Bolton Landing Vacation Homes by John & Yvonne

My wife Yvonne and I have been hosting guests from all over the world since 2010. When you can bring joy to others in life, It's not 'work'. We thank YOU for giving purpose & meaning to what we do.

John A. Lavender II - owner of Highlands Castle.

Highlands Castle was born from a promise I made to my young son...
“Someday I’ll build a house where we both will live… a place we’ll call home.
A place where you can bring your friends and create special memories… someday Jason I will build you a castle."

Looking back to 1978, my 3-year old son would likely have never remembered these words. The promise had more to do with a desire to build a better life, than an actual castle.

It would be another 5-years before the ideal property presented itself, a mountaintop in Bolton Landing, NY.

While clearing the land for the foundation, a picture was being painted with a chain saw rather than a brush. Within a matter of weeks, the most spectacular view in the world was uncovered. The majesty of Lake George and the Adirondack Mountains seemed as grateful as I was to be unveiled. How was it, that I would be the one to settle here? Was it simply luck or something much greater? I believe it was the latter, and that I was led to this specific spot for a reason.

Once the foundation was completed, the wood framing construction was to the roof in a few months and the structure began to find its outward appearance. I finally graduated from the living quarters of a tent to a mattress on the floor, which was fine with me… I was quite happy to be sleeping in my own home.

In 1986, I met Yvonne, the woman who 'turned a pile of rocks into a home'. We were married here in 1992, and my parents who were both Methodist pastors officiated our ceremony. (In 2008, my son Jason & Mary would be married at Highlands Castle with his grandparents also officiating their wedding).

"Jason, I promised that I would build you a castle, I didn't say you wouldn't be helping me!"... So, when Jason was a teenager, he joined in the stonework. Naturally resourceful, he recruited his football teammates to lend some muscle over the summer months. Their daily mantra was "Let's rock!" and they took great pride in what they accomplished while working together again as a team. (Jason was not only an impressive stonemason, but he also went on to earn an Architectural Engineering Degree, and achieve anything he put his mind to).

The stonework was a slow, tedious process and the labor of laying up more than 1,000 tons of local granite would take decades. Over the past 40+ years, the property would evolve into what it is today... a series of three castles.

In 2010, my wife Yvonne and I decided to make Highlands Castle available so others could experience what our family has been so fortunate to enjoy. Since then, families & friends from all over the world have gathered here to create their own special memories. We hope you'll visit us, too!

Poised on a graceful mountainside overlooking majestic Lake George, a castle awaits you...

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