kips castle

For the Christmas season, Kips Castle has decorated the interior first floor rooms in circa 1928. First floor rooms are all decorated with holiday trees and ornaments. The tour is free, as Kips Castle is part of the Essex County Parks System. Tour hours are Tues.-Sunday noon to 4pm. I went to get some holiday atmosphere on Tuesday Dec.16.The rooms were richly decorated and it was a little bit of a history lesson to experience the 1928 Christmas vintage. I would have liked to see the upper rooms which includes the master bedroom but they were off limits. Go to the arched port, climb the short stairs and ring the door bell on the large wooden door. The castle itself is of stone Norman medieval architecture. Deep set stained glass windows, corner turrets and eight fireplaces add to the ambiance Great views of the NYC skyline as well. Kips Castle was built 1902-1905 by Frederick and Charlotte Bishop Williams Kip. Kip was a textile inventor and industrialist and a wealthy man of his day. The castle reflects that wealth. It was a nice afternoon spent.