How about an amusement park with your home? ‘Amador Castle’ hits market for $4M
When visiting the notable Amador Castle in the Sierra foothills, guests first see a menagerie of metal animals and other statues lining the 500-foot driveway: horses, giraffes, elephants, bighorn sheep, a Sasquatch figure, stagecoaches.
Then, they come to the property’s private amusement park with Ferris wheels, bumper cars, a train track, rides and a merry-go-round.
Eventually, they get to the stunning main residence, the fortress-like home known as Amador Castle. The compound, which sits on nearly 28 acres in Jackson, is for sale for nearly $4 million. Jackson is a little more than an hour southeast of Sacramento.
The main residence (16390 Ridge Road) spans 8,500-square feet with seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, two kitchens, an elevator, a full bar and banquet hall. It’s designed for entertainment on a grand scale. The theme park can be seen from the road, often catching the attention of curious passersby.
“I think the property is beautiful,” said listing agent Allan Lee Veto III of Foundation Real Estate. “I think that it’s a host’s dream. The first impression that I got, I had butterflies in my stomach when I was able to go up there and see the property, because I’ve driven by it so many times throughout my life, always seeing that carnival.
“I get a ton of calls off the sign with people asking ‘Why do they have the carnival there? Do they have kids?’”
The theme park wasn’t part of the original home, built in 1985. Back then, it was solely owned by Bonny Aparicio and her husband. A couple decades later, John Hertzig and his wife joined Aparicio as owners and the property took on a more whimsical feeling.
“(John) is the one who’s a little bit more eccentric,” Veto said. “He’s the one who set up the circus and all that stuff. ... John just likes to give people something to talk about.”
Veto recalls Hertzig explaining why he set up the amusement park in a local television story.
“You can hear John pretty much say, ‘Hey, why would you want to grow up? We’re supposed to grow up and stop having fun. I want to have fun and enjoy myself for all my life.’ He threw birthday parties there. He would have parties for his staff, his businesses and host different things. Bonny has done a couple in the past. She has held weddings there several times. But they were never going after it like in a business sense.”
The metal animal zoo along the driveway and the fully functioning carnival rides — including the “octopus” — will transfer to the new owner, Veto said. The exact asking price is $3.995 million.
Hertzig, an wealthy entrepreneur who owns a paving company, also remodeled the kitchen and entertainment areas and added the elevator.
Veto said the property would be an ideal venue for a winery or events. There’s a gorgeous, expansive stone-tile patio in the back, a 3,000-square-foot bar area and a banquet hall.
“Come take a look at this one of a kind estate for your wedding venues, winery, bed and breakfast or come build your family’s legacy,” the property listing says.
In addition to the main home, the property has been divided into four other 5-acre parcels, three of which are already equipped with well and septic systems. The property includes a 3,000-square-foot shop, which could store an RV, boats, cars and equipment.
The home hit the market about a month ago and is the highest-priced listing in Jackson. It is also among the highest-priced in all of Amador County, according to figures from Sacramento appraiser and market analyst Ryan Lundquist.
There is a 213-acre property at 16920 Greilich Road listed at $6.4 million. Also, a winery and event center, sitting on 60 acres at 19900 Shanandoah School Road, is on the market for $7.2 million, which The Sacramento Bee wrote about in May 2022. Both properties are in Plymouth.
This story was originally published August 6, 2022 at 7:00 AM with the headline "How about an amusement park with your home? ‘Amador Castle’ hits market for $4M."
