Wheelchair-accessible car park
Yes
Castle Farms in Charlevoix
Categories
Location on the map
Charlevoix, Charlevoix County, Michigan, US
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Yes
Phone: +1 231-237-0884
Site: http://www.castlefarms.com/
Site: http://www.castlefarms.com/
Opening hours
- Monday:Closed
- Tuesday:9AM–5PM
- Wednesday:9AM–5PM
- Thursday:9AM–5PM
- Friday:9AM–2PM
- Saturday:9AM–2PM
- Sunday:9AM–5PM
Comments (199)
This venue is such a gem to Michigan and I am still blown away that it exists in the midwest! The castle is such a beautiful backdrop for wedding portraits.
Wonderful experience. Highly recommend taking the guided tour. You get so much history of the Castle Farms, and what it has meant to the city of Charlevoix and surrounding area. Beautiful tour. Lots to see and do.Do yourself a favor and go during the week to avoid the busy weekend weddings.
Absolutely beautiful! I The map was a little confusing. We did not do the guided tour. Also, some parts were off limits due to wedding rehearsals, and wedding being setup. Other than that we had fun. Definitely more of a wine & walk. I dont drink, and my kids were the only children there.
Wow, neat place! Has a small tavern restaurant with wine tasting. Event venue. 15 min shuttle tour. Fee. Just outside Charlevoix, MI
Beautifully manicured grounds. Beautiful buildings. They were preparing for 2 weddings...looks to be an amazing wedding venue. The $20 pp was a bit much for self guided tour...although we did receive a wine sample voucher! Wine was tasty 😋
It was very neat to go through the castle and learn about its history. My kids and myself enjoyed it. I think their favorite part was the pond to feed the fish.
The enchanted forest at the castle A wonderful place to visit. The Castle is a must see, very clean, friendly staff, just gorgeous 😍 ❤.
Beautiful castle 🏰 with a lot of French influence and history. A 15 tram ride will allow you to learn a lot about the farm. You can spend the whole day exploring the train sets and other pieces of exhibition. Make sure to take your camera to capture all that is so lovely about this castle!
We came here during winter season so we didnt get to see everything they have to offer but it was still totally worth it! I love self guided tours so we can go at our own pace, and the snow to me made it a bit more magical.
I had a great time doing a photo shoot here with my family today for my birthday present. So beautiful! 🥰
It was beautiful. The enchanted forest was cute. Then the train area was cool. I was mainly there to see the cool dragon sculpture. There was a big fountain and really beautiful gardens. Over all really nice!
What a great place! had a wonderful time exploring and great lunch and wine on property. well manicured lawns/ gardens/ and grounds. We spent about 4 hours there and probably needed another hour to see everything in detail. Every corner we turned we found more surprises. Castle farms was a unique combination of nature, history, and wine :)
Very popular wedding venue. They offer great facilities, staff. I think guest provides catering, flowers, etc. Pretty, very pleasant surroundings.
We had a great time exploring the grounds of castle farms. I would definitely recommend the shuttle tour. Even my young son enjoyed the place. He loved the dragon! While youre there, make sure to make a stop in the winery and try a few samples. Fun for all ages! So many things to see and do! Dont miss this place if youre in the area.
The castle is beautiful.parking was good. The art show was small compared to other ones in the past. A lot of crafts needed more painters.
Went for a farm to table dinner by Grey Gables. Food was excellent and the grounds are incredible. The owners have done a remarkable job of restoring the estate and making it a destination. I would not hesitate to return here and see how the land is transformed as the castle is always changing. It is nice to see places that embrace their history and share it with pride. I wish there were more places like this near home.
What a neat place, didnt know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised by the self guided tour. The grounds are kept up really well and they do a good job presenting the history of the place. It was especially interesting seeing pictures of the place when it was a dilapidated concert venue. My only regret was not coming earlier in the day to have more time. Bring food and water if you plan on seeing everything might be nice to take a break in between.
Wonderful experience! So manicured!
Beautiful grounds to tour or have a wedding. They have done a fabulous job transforming the once concert venue (that I remember), to a meticulous castle/museum/event location. Bravo!
What a great place to take your family. So much history to learn, absolutely amazing gardens and flowers to see, and lots of items feomn1918 in the mesuem on display.If you want to get married I couldnt think of a more gorgeous place to do so. They can host 5 weddings at the same time. Anyone to have their wedding here would have an amazing wedding.There are places to have picnics if you want to pack your lunch.They provide guided tours or self guided.Great for all ages. I took a 18 month to 8 year old and they all had fun.The trains were a favorite amoumg my kids.The self guided tour lasted us about 2 hours.
Beautifully and creatively thought out. Great for the whole family! We did the tram ride too. You will feel at peace on this property.Learn about the propertys dragon, feed the ducks, play in the toy train garden, watch the Castle movie when you first stop in, and wabder from room to room.Worth the visit!
I havent been to the castle since 1985 saw cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon. It was definitely different walking into it today but the grounds are gorgeous the people are awesome highly recommend visiting
Was a blast! Wish the trains had been going but it wasnt season yet. Do the wine tasting!
Beautiful Gardens but primarily a wedding venue not a tourist attraction! Enjoyed the stop, however was disappointed in what there was to offer tourist. So I would not recommend for that reason. However, based on the setting I think it would be a very enchanting place to be married.
Was very neat to see the inside of the place where Ive seen many concerts back in the day. Beautiful property!
Castle Farms is THE dream wedding venue!! I will never be able to say enough kind things about not only the attentive staff but the PHENOMENAL grounds. Our experience was nothing short of exceptional and its because of Castle Farms. From the very first tour we took we fell in love! We actually put the deposit down the same day as our tour. Choosing this place was so easy, we didnt even have to look at other venues. Every single time I e-mailed with a question there was someone with a quick, and pleasant response. Autumn was our venue coordinator and she was inspiring! She made us feel so wonderful and calm about EVERYTHING! She took care of so many little details and really ended up saving us, LOVE HER!! Her assistant Dale was also on point and great to work with! Weve received several compliments on the 1918 cellars brand of wine that you get through the Castle. Sarah Hagen was so much fun to work with,and we had a blast wine tasting!! We will forever remember not only our wedding day, but the whole experience with Castle Farms. You all made our day and photos MAGICAL! From both of us, we sincerely appreciate everything and thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!Kristie and Kyle Sliva, November 3rd 2018Kings Great Hall
Gorgeous historic venue with a surprising story. We visited this time just to take a self guided tour, but I have been here for professional development events, community events, and weddings and its always very well done.
