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New Orleans, Louisiana: Fisherman's Castle on Irish Bayou

A never-completed minor tourist attraction for the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair. Built by Simon Villemarette, it looks like a small-scale medieval castle. People have lived in it, but it was for sale in 2022.

Address:
US Hwy 11, New Orleans, LA
Directions:
Extreme northeast edge of the city. I-10 exit 254, then drive south on US Hwy 11 for about a mile. One the right. Private residence, visible from road.
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Visitor Tips and News About Fisherman's Castle on Irish Bayou

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Fisherman's Castle.

Fisherman's Castle on Irish Bayou

Stopped by for a quick photo. It's being updated and you aren't able to walk up to it, but can easily pull alongside and check it out!

[Maybelle Steele, 03/17/2017]
Fisherman's Castle on Irish Bayou

An interesting structure in a residential area. You really can't get out of your car and look at because you feel you are trespassing but there is a good safe spot to pull over and see it. If you're an architecture lover it's worth seeing. The design is intriguing, and knowing it survived Katrina is very impressive..... Hopefully one day it will be completed and can become a true tourist attraction.

[William, 07/11/2012]

Fish Castle.

Fisherman's Castle on Irish Bayou

Fisherman's Castle on the Irish Bayou in Louisiana was built by Simon Hubert Villemarrette in 1981. He originally planned for it to be a secondary tourist attraction for the 1984 Worlds Fair in New Orleans. The castle is far from the center of town, however and the plans to get tour buses and boats to stop by fell through. When he took ill and died of lung cancer, his wife could not afford the mortgage and lost the castle in a foreclosure.

The castle remains, and is one of the only structures that withstood Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, without major wind damage. It was built to withstand 140 mile-an-hour winds, although the castle sits a little crooked on it's foundation as a result. Although it seems to be somewhat neglected, Jon Digman, who plans to make it into a bed and breakfast eventually, is now caring for the castle.

[Bob Pearce, 09/29/2009]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Giant CatfishGiant Catfish, Slidell, LA - 9 mi.
Flooded House MuseumFlooded House Museum, New Orleans, LA - 15 mi.
Cemetery Chapel with Hands and FeetCemetery Chapel with Hands and Feet, New Orleans, LA - 16 mi.
In the region:
National WWII Museum, New Orleans, LA - 18 mi.

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