SOLOMON'S CASTLE RIDE

I woke up Sunday morning and noticed how great it was outside when I walked the dog. Sunny, breezy, very low humidity and the temperature around 68. So I saddled up the steel pony and headed out on the highway. I had heard about this little known attraction called "Solomon's Castle" about 90 miles south of Tampa. www.solomonscastle.com So I decided to head down there and check it out. The ride was pretty nice, mostly through the farm and cattle country of Florida. Once I arrived, I parked in the parking lot with about 20 other motorcycles. As I walked up the path, you almost immediately notice little oddities, like a wood framed box with a metal bed head and foot board. There were flower growing in the wood box...Thus, a "Flower Bed". The castle, as you can see in the photo is pretty cool. Almost entirely made of recycled material, it is a museum for the art and metal sculptures of Howard Solomon. The outside shell of the castle is actually photo engraving plates from a newspaper printing press. You can just take in the grounds, the nature trail, the gift shop or go to the restaurant. You can also take the tour of the castle for $10. My tour was conducted by Howard Solomon himself. Be prepared to not only see some neat stuff made from ... well, junk, but hear Howard describe each piece with one pun after another. Pretty corny stuff...but it went perfect with the junk-art motif. They even have a bed and breakfast room that you can rent.

The tour took me through the "Boat in the Moat" family restaurant to get to a gift shop, where the tour ends. So after a quick look at the "gifts", I went into the restaurant for lunch. Alane and Dean, and family served up a good serving of Bar-B-Que baked chicken, mashed potatos, homemade cole slaw and a dinner roll. They serve beer, wine coolers and margaita's, but I stuck with Iced Tea. The menu is full of stuff, from hot dogs, sandwiches, salads to Lasagna and Prime Rib. Howard was quick to point out, that the Boat in the Moat was made of recycled lumber and took 5 years to build. This is a neat little stop off the beaten path. I will be going back to see it in the evening when it's lit up and Alane & Dean are cooking up the Ribs. One stange thing to note..only the gift shop takes plastic, The Castle tour and restaurant only takes cash.

Cyaz!