For most tourists visiting, the highlight will be the gardens. Running around a hedge maze while trains run around and overhead should make anyone smile. It is impossible to describe how delightful this garden is. We played with one of the two large garden chess sets, tried to convince monarch butterflies to stay on our hands, admired the knight and dragon, and fed the ducks by the pond. The owners gave us a garden tour on a golf cart and snapped a family photo for us!Others may enjoy the antiques and other interior displays, but most of them did not interest our family with school age children. Similar families may want to see the doll house or the thrones, but should plan to spend their time outside. I recommend about 3 hours for families and packing a small picnic of sandwiches or snacks.
It was ok. There isnt much to the interior of the castle. The one garden (see picture below) was beautiful. The other gardens were lackluster. We went through all of the buildings and gardens in less than an hour. It honestly seems more like a wedding venue than a tourist destination
This place was awesome. The family loved the whole place. There was a wedding going on, but everyone was so very friendly. We went when there wasnt a whole lot of outside events going on. Go after the flowers blooms.
We loved visiting this place ❤️ I can totally imagine how having any type of venue here would be absolutely amazing...we were so ecstatic that are tour was just the two of us and it wasnt a madhouse like we imagined it would be during the summer or spring...I gave us time to really stop and listen to all the videos and look at all of the different things that have been collected here over the years
Wonderful experience beautiful grounds a must see!For sure best wedding venue! And rich historical value.
Such a beautiful place. And winter wonderland was so festive and magical. I will be back in spring. Also want to watch the trains running. Tracks looked so awesome. Thank you for all you do to keep this Castle functioning.
We werent looking for a wedding venue so we didnt find it that interesting. I felt like they were trying to make it more historical than it really is. Some entertaining/interesting stuff but mostly just for fun.As usual in the world of Covid stuff was closed off. Cool model train layout!
If you are thinking about getting married here, you should absolutely do it! The staff here are phenomenal! Our wedding coordinator, Rebekah, thought of everything. She stood in front of windows we passed so none of our guests could see us pass by before the ceremony, she grabbed us appetizers we could snack on before taking pictures, and she made sure we had something to cut our cake with when we forgot our knife set. She did this and so much more. It made our day run so smoothly and we didnt have to worry about anything! 10/10 would recommend!
Castle Farms was sooo beautiful. Thanks Linda and Richard for inviting us.
Lovely place to enjoy a glass of wine and get immersed in a bit of history while touring this place!!
Lovely venue! Gardens are gorgeous. Makes for great pictures. Food and service was great!!
This castle was build since 1918 😱 beautiful castle and garden. Numerous wedding events & rock band concerts..
Amazing place for a wedding. Ours was off season in February so no rushing. Staff was extremely organized and helpful.
Such a cool place! I remember passing the castle all the time as a kid when my family made yearly trips up to charlevoix but I had never gone. I recently took my 5 kids there and they loved it! Favorite part was the childrens garden which had lots of different trains which was super cool. Only disappointment was that they said they had a cafe with a kids menu but when we went it was just a wine tasting counter with some sandwiches in a case. Would have been fine for me and my husband but they didnt have anything kid friendly. Had we known this we would have planned more accordingly. Since there wasnt anything to eat it rushed our trip a bit so we could get the kids something for lunch. Would have loved to do a wine tasting but again hungry kids so we finished our tour and headed out. Liked the short tram tour. It gave us some background on the history but wasnt to long so it kept our kids attention. Would definitely recommend for families but maybe pack a lunch ☺️
Castle farms is a family owned and maintained castle very beautiful usd 15 ticket price who are going to be wed son should visit onceA very nice rail model is here
Wow. Just wow! To start out you get to watch a video that tells you a little bit about the history and condition of the castle and property when it was purchased by the current owner. Its amazing what she has done with lots of money! I wont spoil the information youll get on a guided tour but they spared no expense to bring this Castle to the standards of a European estate. Highly recommend paying the $20 for a guided tour... youll get so many stories and much more information than videos that youre able to watch at each point of Interest and although the videos are well-done storytelling is always my favorite way of immersing yourself into an attraction like this.
Extreamly beautiful. Nice place for romantic walks. Lots to look at. They hold multiple weddings and receptions at once. Staff are just going through the routine, due too the large amount of weddings. Did not seem personable. Would enjoy attending another wedding here, but would not come for my own.
Far far larger then I expexted. Take a guided tour learn the history of the place..
Amazing wedding venue!
Cool cobblestone castle with towers, statues, and wonderful landscaping. They have an impressive model train setup.
I got married at Castle Farms in July and couldnt have been happier. We started planning our wedding about a year and a half out and all of our vendors came off their Preferred Vendors list. We were pleased with each and every one of our vendors and the help from the Castle coordinators as we were planning our wedding from out of state. A couple months before the wedding, we were assigned a coordinator to help with our wedding, who was Autumn. She was extremely helpful and made sure our day went perfect. Our wedding was absolutely beautiful and everything we have ever hoped for.
What a beautiful place! The history, nature and friendly people were amazing! I highly recommend!
Gorgeous! Beautifully restored. Cleverly re-purposed. Part museum, part for events. Cant wait to go back when flowers are blooming.
Very cool place with many options for meeting rooms. Amazing train set outside, and wine tasting.
Beautiful restoration of this site. Went on a great tour with Betsy. Very informative and will definitely come back.
What an amazing place! So awesome to be free to walk around and see the grounds by yourself. Nice map for a self guided tour. Staff was super friendly. Must admit, I didnt want to go but did to make my wife happy. I ended up enjoying the visit very much. Very cool place you must see if in the area.
