East Haddam, Connecticut: Gillette Castle

Stonework exterior, hunting lodge interior, the folly of actor William Gillette.

Not your average castle: quirky stonework exterior, hunting lodge on the interior. Gillette Castle is up on a hill overlooking the Connecticut River, so the view is fantastic, especially with the fall foliage. William Gillette, who had the castle built, was an actor. [Karen Hudson, 01/01/2011]

Gillette Castle, surrounded by a state park and overlooking the Connecticut River, is in a wonderful, natural setting, but the castle itself is outlandish in design and breathtakingly quirky. The brainchild of actor William Gillette (best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes), the castle was built betewen 1914 and 1919. Gillette had cash and knew how to spend it. The exterior is built of fieldstone and is done in a Medieval style. The interior features built-in furniture, hand-carved door latches on each of the castle's 47 doors (each latch is different!), and Gillette's own art gallery.

Ever the visionary, Gillette made preparations before his death to ensure that his beloved castle did not fall into the hands of "some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded." [Kay Bozich Owens, 08/18/2005]

Gillette Castle is a crazy looking mansion made from stone on top of a cliff overlooking the Connecticut River. William Hooker Gillette was an actor who was mostly known for portraying Sherlock Holmes, hence the guy dressed up as Sherlock that wanders the grounds. The mansion has secret doors, and there is a narrow gauge railroad that he used to get down to the river. The whole area is really pretty, and you can take a ferry across the river right by the castle. [Matthew Ford, 08/03/2005]