This day trip takes my photojournalist Jason Sill and me to the small town of Lily, but we might as well be in the countryside of England or France. On this trip we check out Solomon's Castle. The door to the castle unlocks a gallery filled with the whimsical creations of the King of the castle. Howard Solomon uses oil drums, coat hangers, and spare car parts. He even crafted a chair out of 86 beer cans. "I was trying to drink 150 cans because I wanted to
make a couch," jokes Howard.

The gallery also shows off Howard's off-beat humor. And he's ready with a one-liner for each and every piece. One item in his gun collection. It's a gun made from a bumper jack and half of a hacksaw. Howard explains, "That's called a hacked off jacksaw. You've got to be careful how you say that."

The internationally known sculptor has more than 300 pieces throughout the castle, even dating back to his very first; one he made as a child. "I grew up during The Depression and nobody had money for
toys," he says. "You made your own toys."

He continues to make his own toys today and he even plans to add another building to showcase his newest works. When I asked if he thought he might run out of ideas he dismissed the idea. "I'll run out of life, but not ideas. Junk is very inspirational."

Howard's ultimate masterpiece is his largest, the castle he built in 1972. It stands 60-feet high and is 12,000 square feet. Keeping with his recycling theme, the outside is made from discarded printing plates from a local newspaper. "Tin castles are for temporary kings, you have reign before it rusts. I made it out of aluminum so it won't rust."

The castle is just part of Solomon's 70-acre estate. You can walk the nature trail with bridges crossing over the moat. Howard explains, "When I found out it was swamp I figured I better build something tall and palaces were too expensive to furnish."

Once you've seen all of solomon's castle and you've toured the grounds, you've probably worked up quite an appetite, so Howard built the Boat in the Moat Restuarant, which by the way is a boat in a moat. So who would have thought you could take Southwest Florida's trash and turn it into truly one of its
treasures.

Solomon's Castle is located in Lily.
To get here from Southwest Florida:
Take I-75 North
Take exit #164/PUNTA GORDA/ARCADIA onto DUNCAN RD(US-17 N) toward ARCADIA
Once in Arcadia, turn LEFT on SR-70
After about 4 miles, bear RIGHT on CR-661
Go another 10 miles, and then turn LEFT on CR-663(CR-665)
Start looking for signs, and then bear LEFT on S CR-663(CR-665)
Continue on CR-665 for about 7 miles.
Turn RIGHT on SOLOMON RD

The castle's mailing address is actually in Ona.

The castle is open from 11 am to 4 pm everyday except Monday.

Tours are $10 for adults and $4 for children under 12.

For more information, visit http://www.solomonscastle.org/