Absolutely gorgeous!!! The story of how I got here is great as I met the owners in Kent Ohio at the Kent State Fashion Museum. This is funny since they are from Mississippi and I am from Columbus. We had a talk and got on the topic that we both have connections in northern Michigan and were very gracious in giving us the details of their castle.Months later and here I am on a self guided tour with my family. Really easy to follow with markings of numbered destinations. Beautiful flowers in the gardens and the over all landscaping was just perfect. Everyone was so kind from the woman working behind the gifts hop counter to the gentleman driving the tour train.All around interesting from the historical aspect to the views and architecture. Definitely a beautiful place for weddings, and a fun place for a day trip with family.
Great place to do a selfguided tour and see beautiful things. Its a wedding venue and once you see it in person you understand why. When we went it was lightly raining and they gave us half off our tickets. Beautiful castle and beautiful landscaping.
The tour was amazing and the tour ride was very informative as well as the self guided one. Very nice find on our family mini vacation.
Great place to visit never knew it was there. Great tour and will be back
Castle Farms is a fantastic venue to host a wedding! My best friend got married here and the setting was incredible and unlike anything Ive ever seen before!
My daughter had her wedding at this venue. I could not have been more proud and ecstatic about the service. Everyone made her feel like a princess. Staff were extremely helpful. The venue was beautiful.
Lovely venue, great staff. Great place for a wedding!
Beautiful. A great venue for my granddaughters wedding.
Great venue can get very busy.
We enjoyed our visit here. It does not have a lot of flashy activities, but is a great way to spend a few hours at a leisurely pace. We were amazed by the large size of the fish in the fish pond, and how they jump out of the water when you throw fish food (25 cents). The WWI museum was very interesting and we enjoyed seeing the model trains.
Beautiful...great wedding venue.Well worth the visit!
Meet linda..what a great lady with vision thankyou 10 stars
My first visit to a castle ❤️ beautiful!!!
Our wedding was AMAZING. Beautiful grounds, Angela was a great coordinator, A+
We are having our wedding here in 2022 and did not see the venue in advance. We were so impressed by their reputation that we took a blind leap of faith. We took a guided tour a few days ago with Laurie and it has completely justified our decision our decision.
It was a very interesting place to visit.Nice and clean in the building and on the grounds . However I was a little disappointed with the front desk lady who seemed like she didnt know enough about it except for what she read on the same pamphlet that we had in our hands. Only staff that we saw that day.
The grounds are incredible. All the flowers and other plants are beautiful, the displays and the buildings very well maintained. It was great to visit.
I loved this concert venue in the 80’s and it’s ever better now!
A wonderful surprise find in nothern lower Michigan
Cute place, theres a lot to see and explore. My kids love going here, but Id enjoy it by myself
Such a beautiful venue! We love visiting castle farms for its historical values but also as wedding vendors. We have a blast designing florals for weddings here and helping our planning + coordination couples create a true fairy wedding! [ Because it is a castle after all!]
Not a castle tourist attraction. It is a wedding venue with table set up inside a building that looks like a castle on the out side. The grounds are pretty but still not ready for a paying customer. Broken planter boxes, empty planters and such. The train station is cool but way ran down ..needs some attention. If I would have paid full price I would have been asking for a refund. We only had 90 min to tour, which was plenty, so they gave us a discount. Im sure its great for weddings but not tourists.
Really enjoyed our visit, out tour guide was lovely with great stories about the property. Amazing restoration. Cudos to the owners for their hard work.
We got married I’m here in 2015 so I am definitely biased. We like to go and view the grounds when we can. I’m so excited to bring my kids with me next time. It’s a magical place and I find something new every time.
I was an attendee of the Jacob and Shelby wedding that took place today.Upon attempting to enter Castle Farms, my Wife and I noticed the electronic board that clearly marked the right entrance for us to use. The worker that was by the entrance double checked we were there for the right wedding, then directed us where to park. This was very directive (which was appreciated).The Ceremony: the wedding area was great, however my only complaint is that the chairs were literally side by side, with no spacing between them (numerous guests said they felt cramped). This made for the ceremony to feel very uncomfortable in my personal opinion.Now the reception: I loved the seating arrangements, and appreciated them being clearly marked for clarity on where to be. The DJ was great, he had a firm yet inviting tone to him, and had high energy which matched his job.The Food: oh my lord the food was absolutely amazing! The Menu: salad, rolls, beef, chicken, potatoes, alfredo and green beans.The beef was the highlight in my opinion, and had this glaze that tasted like Carolina gold bbq sauce.Everything from here out was structured very well and announced so everybody clearly knew where to be, and what was happening.The employees: I talked to every single employee working this event, and had an absolute blast with each one of them. They were all so friendly, and welcomed conversation while remaining professional on all fronts.This venue is the most gorgeous place Ive ever been in my entire life. I will definitely be back at some point, that is for certain.
A beautiful venue in a beautiful location. I understand that covid restrictions are difficult right now, but a lot was done wrong for the wedding I was at. The staff was very friendly and helpful, though, and making the best of a bad situation. I brought the cake because I own a bakery and also attended the wedding because they are a family friend. The kitchen area for vendors like cake and caterer was filled with boxes on the prep surfaces so there was no place to work or set up. They were also not well equipped for the cake cutting. Still an overall good experience despite all the hiccups.
Absolutely gorgeous place!
This is a must visit restoration/venue site. Unique, unusual, detailed, elaborate, historical Charlevoix MI dairy farm later restored to an entertainment venue to now to an event venue. Take the well done walking tour or the quided tour.
We took the guided tour. It was fascinating! Afterward we enjoyed a wine tasting and then explored the grounds a little more. We had a great time!
Had are wedding here and we had a great time and loved the grounds
This was the only venue I toured simply because I loved how this place looked!! We had our ceremony and reception in the Kings Great Hall in December and it was perfect! All of our pictures from inside look stunning and I am so happy we went with them!On top of the place looking amazing, they were so accommodating and helpful! Our coordinator Angela was the best, and I could not be more thankful she was there to help with our day! Im not sure it wouldve gone as smoothly or perfectly without her! You cannot go wrong with this venue!!
The grounds are beautiful! The wine was good
We did a self guided tour and it was a lot of fun! Cool to read about the history, and my favorite...the gardens! Nice little activity to do!
5 of us took the guided historical tour with a tram ride & then private guide for a group of 18. Gale was really, really good! The history of the Loeb family and the current owners care for that history and the Charlevoix community is exemplary. Thank you Gale (our guide).
