Soderstrom Castle — Attraction in Peoria Heights

I've been inside of it. Its beautiful inside and out, but the floor plan is a little weird. The dinning room is at the entrance with a coat closet, then you go up a spiral staircase to the living room and the pool and a second dinning room. There is a bathroom there. Too difficult to explain how to flush the toilet. The third floor was blocked off, so I assume that is where the bedrooms are. I don't know what the princess who had it built it for her in the 1920's was thinking. The only thing that I can derive from it is that she wasn't...

We came for the Christmas “tour” this year. We had never been in the house and were excited to see it. For over $30 a person we were given a tour of two ish rooms that lasted about 10 minutes. I gathered that our guide has worked for the house for a while and is close with the owner. Despite that, he did not have much knowledge to share about any of the amazing items in the rooms. As soon as the tour was over we were rushed out. At least we got a free mug. That is the only basis for my second star.

The tour started at 7 and we were...

So beautiful and historic. Much bigger when I was a kid, but I still love taking my kids by this castle, telling them the limited history I know, and just enjoying the view that surrounds the castle. If you're expecting some grand European style castle this is not for you, but it's absolutely worth...