live like royalty
Fairytale castle just 3.5 hours from Houston returns to market for $5.5 million
A grand fairytale castle less than 140 miles from Austin has re-entered the housing market for $5.5 million.
The Parsons Castle in Clifton (near Waco) is a glorious cliffside escape with a very apt nickname: The Getaway Capital of Texas.
As CultureMap previously reported, the castle was listed for sale in 2021 for $6.5 million. It didn't sell at the time, so it was taken off the market. Eric Hacker of Hacker Property Group now holds the listing.
"With the price adjustment and with the time lapse in our market, we felt that [$5.5 million] was going to be a much more appealing price for the public and for what this venue has the possibilities of [accomplishing]," Hacker explained to CultureMap.
The castle and event venue, which overlooks Lake Whitney, features 10 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms across 11,500 square feet of space that's destined to make every guest feel like a real royal.
There are balconies on every floor of the five-story castle, a private pool and hot tub, a 3,000-square-foot ballroom, a bridal suite and groom's dressing room, gazebos galore, and much more. Like every good castle, it has a drawbridge and a moat.
The 3,000-square-foot ballroom can do more than host large formal dances, like setting the stage for a beautiful Photo courtesy of Hacker Property Group
The property was bought by its sole owners – Stuart and Rebecca Parsons – in 2005, and the slab that would become the genesis for the castle was poured in 2009. By 2017, the magnificent structure had been fully constructed, and has since lived an illustrious life as a venue for weddings, reunions, and many other special occasions.
Hacker expects his primary audience to be those who already have a business plan lined up to keep the property as an event venue, but he's not counting out potential buyers who fall in love with the castle.
"There could always be an individual who comes in and just falls in love with how special it is and find it appealing for themselves," he says. "But it's really highly accommodating for someone who sees it as an event venue that can hold large events and parties."
Back in 2021, the castle caught the attention of Zillow Gone Wild's Facebook page, with one commenter dubbing it "Taj Ma Y’all."
If $5.5 million seems, well, almost affordable, consider this: The Parsons Castle is cheaper than this other urban palace outside Houston that was the most expensive home in Texas for two years in a row, with a hefty price tag of $65 million.
More information about the Parsons Castle can be found at theparsonscastle.com.