We had our wedding here in September 2020 and it was a phenomenal experience especially during uncertain times like COVID, they were extremely flexible and knowledgeable about guidelines and the wedding day went so smoothly. We are so grateful we found this beautiful location and we had just best coordinator Alex. Thank you again for making our day so special!
Great place to visit again and again. We took the guided tour (I recommend it) and Gail, the tour leader was fantastic. Total time was about 90 minutes. It was so nice to see the beautiful restoration of Castle Farms by Ms. Linda Mueller. Her heart and soul is in the project. I would like to thank her in this review. Thank you for saving history.
Great wine tasting, very friendly service.
The courtyard was gorgeous, which is where the wedding ceremony was held, and outside, the grass looked too nice to park on. Moving indoors greeted by high vaulted wood beamed ceilings lit with loads of sparkly lights was really inviting. Add the light up dance floor, and it was great.
Me and my wife gotten married there, so we try to visit when possible to just get the thrills and memories of that night for us, very beautiful place and awesome place to get married, one of a kind place no doubt, highly recommended for people just to explore and experience.
Learning the history of the castle was very interesting. The owner has many unique antiques and items from all over the world on display. For the Centennial Celebration she took one of the wedding halls and displayed her collection of wedding dresses and quilts. I believe one dated back to the 1850s.The gardens are beautiful and the old barn and blacksmith shop are very nice. Oh, there is a nice wine and cheese room at the original entrance, too. Well worth the trip.
I attended a banquet there. The food was superb! The service was great, the servers all worked together in a perfect rhythm. A+
Very interesting to walk through, but not what I was expecting when you think castle. The inside was full of interesting collections of what seemed random relics. They were setting up for 3 weddings so maybe that detracted from our visit. We felt like such a large portion was off limit that we didnt spend much time inside. Looked beautiful for a wedding venue. The inside is definitely not geared towards kids, but the outside was much better. I enjoyed the outside much more as there were some kid friendly activities. The model train area, carriage house and ride on train were the best parts of the visit. Nice if you have a couple extra hours. Doesnt take long to walk through.
Great wine tasting. Loved the flight tree!
I took my Girl Scout Troop here ages 11-16. They all enjoyed walking the gardens and the castle. And they learned a little history.
We got married at Castle Farms on December 30, 2019. It was a magical winter wedding and Castle Farms made the perfect location for it! Angela was our venue coordinator and was very responsive and helpful, especially day-of. Everything went very smoothly and the staff clearly has a lot of experience. We live in Metro Detroit but planning from a distance was no problem, since the staff was accessible by phone and email. Prices were reasonable and even before Angela was assigned to be our coordinator (two months before the wedding), it was easy to get any questions I had answered. We also got a discount for booking during our tour, so I recommend seeing the Castle last if it is one of your top choices. Everything was so easy through Castle Farms and many of our guests said it was one of the best weddings they’d been to. Thank you for making our big day the best of our lives so far!
Went there for a wedding reception. Fabulous food. The buildings are stone, built a century ago with a ton of character and charm. Great place for an event.
Lots of beautiful gardens, trains and other places to explore!!
Great supprt from the staff, beautiful venue, charming experience
My husband and I visited for the first time on July 2nd to celebrate our sons 4th birthday. He loves trains and we wanted to specifically visit the outdoor train display. We wanted to be able to go somewhere that was outside so we could practice safe social distancing in case there were others visiting at the same time.I had emailed them before visiting with a few questions and explained our sons circumstances (he has autism). They were quick to respond to my email and were SO kind and encouraging!When we arrived the staff at the front desk we aware that we were coming and had a little welcome bag for our son. It was so kind and the staff were all so friendly and supportive.You could tell they all are working hard to keep their guests safe while also keeping the staff safe.Everything was very clean. There was sanitizer available at the train display.It was not very busy and those who were there were very respectful of others and keeping their distance.Our son had the best time and so did my husband and I. We are so impressed with the staff, their over the top customer service, attention to detail, hard work, and kindness!A MUST visit! Absolutely beautiful property with lots of neat things to see and do.Thank you, Castle Farms, for making our sons birthday one to remember during these challenging times!
Wonderful place to visit on a self guided tour. Since we visited in the winter, we didnt get an opportunity to experience the gardens. The history and construction are very interesting. I never thought Id visit a castle in Charlevoix Michigan, but Im glad i did. It would be a great venue for a wedding or convention.
Beautiful! Attended a wedding here and was amazed
This was my first time here. I had a great time with my mom, my 14 year old sister, and my 7 year old daughter. It was beautiful!! My daughters favorites were the trains (of course) and the slide and toy trains, and the horse carriages. The gift shop was beautiful and had lots of cool stuff to look through. The flowers in all the gardens were amazing!The staff were very nice and friendly and the place was very clean. ( restrooms included)The details were awesome.... so much to look at.
My wife and I were fortunate enough to have been invited to a wedding at Castle Farms. We have never been here before and didnt know what to expect. When we arrived we kind of felt like royalty as the location looks like a castle. We Had the Time of Our Lives. The reception area was extremely Pleasant and the people that waited on you were amazing has was the food and drinks. We hope to come back to take a tour. Thanks again for making us all feel special.
Very fun. Well worth the ticket price.
Had a winter wedding here. It was beautiful!! My coordinator was Autumn Tall and she was really the best!! Such a kind and thoughtful coordinator who was very organized and took care of a lot of last minute details. The service the entire time was outstanding! Thank you Autumn and Matthew for helping me have a perfect wedding in this beautiful setting.
The day we went was cold and dreary but we still had a great time! The staff was friendly and helpful. Due to being hearing impaired and not being able to lip read because of the masks, I struggle with communicating. The staff were very accommodating and often repeated themselves when I asked the same thing several times. I never felt uncomfortable or made to feel as if I was bothering them. The grounds I imagine are much more beautiful in peak season, but dont let that deter you. There is so much to see. And dont forget to stop by 1918 Cellars!
Absolutely fantastic venue for a wedding. Great staff, professional operation! It was a pleasure working with them.
