Historical Tours
Saturdays, April 4th through Sept. 26th, and the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, June through August, 10 am to 1 pm
Come to Ione and enjoy an informative historical tour of the magnificent Preston Castle and surrounding grounds. The strikingly beautiful Romanesque style Preston Castle, on a hill in Ione, was actually the administration building for the Preston School of Industry, the first major attempt in California at rehabilitating, instead of just imprisoning, young offenders. Opened in 1894, the Preston School of Industry became a leader in the juvenile prison reform movement by giving convicted boys a real chance at life by educating them not only in academics, but in all of the useful trades of the time. Closed in 1960, when the Preston Youth Authority moved into a new administration building down the hill, the Preston Castle was left to deteriorate due to weather, vandalism, and general neglect. It now serves as a vacant, but vitally important landmark for Ione, Amador County, and the Motherlode. It is aCalifornia State Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tours: $10, $5 ages 12 and under, free under 5
Preston Castle Golf Classic
Thursday, May 14
11 am registration, 1 pm Shotgun - Castle Oaks Golf Course, 1000 Castle Oaks Dr, Ione
The 10th annual Preston Castle Golf Classic returns Thursday, May 14 at the Castle Oaks Golf Course in Ione. Your day starts at 11 am with registration, lunch, and a putting contest, followed by a 1:00 pm shotgun start. Besides golf and cart, your Registration includes lunch, putting contest, and other prize opportunities. Your day of golf doesn’t end there -- it also includes dinner at the Castle Oaks Clubhouse with the chance to win outstanding raffle prizes. Don’t miss this sell-out golf tournament - register now. Your $95 entry fee will support efforts to restore the Castle. Tickets are also available for guests of golfers at $25 for dinner only.
Register, by May 7, on the Preston Castle website, www.prestoncastle.com or by mailing your check to Preston Castle Foundation at P.O. Box 488, Ione, CA 95640. Registration forms will also be available at the Castle Oaks clubhouse and Clark’s Corner. For more information, call Jackie or Tom at (209) 274-2166 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
ParaCon at the Castle
May 29 and 30
Castle Spirits hosts Preston Castle Foundation’s First Annual Benefit Paranormal Conference. Castle Spirits is a paranormal investigation team that has served as the Preston Castle's overnight paranormal docents for the past five years. All proceeds from this event will go towards the preservation and rehabilitation of the Preston Castle.
Two packages are available:
The Visitation: $100; ParaCon all day Saturday, May 30, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. with numerous guest speakers and workshops.
The Full Possession: $150; includes a Meet and Greet from 7 pm to 9 pm Friday evening, May 29, in the Preston Castle Courtyard, Paracon at the Castle all day Saturday, May 30, and a 2 hour investigation of the Castle on Saturday night.
We will have up to 3 different investigation times Sat. night, with a maximum of 30 people per time. Buy your tickets according to which time you want for your investigation.
The Guest Speakers are a Who’s Who of the paranormal world. See website for additional information and tickets: www.prestoncastle.com
Photographer’s Days
Sunday, June 28, Noon to 4 pm,
Sunday, September 6, 4 pm to 8 pm
On Photographer’s Day you can roam the castle on a self-guided tour. Visitors are allowed four hours to explore the non-restricted areas of the castle. This gives you the time you need to set up shots without rushing to keep up the pace of our normal informative tours. Come to one, two, or all three – you will never run out of cool shots. Note the dates are on Sunday, and the September date includes twilight/evening light. $40 per person. Limited to 100 tickets each day. Buy your tickets early as these always sell out. www.prestoncastle.com
Dead Man’s Chest - Murder Mystery Dinner Party at the Castle
Friday and Saturday, August 14th and 15th, 6 pm to 9 pm
The Mystick Krewe of Cochon is having an end of Mardi Gras Ball hosted by Governor Fayette Warren and his wife, Raylene. There are lots of surprises planned, including some pirates, of course, so you absolutely must attend! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to solve a murder (or two). Are you up the challenge? We’re taking you back in time to 1857 New Orleans during Mardi Gras. We want you to be fully involved in the murder mystery, so please come in costume.
Enjoy dinner in the Preston Castle Courtyard and be part of the action as events unfold around you. Observe, ask questions, and use your super sleuth skills to figure out “who done it?”
