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Old home ownership is not for the faint of heart (trust us, we know!), but we're here to help!

We've teamed up with our friends at History Nebraska to bring you a series designed to demystify maintaining and preserving your old home or building. We're calling it This Old Castle, and you're invited to learn alongside us from the best experts in town. 

The Joslyn Castle & Gardens is celebrating 120 years in 2023, and with that achievement comes renewed enthusiasm and drive to continue our mission of preserving and sharing this important piece of Omaha’s history with future generations.

In 2022, our Board of Directors Buildings and Grounds committee met regularly with engineers and architects to identify our most pressing structural concerns. This structural triage of the campus identified the Conservatory as our most urgent priority.

Four local nonprofits are welcoming the community to an open house on the Joslyn Castle campus from 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29. One Omaha, Refugee Women Rising, Joslyn Castle & Gardens, and Eat N’ Talk Africa are collaborating on this unique GivingTuesday event that pairs historic Omaha with culinary experiences from around the world.

Meg Welch recently joined our staff ranks and during her brief tenure as a member of the team, she has made quite the impression. It’s hard to imagine how we lived so long without her.

“I started volunteering at the Castle because it’s a place I’ve wanted to be. I’ve always had a certain love for the Castle,” she said, “Its aesthetic is incredible, I love that it’s a center for the arts, and that is how it was donated to the city. I like what they’re doing, I like where they’re going. I want to be a part of that.”

The Joslyn Castle and Gardens Guild has had a very busy Fall season planning our annual Holiday preview party and Boutique. It was a lovely affair with 17 vendors, many of them new to the Boutique this year. The Castle was decked out in her Christmas finery. If you were not able to come this year, we hope that you put it on your calendar for next November.

2022 has been a year of growth, change and celebration at Joslyn Castle & Gardens. 

Our annual list of diverse programs and events grew to include new interactive murder mysteries, a new, free summer Concert at the Castle, the Poetry and Art series, in collaboration with Joslyn Art Museum, the return of the informative Architecture on Tap series, our first-ever Indigenous Peoples Day event, the hit Legends and Libations event, and the new This Old Castle series.

When the Joslyn Castle & Gardens was recently approached about an opportunity to bring organ music back into the historic home, the answer was an enthusiastic YES!

A crew of four church friends with a passion for salvaging historic organs sprang into action. Westminster Presbyterian at 35th and Woolworth was undergoing an ownership change and was looking to rehome their original pipe organ, installed when the church was built around 1923. Who could possibly house this giant instrument?

While the Joslyn Castle is a must-see year-round for tourists and locals alike, there is something extra special about visiting our historic treasure during the holidays! Here are our top five reasons to visit us this season!

“We shape our buildings; thereafter, our buildings shape us.” – Winston Churchill

2018 was transformative for the physical structures and grounds of the Joslyn Castle estate. From the large-scale projects (front steps), to the smaller fine-tuning (curtains), the Castle has not shined this brightly since George and Sarah called it home.

No business like POE business! The Joslyn Castle is excited to announce our 9th annual Art and Literary Festival: Edgar Allan Poe - The Master of Mystery and Macabre!

The Joslyn Castle is excited to announce the first-ever Castlepalooza, a FREE neighborhood festival scheduled for June 2, 2018 on the grounds of the historic estate!

The Joslyn Castle is proud to announce Sidney Gnann has been hired as the new executive director. Mr. Gnann comes to the Joslyn Castle from Five Rivers MetroParks in Dayton, Ohio where he served as the RiverScape Manager.

In this season of giving and gratitude, we reflect on the incredible philanthropic legacy George and Sarah Joslyn left to the city of Omaha.

One of the most beloved traditions at the Joslyn Castle is our annual Art and Literary Festival. In 2017, we are celebrating another successful weeklong festival of literature, art, music, theatre and poetry within the Castle walls.

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