Beautiful grounds and friendly staff
Very Boring. They forgot to tell us the trains were not running but rather put away for the winter. The only spaces to look at were basically wedding venue options. We were told we would get $1 off wine tasting with our self-guided ticket only to arrive at the bar and told we would need reservations and should have called ahead. Quite misleading all the way around. Also, one of the ladies in the gift shop was a little too uppity for the regular Michigander.
We had a great time at 1918 Cellars! Thanks
We had such a phenomenal wedding at Castle Farms! Everything was perfect from the venue. The setup was exactly correct, the coordinator was 100% on top of organization the day of, they accommodated our small extra requests for outdoor lights, patio heaters, lounge furniture setup (which we rented from Taylor Rental). The location is just so beautiful, especially if the weather cooperates. In the event of rain, there is a great pavilion which Im sure would provide for great photos as well! The biggest plus to Castle Farms however, is their flexibility to allow you to bring your own liquor, beer and caterer. Once you price out your wedding, realize how much expense you save by shopping around on catering and buying your own liquor. Save that huge markup and spend it on what actually gets you something (photographer, DJ, etc)! All-in-all great place to get married. The only critique I would have is that you arent assigned a specific coordinator to work with until 1 month before. In reality, they should assign you someone to work closely with 3-6 months before to start really hashing out specific details. It was a bit hard to get a hold of someone via phone at times and there were a couple details that were muddled up 1 month before in terms of delivery times for the rental items. HOWEVER, Castle Farms came through and made it right and got everything worked out PERFECTLY. I would suggest to them though, that to prevent this in the future, they assign a coordinator earlier to work out the explicit details sooner. This is a great place to have your wedding with the flexibility to do exactly what you want on your day! Everyone will have a blast and the photo locations are top notch!
This is a beautiful venue for a wedding. The grounds are gorgeous with gardens, fountains, running train set, stairs, and ponds.
Castle Farms is the most amazing place! I could not have found a better venue. Everything was absolutely perfect for my wedding. The Castle is absolutely beautiful and so well taken care of. The staff is simply amazing. They really take care of everything down to the last detail. From the moment we booked until the day of the wedding, we were in contact with someone. Every detail is discussed, they really want everything to be perfect and are happy to help with any question or concern. They are very fair priced as well, we even got a discount for booking the day of our tour.I cannot express enough how pleased I am with Castle Farms and cannot recommend them enough!!!!
Great location, serene setting and great staff.
What a wonderful wedding venue! I have photographed several weddings here and am awestruck and delighted more and more with each one! The service is spectacular, and every member of their staff is dedicated to making your day perfect. Thank you Castle Farms!
Delightful curiosity. Enjoyed farm-to-table event with their own wine. Very nice. Acoustic entertainment needed to be background music...not the main event. Tour afterward was very interesting...especially if you like visiting the resurrection of a rich mans folly. Lovely gardens and interesting buildings stocked with odd collections fancied by the owners.
Beautiful place everywhere you look is a picture opportunity. Pretty much perfect wedding. Dale was amazing!
Really enjoyed the self tour of Castle Farms. Very interesting to see the history of this castle and the impact to the local area. Wonderful variety of collections displayed through out the castle. Lovely gardens and sculptures.
Beautiful even in the rain! However the price for a rainy day self guided tour was too much at $15 per person as you are so limited. (I completely understand that they cannot control the weather.)
My sister was recently married in the Knights Castle and it was the most beautiful wedding ever.The coordinator and her assistant were there every step of the way to help.Only concerns and issues that arose were lack of communication with the wine cellar order which was disappointing but otherwise we had a great time in a beautiful atmosphere.
Staff is kind and helpful. This is an event center. If you are looking for a pretty place to take a walk, this might do it. A fun place for kids to explore, sure. They like the trains and maze area. Pictures on the wall are as far as history goes. This was a dairy farm of sorts 100 years ago, but is not recognizable as such. Unless your cows get white glove treatment.
Very cool place to have a wedding (attended not participated)Very interesting history of the farms. There is a lot of things to keep a little one occupied. The train collection is huge! Highlight of the farm other than the wedding, the flowers and giant chess boards
Attended a wedding here. Awesome staff and food. Beautiful place. Neat history lesson as well.
Amazing staff! Breathtakingly Beautiful! Fantastic Attention to Details. Landscaping Fascinating! Love!
Beautiful facilities. We attended a friends wedding. The grounds and buildings were beautiful. The staff were helpful and easy to find. I would highly recommend a visit either for a tour or private event.
Beautiful venue for weddings, etc. I went for a concert...
Although the place is scenic, I was totally deterred from holding an event here, given the experience I had with the staff. My friends and I came here to wine taste and tour since we were scouting out reception venues for my wedding. The woman at the front desk was extremely rude and the the person at the winery charged us for every person and got none of the tastings correct... I tried the same one three times... and she didn’t even give everyone the number we paid for. We tried to correct her many times but she wouldn’t have it... She also asked to see my fiances I.D. after failing to I.D. anyone else in our party, half way through our time at the cellars. That was kind of weird and embarrassing, seeing as there were other customers there and she made a scene. We left and felt like we wasted time and money driving out. I have never had such a barbaric experience, at a business based in customer service.The manager at Castle Farms has reached out to correct the situation with her staff so no one else has this experience, in the future. She was very accommodating and has given me a full refund.
The wife, myself and our 5 year old boy stopped here on a recent trip. We spent $23 for the self-guided tour. We watched a short video and then toured the grounds. My son of course loved the garden train and feeding the fish at the pond. He also liked the Checkers (Chest) sets in the garden. These are well kept grounds that offer plenty of picture taking opportunities.They rent out rooms for weddings and the rooms are all setup for weddings so you get to see how it would look.If you are traveling in this part of Michigan you should plan to stop by for a picnic (they allow you to bring food onto the premises) and take a breather. Both my wife and son really enjoyed it and we spent a good amount of time walking the grounds and relaxing.
The castle grounds were clean and well-kept. The model train set was really cool!