A no host bar will have a nice selection of drinks available for purchase, including our killer Hurricane.
Limited to 100 tickets, each night. Get yours now! Tickets: $45, available at Clark’s Corner, or online at www.prestoncastle.com. Call 209-256-3623 for more information and/or tickets.
Amador Arts TGIF Concert
Friday, August 21, 6 pm to 8 pm
2015 will be the 17th year of Amador Arts Council’s TGIF Free Summer Concerts featuring talented bands in various beautiful venues around our county. Take advantage of the opportunity to listen to some great music in the shadow of the majestic Preston Castle.
Wine Tasting & Tour
Saturday, September 12, 3 - 6 pm
Preston Castle, Palm Drive, Ione
Taste the fine wines of Amador County and experience the history of the majestic Preston Castle. Attendees will sample fine wines, poured by 15 different wineries, from commemorative Preston Castle wine glasses.
Sip a glass of wine, enjoy a variety of gourmet hors d'oeuvres, and listen to live music on the patio where the food will be served, and in front of the Castle where the wineries will be pouring.
Last year’s wineries included: Bray, Clos du Lac, Cooper, Drytown, Karmere, Nine Gables, Sera Fina, Sobon, Story, Tanis, Terra d’Oro, TKC, Turley, Vino Noceto, and Wine Tree Farm.
This is our 11th annual Wine Tasting and Tour. It continues to be one of Amador County's premier wine events, and is always a sellout, so get your tickets now! Tickets: $40. Tickets are available at Clark’s Corner, or online at www.prestoncastle.com. Call 209-256-3623 for more information and/or tickets.
Preston Castle Halloween Haunt
Friday, Oct. 16, Saturday, Oct. 17, Friday, Oct. 23, Saturday, Oct. 24, and Friday, Oct. 30, starting at 6:30 pm
The event you've been waiting for, Halloween 2015 at the magnificent, eerie, scary, Preston Castle!
Featured on Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, come experience Northern California's only REAL Haunted House! The Preston Castle will be having special tours before Halloween, October 16th, 17th, 23th, 24th, and 30th.
This is a fun "scare" tour and not a historical tour of the entire Castle. This year's Haunt will be bigger and better, and you will see some new areas of the Castle this year.
We will have vendors with a variety of food options, and drinks, popcorn, and other munchies, as well as some really great T-Shirts and other merchandise, available for purchase. Adults - $20, students with ID - $10.
Halloween Costume Ball
Halloween Night, Saturday, October 31, 7 pm to 11 pm
A fun Halloween Night event at the magnificent, eerie, scary, Preston Castle!
Come to a masquerade ball in your finest Halloween outfits. Dance to great music provided by our very own Devilish DJ. A no host bar will be available to quench your thirst and food vendors for your stomach.
Of course there will be costume contests and other fun stuff. Come and party, if you dare! Tickets - $20, adults only, 18 and over.
Olde Tyme Christmas
Saturday, Dec. 12, Sunday, Dec. 13, 10 am to 4 pm
Travel back to Victorian times at the beautiful Preston Castle and find lots of interesting arts, crafts, jewelry, baked goods, and other gift items while listening to Christmas Carols. Crafts for kids. Also, Santa will be available for your wish lists.
For the last time this year, you may take a tour of the historic Preston Castle.
For Vendor information, contact Tuesday (916) 967-8770, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Overnight Ghost Tours
Thanks to our partnership with an experienced Paranormal Research Group, the Preston Castle Foundation is excited to offer opportunities for visitors to spend the night in the Preston Castle.
Now you can have the opportunity to spend a night in this truly scary Castle with a small number of other ghost hunters.
You will have access to three floors of the Castle throughout the night with only your flashlight and paranormal investigation gear along for comfort.
Experiences at the castle have included EVP, humming, whispers, touching, channeling, and seeing and recording orbs and apparitions. There have been no harmful events and no one has been hurt during these overnight events.
Numerous Paranormal research groups have investigated this location and report that it is one of the most active sites they have had the pleasure to experience. You will also have the chance to learn paranormal investigation techniques if you wish to do so.
Every person venturing through the castle will have a docent with them to insure their safety throughout the evening.
Tickets are $100 per person, limited to 15 guests each night. Investigations typically start at 7 pm and last until 4 am, when everyone leaves the Castle. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.prestoncastle.com
