ALEXANDRIA BAY, N.Y. -- The story is pretty famous. George Boldt starts building a castle for his wife, but midway through construction, she suddenly died. He called off work and never returned.
It wasn't until 1977 when the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority took it over. In the last 31 years, the authority has put nearly $23 million into it, to help repair 70 years worth of damage and it has become a major draw for the area.
"It really has incalculable value to the Thousand Islands tourism industry. This is perhaps the premiere attraction in the Thousand Islands. It means a lot to so many businesses here in the Thousand Islands," said Shane Sanford, Boldt Castle Operations Manager.
"It's beautiful, just beautiful. We're extremely impressed. We came originally from New England and New England has nothing as nice as this. Trust me," Fairport residents Elaine and Roger Fuller added.
"The grounds, the flower beds, the historic structures overlooking the St. Lawrence Seaway. Ships hit the waterway from all over the world. This is a real enjoyable place and I certainly recommend visiting us," Sanford added.
It might be one of the biggest draws in the 1000 Islands, and it kicked off the tourism season in the North Country by opening this weekend. Our Brian Dwyer was at Boldt Castle as it opened for the 2008 season and says no matter how many times you go, there's always something new to see.
Each year, the authority finishes up a certain section of the castle. Besides restoring history, it gives people a reason to return. This year, the main dining room was finished, making it look as original as can be.
"It's very ornate. It looks like a pretty good restoration. You can't really tell it had to be restored. As is most of the place," Toronto Resident Tony Fera said about the dining room.
"It was a room where a lot of dinner parties would have taken place and a lot of entertaining. It was a significant room." Sanford added.
Now besides taking the tour through the castle, one of the favorite things for people to do here is get married. The facility already has 91 weddings scheduled for the season. It expects to hit 100 and then it couldn't handle anymore. The 100 is a record number.
Since the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority took over the castle, more than 5.5 million people have visited it.