We had our daughters destination wedding at Castle Farms - we are from Florida - and it was something out of a storybook. Why a Michigan wedding? We use to come up to Lake Michigan for family vacations when the kids were younger and when my mother was still living up here. The setting was picture perfect with gorgeous Michigan gardens surrounding the historical, pristine castle. It is located in the cutest resort town of Charlevoix which in itself was a beautiful backdrop. The weather was perfect and not humid. The planning was easy to do even 1000 miles away. We were able to do most of the planning from afar with only one trip up there during the planning process. The day of the wedding went perfectly and everyone was in awe that we were throwing a real castle wedding. From the ceremony to the reception hall down to the details like the flowers and table settings, I give Castle Farms and their staff an A+. We had an amazing time and my daughter had the wedding of her dreams. Thank you!
Pretty neat to see however it is heavily a wedding venue and thats apparent in how the rooms are set up. You walk thru great castle rooms and see tables and chairs set up. In my opinion castle decor would make the experience more realistic but like i said its a wedding venue. It does have a out of this world atmosphere though even desite the tables and chairs. Worth the $12 i think to see it though
The castle and courtyards are absolutely beautiful and perfect for pictures. The staff is also very helpful to make sure that everything is exactly how you want it. Theres also so much history all throughout the castle.
We wondered if we should visit a wedding venue place, but it is so much more! There is something for everyone here: amazing architecture; interesting history; multiple wonderful gardens; hedge maze; birch forest; fish ponds; extensive working model railroads, including wooden toy trains for children to play with; regular and oversized garden chess sets; collections to see; guided tram tour (available even when you’ve opted for the self-guided tour); wine cellar. The whole place is gorgeous and its renovation was well designed with benches and chairs for resting as well as bathrooms available throughout the farm. Well worth our time and at a reasonable price! We want to go back! A big THANK YOU to the owner for her work in making this a lovely place to enjoy!
Had a great time walking around late summer. The plants still looked wonderful and the inside was very nice. Cool memorabilia, and nice gift shop.
Absolutely gorgeous venue for a wedding, although the pricing is definitely on the high end. Unless youre a trust-fund baby or wanna take out a loan to have your wedding, plan on having your wedding here in the off season to make it affordable 😬.
Castle Farms was absolutely wonderful in realizing our dreams and helping us make them real. Not only were their grounds and venues perfectly maintained, but their staff was understanding, flexible, and prompt with solutions. Our coordinator, MaryAnn, was exceptional in assisting us with creating layouts and allowing us to make the space feel like it was truly ours for the occasion.They made planning easy by including lists and brochures of local vendors as well as preferred and most trusted/experienced vendors. Their checklist proved to be incredibly helpful.We were able to save a great deal of money by booking the venue on our first tour knowing ahead of time that it would be our dream location. We also booked in their off-season, having always wanted a fall wedding and lastly by booking a Friday date we were able to save even more money!Our only complaint was not being given a coordinator until 2 months before the big day. However every email we sent was answered by a member of their knowledgeable staff until a coordinator was assigned.
Even though we visited during the off-season, particularly that awkward time inbetween winter and spring, my family still enjoyed our visitBeing off-season, this sadly meant that everything indoors (the longest model train attraction, the WWII exhibit, café, wine tasting, touring the rooms, etc), as well as a majority of the outdoor exhibits (the garden maze, trails, flowers, etc) were not yet open.But even though we only saw a small piece of the location, my family still had fun and we all were happy that we went. (The giant knight itself proved to be fun all by itself!)I would love to visit during regular season when I could enjoy the full experience, both inside and all of the outdoor areas!I can only imagine the wonderland that would emerge when the flower gardens would be in full bloom, with the backdrop of the greens from the trees, lawns, and hedges! I can understand why people would come this location for their venue.
Spectacular! 😊 One issue, website should be updated daily. Website said that 1918 Cellars was closing at 5pm, it actually closed at 4pm due to a private event.
Castle Farms is a truly unique location in Michigan. There is a great deal of history to Castle Farms. They used to host amazing concert events for some of the biggest names in music. These days they stick to weddings, tours, and special events. We highly recommend a guided tour of Castle Farms. There is nowhere else quite like it. One of our favorite events of the year is the Train Show. All sorts of model trains are on display zooming around the castle. It is terrific.
Thank you for my dream wedding - 5/18/18. Castle Farms is more than a breathtaking venue, they are a fabulous dream come true. They are very organized yet not without the personal touch. Our coordinator, Brittany, was amazing! She worked with me in helping my ideas come to life! She was patient as I tried to figure out what I really wanted and made it all come true. Thank you for giving me the wedding I always wanted!
Visited for a wedding and had such a lovely time! Beautiful grounds, friendly people, great historical content and all around impeccably well maintained place to visit! Stunning!
Very cool place, lots to see and do, even the kids had a great time. The staff is really friendly and the gift shop prices are pretty fair. This place is definitely worth a visit.
Good food and great staff. Very busy place on a Wednesday night but it is vacation time. Prime rib was delicious.
We got married here a little over a week ago. Our experience was wonderful and our coordinator Angela was amazing! All our questions and concerns were answered very quickly! I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding venue!
My husband and I had a small and intimate ceremony at Castle Farms on June 7th. I must say that the staff is a class act. They are 100% committed to making your special day memorable. Our wedding was supposed to be held outdoors in the Knights Courtyard, but it rained and rained and I received a call from Brittany, our venue coordinator and she very sweetly let me know that we would be moved inside to the Knights Castle and assured me that it will be beautiful. Her promise was true because the new location, although not the beautiful courtyard, was equally amazing in its own right. Brittany and all of the staff were fantastic. The ceremony went smoothly and I was completely satisfied and grateful for their help and attention. I never at any time was made to feel that we were any less important because we were having a tiny wedding and not holding a reception. I truly felt like a princess marrying her prince at Castle Farms. I look forward to returning many times in the future to admire Castle Farms in all of its beauty and charm. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for making our day so special.
