The Amphitheater

Castle Park's Greek-styled amphitheater was built in 1922.  A spectacular addition to the grounds, and dedicated to Flora Pennell Parr, it was designed by the late Wellington J. Reynolds, an internationally known sculptor and painter associated with the Chicago Art Institute. Reynolds had been a guest at the Castle every summer since 1913.

During the sixties, Ambrose Holford, a professor of fine arts at the University of Tennessee, and a Castle Park cottage owner, brought a large group of his most talented students up to the Castle to work as the waiters and pixies in the restaurant, while moonlighting on the amphitheater stage. What is remembered fondly from this period are the incredible musicals and talent shows that these young people put on during those summers.

Local talent is on display with the Castle Park Capers, and recent years have featured performances of The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and The Wizard of Oz, among others, all starring our local youth.

Entertainment is only part of the amphitheater's story -- weddings reign supreme when couples tie the knot in this leafy, romantic setting.