Christmas only comes once a year.
But at Castle Noel, Christmas is all day, every day, all year long.
Mark Klaus (yes, that’s his last name) spreads joy to Christmas lovers all year with his innovative and mesmerizing Christmas museum, Castle Noel. This museum is the largest Christmas attraction in the nation. Behind each display is a tradition or memory that all visitors can recognize and rejoice in for their love of Christmas.
After growing up around Christmas displays, Mark Klaus said he created Castle Noel to bring the same happiness to people’s faces.
“My family was big on Christmas displays. I watched how people enjoyed having fun at our house,” Klaus said. “So I thought I would take it to the next level and make it something special for people to come.”
Castle Noel contains your favorite Christmas memories
Located in Medina, Ohio, Castle Noel opened in 2013 in a building that used to be a Methodist church. Now, it’s the biggest Christmas museum in the nation, according to Ohio Traveler . It contains Christmas movie memorabilia, original props, and window displays from New York’s famed department stores.
Klaus said the museum revamps exhibits, undertakes renovation projects, and adds new props and items each year. Castle Noel is constantly evolving, making each visit feel fresh every year.
“We're always adding new displays, making the displays we have better, and changing displays,” Klaus said. “There's the one thing people always say is that every year, there's so much new stuff that's pretty cool. So we're just working on it every day.”
Castle Noel displays go beyond Christmas
Though every season feels like Christmas, there’s always something new for visitors to enjoy. This summer, amid all the Christmas decor, they even added a tropical twist with a summer Hawaiian luau attraction , with live Hawaiian dancers and music.
Visitors can participate in a scheduled indoor tour at Castle Noel and get a closer look at familiar Christmas collectibles and props from their favorite Christmas movies.
Castle Noel owners have something new up their sleeve every year
As new exhibits and displays are created at Castle Noel every year, they work to make the museum bigger and better. Klaus is very excited about the new exhibitions and about visitors getting a chance to see them.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is here now, so people get to see a really cool, completely animatronic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. There's new displays all around,” Klaus said. “There's a gingerbread theater with an animatronic gingerbread show, which is really cool.”
Klaus said the yearly ideas for new displays are endless, and he has many more magical ideas for Castle Noel in 2025 and beyond.
“There's no shortage of ideas. I work seven days a week on these displays, and there's no end in sight of what there is to do and what we want to create,” Klaus said.
Castle Noel owner wants visitors to feel nothing but joy
When you step into Castle Noel, the museum is meant to take you into a totally different world where you forget all the trials and tribulations in your life.
Klaus wants everyone who visits Castle Noel to feel merry and forget all the pressures of their lives when they step through the doors. Basically, feeling the happiness and joy of the Christmas season all year long.
“With all the stress there is in the world, I just wanted to make a place where people could be happy," Klaus said. "Everybody could come and be happy and see something that they enjoy, whether it's movie props or display windows or toys—just something to make people happy.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Christmas in December? No, all year! Pay a visit to Castle Noel, Ohio's Christmas museum
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