When you think of extravagant castles, which areas come to mind? Maybe Great Britain? Ireland? Disney World? While these iconic places do house jaw-dropping palaces, you seem to be forgetting one important location: Colorado. While we here in the Centennial State have our fair share of unique castles and manors, one just happens to stand out above the rest… and that is, of course, Bishop Castle in Rye.

Welcome to Jim Bishop's own 160 ft. tall stone castle, which he has been building (with his own two hands) and adding onto since 1969.
Flickr/Chris Waits
Flickr/Texas Tongs
Why a castle, you ask? After buying the land for a mere $450, Bishop intended to construct a cottage for his family, but went above and beyond after hearing comments from neighbors about how the stones made it look like a castle.
Flickr/Chris Waits
Flickr/Texas Tongs
Living in/designing a castle hasn't been quite the fairy tale it's chocked up to be... in fact, Bishop has made several enemies within the government by using rocks he collected from the surrounding National Forest on his home, as well as displaying unauthorized advertisements along the road.
Flickr/Chris Waits

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Flickr/Texas Tongs
The inside of the castle is just as stunning as the outside and features exquisite arches (pictured), colorful stained glass, and iron stairs throughout.
Flickr/JOHN LLOYD
Flickr/Chris Waits
Did we mention there is also a fire breathing dragon made completely out of discarded stainless steel warming plates?
Flickr/Stan Hieronymus
Flickr/wiremommy
Since Bishop remembers missing out on family outings due to the high cost of admission, he doesn't charge for visitors to tour his castle!
Flickr/Peter Ciro
However, please consider leaving a goodwill donation, which funds the additions and maintenance of the castle.

Ready to discover even more Colorado castles? Click on these 9 Jolly Good Colorado Castles That You’ll Want to Live In.

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