A few weeks ago, I went on my first outing with SoCal Smarties, a Smart Car enthusiast meet-up group. More about them in another post. I didn't expect much from the outing and didn't look up info on the meet up location prior to heading out to Glendora on a gloomy Saturday morning. I am here to tell you that Rubel's Castle is the coolest thing in L.A. that you've probably never heard of. I am a local and this place wasn't even vaguely familiar. I have since told nearly everyone that I have encountered and no one else has a clue about the place. It's a hidden gem.

At first glance, it doesn't look like much. It's in a wealthy neighborhood up in the Hills of Glendora and the enormous perimeter is fenced. There is very little to look at from the outside.

The magic is inside. It's like a mix of a Renaissance Fair, WDW's defunct Adventurers Club and The Magic Castle. It's completely crazy and enormous. The property was originally a citrus packing plant. I am so excited about this place, that I don't want to tell you any of the cool stories, so that you can go take a tour and hear them for yourself. GO!!! The property is now run by the Glendora Historical Society and they offer tours on certain days of the month or for private groups. GO!!! Here are a few more teaser pictures...

There is a cemetery.

A small part of the Castle and not by a long shot the crazy part of the property.

And a sign that I liked. Just a few pictures to show a little without killing the magic. Rubel's Castle is really what happens when an adult is given the means to live out his childhood dreams and he decides to run wild with his imagination. I think that MIchael Rubel created something that we all wish that we had the guts to create. Not that we all want to build a castle out of junk, but we wish that we could relax enough to allow ourselves to dream big and see what could come of it. Seriously, go see this place, it's both nutty and inspirational.