We hired a private tour and transportation company (Northern Michigan Wine & Beer Tours) to take our group of Executives around Petoskey and Charlevoix area to visit the different wineries. Our driver, Mike, showed up with a great big warm smile and a brand new limo/van, one tall enough so that people 6 feet and taller can stand up in. it was awesome. It made for a very visible (big windows to look outside) and comfortable ride. Mike told us about the area, very knowledgeable being a resident for over 25 years here, and was just great fun to engage with during our tour. He took us to the Castle, our first stop, and what a castle! Here in Northern Michigan you would never expect to see such a thing, but it does exist and it is a must see. Jessica, the director (I think), greeted us and informed us of its history before we began our tour. The history of its beginnings and the lady who made it what it is today gave us each a lesson on what it takes to grow wealth. You need to be at the right time and the right place, you need perseverance through the difficult times, and you need a vision that even through the foggiest moments or days/weeks/months cannot be stolen from you. This was a perfect stop to begin our wine tour. Its a perfect place for gatherings, meetings and weddings as the grounds are gorgeous and meticulously kept. Its a photographers dream also as photo opps here are terrific. The gift shop has a lot of unique things. We found a dragons goblet to drink out of (about 12 inches tall) ornate with lots of detail, quality made. To match it, we bought a dragons door bell chime, one you manually tap (made of metal and about 12 inches tall). Overall, very well worth the stop, we could have spent more time exploring, but had to get on our way before the vineyards closed for the day.
Fun self-tour experience. Worth doing once for the cost, but no need to return regularly unless for a special event. Nicely maintained gardens. Beautiful castle. Friendly staff.
If you want to get married at an absolutely unique, unquestionably beautiful venue, then Castle Farms fits the bill—just like thousands of other places.What sets them apart is the staff. Theyre not just here for the wedding, theyre here for YOU at every step of the way, from start to finish. My wife and I got to work with Taylor and she (and her assistant) were absolutely essential. They took the stress out of our day, and thats amazing. Seriously, the whole thing was fantastic. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Wine tasting! Not bad overall.
Incredible location. Attended a wedding here and loved it. Staff was great!
Beautiful place! If you are looking for a wedding venue, check it out!
Beautiful venue for a wedding. Outdoor courtyards, gardens, fountains... Just gorgeous.
What a wonderful venue for any function you may be planning from a small group to a large one! The grounds are so well manicured w/lovely flowers everywhere. It is a must see place in Michigan. Pictures you see on their website do not convey the true beauty everywhere you look!How can you compete with being married in a courtyard of a real castle?If the Castle Farms was responsible for the food, it was a five star menu!Wait staff was exceptional - eager to please! Never were empty glasses ignored and all place settings were removed efficiently. Water carafes were re-filled on a regular basis.Guests are surrounded with places to walk, sit & talk or even play lawn chess!! I cannot say enough positive things - just wish it were closer!
Beautiful place!! Loved the gardens and all the history there.
Beautiful. Magical. A must see at least once when you are in the area. My husband and two children ages 4&5 fell in love. Now would I go back? Yes! Lol. My husband and I would go back for wine tasting and picnic. This part of Michigan is probably the most beautiful. Born and raised in Michigan and traveled up north all my life- this part stayed on Lake Charlevoix- is for me- the most beautiful place. The lake, the people, the downtown area is stunning. Please go check it out. Have fun my fellow Michiganders!
Beautiful venue. Grounds are well maintained with lots of areas for great pictures. Was there for an event which was poorly run. Staff seemed ill prepared and were not very helpful. I had emailed venue before event with a question to which I never received a response. Hopefully they are better at weddings.
Beautiful place - - came a bit early for season b/c thats when family was in town. Benefit? Few people to distract from peace and quiet of place. Unfortunately, though, little was in bloom. Seems like theres always that kind of tradeoff, but the site itself is lovely and staff are friendly.
This place is magical, my husband and I stumbled upon this by accident and so happy we did. This castle has great history and the gardens are beautiful.
Even in the midst of the COVID pandemic, Castle Farms went above and beyond for our wedding. Angela Suave, our coordinator was extremely helpful and patient. They were fantastic!
Loved it. What amazing place. So much history. Everyone was very friendly and knowledgeable. The owner and her husband were present and made it a point to welcome their visitors and thank them for coming.
Castle Farms was a perfect spot to get married. You are provided a wedding coordinator that helps with coordinating the wedding rehearsal and getting the wedding party lined up on the wedding day. Katelyn did a great job as our wedding coordinator. She always responded to emails quickly and even mailed an item that we left at Castle Farms back to us after the wedding. I loved that Castle Farms allowed us to wait 2 hours before the ceremony to decide if we wanted to have it outside or inside. The radar was changing constantly on our wedding day and we appreciated being able to have the ceremony outside. Castle Farms even provides umbrellas for guests in case it does start to rain during the ceremony.My only complaint is that another wedding that took place at the Castle had chairs, decorations, and other items out on the lawn of the castle where we wanted to take pictures. The wedding party was asked several times to move it (because it is not allowed to be there in the first place) so we could take pictures but they kept moving things back out to the lawn where it would be difficult to crop it out of the wedding photos. I dont feel like this was necessarily Castle Farms fault because the other wedding was very inconsiderate and didnt obey the rules about mutual photography locations. If your looking for a venue where your wedding is the only one taking place that day, Castle Farms is probably not the best option unless your willing to pay a lot to rent out the entire Castle.
We showed up late in the afternoon, approx. 20 minutes prior to posted closing time of last entry. Was greeted with a smile and pleasant attitude from desk. Toured the grounds which were beautiful and appealing. Had a good time. Never felt rushed given the time we showed up. We spent approx. 1.5 hrs on the grounds taking our time and seeing everything.
Went to a beautiful wedding. There were two wedding going on at the same time (common theme now a days) but outside of parking you wouldnt know you werent the only one there. Was fantastic place to get married.
Gorgeous property and gardens! Staff were so friendly and accommodating. Very neat history. The owner was down to earth and restored the place beautifully!
Stopped off on our way up North. Looks gorgeous! Didnt do the tour because we were on. Budget but they had a few great gardens and things to see outside!
Felt like a fairytale with this castle feel. Enjoyed a wine flight and was able to purchase some good wine to enjoy another time.
Beautiful grounds and wedding venue.
Love the old castle look. Beautiful place.
Beautiful place to tour.
