Join Newcomers on a tour of
Wednesday, January 21st at 9:45 am
Follow the signs down a quiet road in the tiny hamlet of Ona and you’ll come upon a most improbable sight:
a gleaming three-story silver castle complete with turrets, a bell tower, stained-glass windows,
wrought iron portcullis and two knights in armor flanking the entrance. You might feel
as though you’d stepped through a portal into another world, and that’s because,
essentially, you have. Solomon's Castle is one man’s unique creative vision turned into reality.
In the early 1970s, artist Howard Solomon, bought dozens of acres outside Ona and because
he had a great sense of humor and quite the creative mind, he built his workshop
and art studio and, eventually, a residence for himself and several generations of his family,
to look like a castle, made from repurposed aluminum printing sheets. Solomon lived there
until his death in 2016.
More than 300 pieces of his whimsical artwork, made mostly out of
found objects and reclaimed materials, are on display throughout the castle, and his sense of humor
is evident in the script that the tour guides still use to this day, which Solomon originally wrote
with all his signature puns, jokes, and witticisms.
“The goal was never to have a tourist attraction,” according to his daughter, Alane,
yet is has become one of Florida’s most unique.
Our tour of the castle and Howard's Encore Gallery begins promptly at 9:45 am
with lunch immediately following at the Boat-in-the-Moat Restaurant.
The cost for the tour is $39 per person** and each person will be responsible
for their own meal costs.
Solomon's Castle is about an hour drive from PGI.
If you wish to carpool or join the parade of cars, meet at PGICA
at 8:15 am for departure by 8:30 am.
Limit: 40
**The Event Fee must be paid in advance by credit card on Club Express and tickets will be non-refundable,
however, will be transferable. NOTE: online registration requires credit card payment within 30 minutes
or registration will be cancelled. If you purchase a ticket and are unable to attend
the event for any reason, the Event Host will attempt to help you sell your ticket to another member
on the waitlist. If we are unable to find such, the ticket price will be considered
a contribution to the Newcomers General Fund.