Tired of waiting for the carnival to come to town to take a spin on the Ferris wheel? You are lucky. A new listing in Jackson, California, comes with not one, but two of the theme park’s staples.
Locals call the property, a turreted stone mansion with that carnival right in its front yard, Amador Castle. And yes, the rides — and a circus’ worth of aluminum animals — are included in the $3.99 million asking price.
“I grew up here and every time we drove by when I was a kid, I’d want to check it out,” said Allan Lee Veto III of Foundation Real Estate. “When I found out I got the list, it was pretty surreal.”
The custom-built three-story bedstead is in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, 125 miles east of San Francisco. It was built in 1985 – hence the carpeted bathrooms – as a single family home. The original owner, a woman now in her 70s, still lives in the 8,500-square-foot castle. It’s filled with antique furniture and good enough to keep the Pun Stars hosts happy for months.
“She’s accumulated a lot of stuff over the years,” Veto said, adding that the owner is happy to negotiate if the buyer wants something. “I don’t know where the hell he’s going to put everything when he moves, to be honest. It’s definitely not at hoarding levels because it’s so clean and organized, but the amount of stuff it has because of the space it has is crazy!”
Over the years, the house, which is co-owned by the original owner and a local couple, also served as party center. The lie in the turreted arch marking the driveway entrance? A larger-than-life Sasquatch statue.
“Every year for his birthday, one of the owners would have a big blowout at the castle,” Veto said. “I’ve had realtors come who say: ‘Oh yes, I was here for parties, I was drunk and I gave birth here.’ ”
Carnival rides were actually bought for those parties – but they were never intended as a source of income. “He didn’t sell tickets or anything else,” Veto said. “It would just give the city something to talk about.” Although they are the first thing a potential buyer sees because you can’t see the house from the road, these days travel is more of an afterthought.
“We couldn’t estimate what the circus equipment was worth, so we didn’t take it into consideration when we were valuing the property,” Veto said.
That said, his client told him he thinks he invested at least half a million dollars in the mini-Coney Island. Beyond those two Ferris wheels, there’s a train ride, bumper cars — which his customer says are always everyone’s favorite — and a ride called the Octopus.
“It goes up and down and the individual cars rotate,” explains Veto. “It’s a ride!” (For the less adventurous, the listing includes entertaining space on the back deck, which, according to an aerial image, has no fewer than 10 tables and a separate bar area.)
Other highlights of the seven-bedroom, six-bathroom home, which was listed in 2019 for $2.9 million, include an elevator and a 3,000-square-foot banquet room — complete with a commercial kitchen and an Elvis statue in real size. Holding court in the adjacent seating area is a 6-foot pirate who looks a lot like Jack Sparrow with a little less eyeliner. The spacious, 12-seat bar is decorated with some tasteful taxidermy and a circa-1996 tube television.
If you’re worried about bidding wars, don’t be. Despite a big push on social media and an open house, the 28-acre property has yet to receive any offers.
“We’re playing the long game right now,” Veto said. However, he has had shows with local developers who like that it comes with four separate 5-acre parcels. “Four of the lots already have wells and septic systems installed.”
In other words, there might be an actual toilet nearby if you make the mistake of eating before boarding the Octopus. Veto says all rides are functional – well, sort of.
“They have a woodpecker problem right now, so the Ferris wheel seats are kind of messed up,” he said. “The owner says this happens every few years, so the new buyer will have to replace the seats.”