Castle Farms is a beautiful location for a wedding! My husband & I got married on July 7th of this year. We are from the Metro Detroit area; travel was about 4 hours for us. The staff at the Castle was extremely helpful & kind. Our Coordinator Brandyn was amazing and a life saver for me that day. However I was disappointed in a few things. We rented a card box from the castle, and although the rental did not cost much. The bottom of the box was destroyed and didnt hold together. It was a little embarrassing. 2 weeks before the wedding I was told that I would have to be out of the Queens Courtyard (Our Ceremony) by 4pm that day so they could get ready for another Ceremony at 5pm. My ceremony began at 3pm & it was about 45 mins long. Which left us only 15 minutes to get all of our family/bridal party photos. I paid $6,000 for my Photography/ Video. I also paid for ceremony decor, and ALL of our family and friends traveled 4 hours for us, not to mention some of them from other states. So you can understand why I was upset when we were rushed, and did not get photos with some family. The Castle told us that they do not host more than a few weddings at a time, and I believe there were 3-4 weddings that night. Everywhere we walked for pictures there were people in the way or we were in theirs. It took up a lot of our time and kept us in a limited area for photos.
This is a beautiful place for weddings and parties, we went on the your thinking it was a place to see the way its advertised. We were disappointed because its mostly just for venues. It is beautiful but not for a tour on your vacation.
Loved it! Great wedding site. Beautiful gardens, great wines and unique sites for the kids as well. Look forward to the upcoming events.
Strange... Very unique location that is meant to be a wedding farm and special events venue. They will often have 3-4 weddings going on simultaneously in their complex on popular Friday and Saturday nights. Youll get a sense of their business as soon as you walk through their wedding gift shop. This may have been a great concert venue back in the 80s, but now it is a money-making wedding farm.
Its a great place to host an event my sister-in-law had her baby shower there and it was wonderful all the original architecture of the buildings are very cool to look at and very well preserved it does almost like and feel like a castle
Was there 2 day for a seminar was a great time. Great food and great choice for the seminar.
Easily beat my expectations. Beautiful in the winter. Will be spectacular in summer. Great place to take kids in the summer.
Love this beautiful place. A Michigan hidden gem, it has something new to see with every visit. Kuddos to Linda Muller whose generosity and vision have made The Castle a gift to Charlevoix and our state.
My son wedding was beautiful and we had a great time.
Beautiful ground, but pretty boring. Walked into a lot of pre set wedding halls. Learned more googling the history of the farm than Loeb family than any information provided. Definitely not worth the admission fee.
My experience there was absolutely amazing. Its absolutely beautiful and very well preserved. Ive been there before but never inside the castle. It was absolutely breath taking! I loved it.
On behalf of the Congo. Remove the decorative plate honoring King Leopold II.The decorators of this place have a weird obsession with monarchy reverence in general. King Ludwig II? Really? Napoleon?
Beautiful castle with a rich history! You can tell that the owner and staff are proud to work here. Landscaping is beautiful and the train garden is fascinating!!
A very unique and beautiful place to visit. There is a lot of history here originally owned by the Loeb family from Sears and Roebuck back around the turn of the century. Since then it has gone through many owners and had been vacant for several years practically going to ruins. The current owners have done a remarkable job with the restoration using as much of the original material as possible. This place should not be missed on your trip to Charlevoix. Very family orientated with something for everyone.
A very special place. Lots of architecture and history to explore. Perfect for any occasion.
A great place for family and wheelchair friendly for ground level exhibits. Come early because time flies here. Theres a lot to see.
Neat place to see! Beautiful gardens and even a wine tasting area if youre interested.
Total reviews rating 4.7
199 Reviews for Castle Farms 2023:
Review №1
2022-06-20Beautiful wedding venue. I loved the grounds, the chess boards, whimsical dragon, garden pathways and more. The venue is very clean and large, lots of space and interesting areas within the buildings.
Review №2
2022-05-09Castle Farms looks like a wonderful place for an event. However, as a tourist destination remains a bit wanting. If you like tchotchkes, you will love the few exhibits. Staff friendly and attentive. Building and grounds immaculate. Plenty of free parking. They did offer a season long admission for the $15, which is far more reasonable than for only a single visit. Hedge maze may challenge a 3 year old.
Review №3
2022-06-16Its beautiful!! We took the non-guided visit and loved meandering through it all. The owner is doing a great job and it is well worth a visit! We all enjoyed it.
Review №4
2022-06-09Awesome place for weddings! The service, the employees, the catering and the venue was phenomenal! Not overly strict and super fun people. (Other then the groom) LOL! Tons of space, awesome catering and lots of room to explore and wall around. This was probably my favorite place to celebrate a wedding put of everywhere Ive been wedding wise. They realize that people are celebrating and partying and mamy of the folks are happy to celebrate with you. I hope all my siblings get married here!
Review №5
2021-12-23We had our wedding on December 17th this year, in the Kings Great Hall. We were very happy with the service of the venue and the staff. Tyanna was our coordinator day of and was exceptional! Very patient and professional. My only complaint would be that the castle doesnt offer a refund at all only offers a transfer or postponement option for money paid in the event of the pandemic etc. But overall we were very happy with the Castle and the staff very quick to respond to any and all questions and very courteous. Thanks for making our day special!
Review №6
2022-05-27Seems like a pretty cool place for a wedding. They even let you do tours via golf cart for $20 during the week not on Fridays and Saturdays if there’s a wedding in progress.
Review №7
2021-08-21Beautiful place. The restoration is thoughtful and authentic. The gardens remind me of the estate gardens in England. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour with Gail P. She had so many interesting stories. Would recommend the wine tasting room after finishing the tour.
Review №8
2021-10-08The Castle is gorgeous and full of history. I enjoyed th gardens and the enchanted forest as well. The only complain I had is that they advertised for lunch at the bistro but they only have a few pre-made sandwiches and salads.
Review №9
2022-03-21Attended a wedding reception here and I cant wait to come back to take a full tour. From what we could see this is a very neat place with tons of history.
Review №10
2021-08-16Beautiful gardens, architecture and landscaping abound at this historical site. A blend of modern history from the 70s dating back to WW II. Something for everyone to enjoy. Trains for the kids make this a magical place for them. If you need a place for a beautiful and elegant wedding reception or any very special occasion this is the perfect venue. Congratulations to the Mueller family for investing in Michigan! Truly a five star asset to our State of Michigan. My only wish...bring back the awesome concerts!!! LOL