Sept. 28 - Boldt Castle

“Happiness is not getting all you want, it is about enjoying all you have.” -Unknown

On our first morning we took the boat over to Bolt Castle. It's one of Upstate New York’s most beautiful fall places to visit. The castle rises from Heart Island in the St. Lawrence River near Alexandria Bay, surrounded by the Thousand Islands. The island is only accessible by tour boat, water taxi or private boat. We visited the castle on The Pearl in 2012.

Construction on the property began in 1900 when hotel owner George C. Boldt planned the six-story, 120-room castle as a summer home and gift for his wife, Louise. Around 300 workers helped build the estate, but everything changed when Louise suddenly died in 1904. Boldt was so heart broken he ordered construction stopped and never returned to the island. The castle sat unfinished for 73 years before the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority took ownership of it in 1977 and began restoring it. The house has been restored to what it was originally supposed to look like. No one has ever lived in this house.

Today visitors are allowed to walk through restored rooms, see the grand staircase and ballroom, explore the grounds, Alster Tower and the Power House. The top floor offers amazing views of the river. Brytanie and I enjoyed listening to a guided tour provided through their online app. It provided a lot of history and pointed out things to look for in each room.

Approaching Heart Island.

Boldt Castle from the water. The castle looks directly over the river to Alexandria Bay.

Our first look at the castle coming up from the dock.

A view of the Grand Hall looking up to the three main floors of the house and the stained glass dome. This is where guests would have entered the house.

The Reception Room was to the left for the front door.

Although no one actually cooked in this kitchen it would have been a wonderful space to work with an amazing view of the river.

This is the servants' dining room. I liked it much better than the main dining room. The Boldt's were very good to the people who worked for them.

This is the library looking into the ballroom.

These are Louise's and her daughter Clover's bedrooms.

This is the Observation Deck. It provided wonderful views of the river and Alexandria Bay.

The third floor shows how the castle looked when the restoration began. Unfinished walls and floor and covered in graffiti.  

Looking down the staircase to the grand hall.

This is the Dove Cote where they planned to keep exotic birds. This tower was constructed before the Boldt's bought the island and was originally the powerhouse.

The Italian Gardens looking down to the new powerhouse.

The powerhouse.

Looking up from the front lawn of Boldt Castle.

Alster Tower was completed before construction on the main house began. It was used by the Boldt's during the summer. It had a small kitchen, a bowling alley, library and billiard room. Upstairs there were some small bedrooms.

The Yacht House is located on Wellesley Island and was completed in 1897. The Boldt's had a summer home on this island for many years.