © are © of Lauren Publications, Inc. 2022. ➽ ABOVE: Chip and Joanna Gaines’ renovation of the 1890 Magnolia Castle includes the addition of this conservatory with reclaimed black and white concrete tile flooring and lots of plants. // LOWER RIGHT: One mile from the Moody Mansion in Galveston is another historic landmark open for tours: the 1892 Bishop’s Palace.

really is a dungeon here.) Then he knights the boys and girls one by one with a tap of his sword. It’s very sweet.

To usher the crowd into the fortress, a staffer or two opens the drawbridge by climbing inside a giant hamster wheel of sorts that manually raises the portcullis. Once inside, you’re free to explore every corner of the castle at your leisure. Kids will love to ring the bell by climbing the bell tower and pulling on the heavy chains.

The walls of the tower rooftops are quite high, but you’ll of course need to keep a close eye on your child just in case they decide to scale a wall. The open courtyard has plenty of space to chase imaginary dragons. In fact, you’ll find the 13 dragons depicted on-site. Ask for a dragon stamp on the hand when you find them all, or if you want one just because.

When you’re feeling hungry, head into the air-conditioned dining hall for a lunch of sandwiches and donuts provided by staff and this most hospitable king.

MAGNOLIA CASTLE

WACO

254/235-0603 magnolia.com This one’s for the moms who love everything Chip and Joanna Gaines touch, but you’ll need to act quickly before it’s put on the market. Here’s the back story: Originally named the Cottonland Castle, this Gothic sandstone and limestone structure was first built in 1890 by stone contractor John Tennant, with additions that continued through 1913. The historic home became the focal point of Waco’s Castle Heights neighborhood but sat vacant for nearly 20 years until the couple purchased it in 2019.

They chronicle the entire renovation in the new season of “Fixer Upper: Welcome Home,” airing on Magnolia Network starting October 14. Watch its transformation on TV, or see it for yourself in-person by registering for a one-hour guided tour through the fully-staged home, open now through October 26.

Chip and Joanna Gaines plan to sell Magnolia Castle as a home—and we’re already jealous of the new owners. Lovers of Fixer Upper will agree that the renovations are achingly beautiful, and as the tour guides (mine was a Baylor student) explain, the couple kept as many of the original materials and touches as possible, down to the height notches of former resident children carved into the stone hearth in what’s now the dining room. The third floor is not part of the tour, but the basement is, which has been renovated into an expansive family room (with the only TV in the house) and a moody card room.

Guests are welcome to open cabinets and doors, they just ask that you don’t touch the smaller objects on display or sit on the beds. The tours cost $50 per person; children 7 and younger are free and are especially welcome to join the tours. If $50 sounds steep, keep in mind they’re donating 20% of net profits to The Cove, a local nonprofit benefiting homeless youth.

Go online to book your tour, offered between 9am and 5pm Monday–Saturday. If you’re visiting during that last week, make a weekend of it and stay for the annual Silobration at Magnolia’s ever-expanding grounds near downtown Waco. The event, October 27–29, features concerts and a temporary roller skating rink at the wiffle ball park.

MOODY MANSION & GALVESTON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

GALVESTON

409/762-7668; 409/572-2544 www.moodymansion.org; galvestoncm.org Your family itching for a beach vacation? Add this Galveston “castle” with its own children’s museum to your must-visit list. Completed in 1895, the four-story Moody Mansion was built with limestone and brick as an example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, a style inspired by medieval Europe.

The self-guided daily tours, with audio devices for narration, cover 20 rooms, including the ballroom where the Moody children and grandchildren were known to play. A brand new exhibition inside the mansion called Growing Up Moody explores the personal histories of the four children who grew up in the mansion: Mary, William III, Shearn and Libbie. It was their parents who purchased the mansion shortly after it survived the 1900 hurricane that devastated the island.

The self-guided tour is $15 adults; $7 children; under 6 free. A $34 family package includes up to two adults and two children. For $35 per person, book a two-hour docentguided tour on Fridays and Saturdays to see areas not normally open to the public, like the top floor where the highest turret looks out over the gulf.

But the real draw for families with young children is on the ground floor. Since 2014, the Galveston Children’s Museum has offered a wealth of activities for kids ages 2–10. Nine permanent play areas to choose from means your kids’ interests will lead them from catching blue crabs from a mini fishing boat or jumping on a light-up dance floor to putting on their own production in the puppet theater. The UTMB Kids Clinic, with stuffed animal patients and a digital skeleton that mimics your body movements, is designed to encourage littles to associate positive feelings toward doctors.

Visit Wednesday–Sunday for $10; under 2 free; $3 admission for families using SNAP benefits or Medicaid. For extra fun, look ahead on their calendar for upcoming special events, such as Da Vinci Day on Saturday, October 8.