Solomon's Castle makes Ona feel handmade
Solomon's Castle gives rural Hardee County a shiny handmade landmark built around Howard Solomon's home, galleries, workshop, and recycled-metal imagination.
Solomon’s Castle is the kind of rural Florida surprise that makes a back road feel rewarded.
The castle sits in Ona, in Hardee County. It is a three-story, 12,000-square-foot castle made with old aluminum newspaper printing plates. PBS WEDU ties the place to artist Howard Solomon, whose home and gallery became a handmade world of metal, windows, jokes, and found-object art.
Florida has polished resorts and famous museums. It also has one-person dream projects in the woods. Solomon’s Castle belongs to that stranger, sweeter side of the state, where a private idea turns into a public landmark.
Because it is off the usual road, check tour days, hours, tickets, weather, and restaurant details before driving out. Pair it with a Hardee County or Peace River day, and give yourself room for the place to be odd in a good way.
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Last checked against these sources: July 2, 2026.
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