MEDINA, Ohio – More than a decade ago, Mark Klaus started scouting locations for what he promised would become the largest year-round indoor Christmas attraction in the country.
He considered communities from to Utah to New York, including the well-established tourist towns of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri.
But he, along with wife and business partner Dana Klaus, settled on downtown Medina, the quaint, Victorian-era community just southwest of Cleveland.
And Medina hasn’t been quite the same since.
In November and December in particular, the town is transformed into a Christmas-themed tourist mecca, drawing busloads of travelers from across the country – some from across the globe – to experience some of that Klaus-created holiday magic.
Castle Noel – part museum, part interactive entertainment zone, part nostalgic romp – opened in November 2013 and is celebrating its 10th anniversary season this holiday. Over the years, thousands of visitors have made the pilgrimage to Medina, seeking tidings of great joy followed by a ride down Ralphie’s red slide.
“This is the perfect town,” said Klaus, 59, who grew up in Parma and now lives in Akron. “It looks like a scene from a Hallmark movie.”
On a recent visit, a group of long-time friends and former Bedford High School classmates broke out in song when they saw a display featuring the costume of Cleveland’s favorite Christmas elf, Mr. Jingeling, “the keeper of the keys.”
“This whole place is magic,” said Fran Ruscitto of Lyndhurst. “It makes you feel like a kid again,” said Gloria Chalfant, of Akron.
But it wasn’t always so.
The development was met with some skepticism a decade ago, when the Klauses first proposed their attraction for the vacant former United Methodist Church building on S. Court Street, just a half-block off the town’s historic square.
Medina, population 26,000, has made a concerted effort in recent decades to maintain a sophisticated, historic look and feel to its quaint downtown.
How would a Christmas-themed, pop-culture museum fit in? (Or, worse, the Klauses’ companion attraction, Alien Vacation Mini Golf, which operates out of the church basement?)
Mark Klaus recalled one local resident asking Dana shortly after the museum opened: “What’s going to happen in six weeks when you’re gone?”
Long-time Medina real estate agent Jim Gerspacher, who helped the Klauses find and purchase the Medina church and adjacent buildings, said people always worry about what is unfamiliar.
“Initially, his activity over there was not as warmly welcomed as perhaps it should have been – because it was different,” Gerspacher said.
The community, he said, has come around.
“It’s such an interesting, wonderful, fun place,” said Kathy Breitenbucher, interim director of the Medina County Visitors Bureau. “It’s been transformative in Medina County.”
Added Gerspacher, “He’s bringing a lot of people in who have never been to Medina before. Plus, he has a lot of people who keep coming back.”
Indeed, the attraction is part of the reason Gerspacher is planning to start construction next year on a new hotel across the street from Castle Noel.
Read more: New hotel planned for downtown Medina, first since the 1950s
Christmas with the Griswolds
Mark Klaus credits his father, the late Gene Klaus (yes, Klaus is his family name), with fostering his love of an over-the-top Christmas. “My dad was the original Clark Griswold,” said Klaus. He hung a 16-foot tree from the ceiling in the living room and created high-wattage holiday displays in their neighborhood that drew crowds of onlookers.
From an early age, Mark Klaus was creating his own fantasylands – building a model of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in his basement and creating haunted houses for neighborhood children to tour.
“It was always my dream to create a family attraction,” said Klaus. “When you come to my place, I want you to completely forget what’s outside. Everything is oversized, fantasy.”
A carpenter and artist, Klaus purchased his first piece of movie memorabilia years ago at a charity benefit – doughnuts from the 2000 film, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
The collection kept growing until he decided he needed a place to display it all, first in Brecksville, then in North Olmsted and finally in Medina.
The couple decided to stay in Northeast Ohio in part because they both grew up here and have family here. Classmates at Normandy High School in the late 1970s, Mark and Dana reconnected years later and were married 14 years ago.
“I wanted it somewhere where I could play with it every single day,” said Mark Klaus. “When I see people walk by having this overwhelming experience – that makes it all worthwhile.”
Mark is the creative force behind Castle Noel, designing and building the exhibits; Dana manages the business side, coordinating bus tours, hiring and training tour guides, keeping the gift shop stocked.
They have six children between them, including two who work at the museum.
Today, Klaus’ collection numbers in the thousands and includes costumes and props from some of the most beloved holiday movies from the last 50 years, plus an incredible showcase of holiday window displays from Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and numerous others.
Among the many memorable items on display:
* Several Sweet Shoppe Windows, with twirling cupcakes and animated baked goods, created in 2015 for Lord & Taylor’s (since closed) flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York; Nutcracker-themed windows from Saks, and around-the-world scenes from Bloomingdale’s. New this year: Two rare windows from Walt Disney World, depicting scenes from “Snow White” and “101 Dalmatians.”
* Costumes and props from dozens of films and TV shows, including “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “The Santa Clause,” “A Christmas Carol” and “Elf.” The “Elf” exhibit includes Will Ferrell’s iconic green Buddy suit, plus a nearly identical purple one used in a deleted hockey scene; the “Grinch” features Jim Carrey’s original yak-and-spandex suit, plus the bedroom set from Cindy Lou Who.
* Several interactive spaces, including the Blizzard Vortez spinning room (“If you start to get dizzy, just put your hand on the rails,” advised guide Mike Schurdell); the Santa Chimney Squeeze (“where Santa practices going down chimneys”); and a “Frozen” sing-along.
Also new this year: a major expansion to the “I Had That” Toyland Experience, a walk-through work of art, decorated with Matchbox Cars, a Barbie Dreamhouse, Lite Brite, Cabbage Patch Kids and more.
“Every time you come there’s something new,” said Klaus, who makes a practice of regularly walking through the museum, greeting guests as they’re touring.
Visits are by guided tour only, which allows guests to hear some of the backstories on the exhibits. (For example: Jim Carrey hated his Grinch suit and makeup so much, the movie producers hired a CIA expert in torture to help the actor cope.)
Since late 2020, tours have been by reservation only, a lasting impact of the pandemic, which closed the venue for more than half the year.
Also due to the pandemic, in both 2020 and 2021, visits with Santa took place at Castle Noel with St. Nick safely ensconced in his glass-enclosed mailroom, perusing letters from good girls and boys.
This year, he’s back atop Santa’s Mountain, a recreation of the department store scene from “A Christmas Story,” the 1983 movie that was (partially) filmed in Cleveland.
Visitors can choose to can end their tour with a ride down a replica red slide from the film, channeling their inner Ralphie.
Outside, there’s Cousin Eddie’s RV from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” which will be the centerpiece of a new dining experience, Bad Relatives (previously called Cousin Eddie Patio Pub), opening next year. Also coming next year: a virtual reality Santa sleigh ride adventure, a tiki bar and more science fiction fun inside Alien Golf.
Klaus, with no hint of irony, promises that if he ever wins the lottery, he’ll create something really spectacular.
“I would have a heyday creating something really over the top,” he said.
Now that would be something to see.
If you go: Castle Noel
What: Christmas-themed pop culture museum in downtown Medina.
Where: 260 S. Court St., Medina, about 30 miles southwest of Cleveland.
Tickets: Tours are by reservation only and are expected to sell out in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Tickets are $27.50-$29.50 for adults, depending on the day; $22.50 for ages 12 and under.
When: The museum and Alien Vacation Mini Golf are open year-round, with the exception of several weeks in late January and early February. Hours vary. See castlenoel.com
More: Downtown Medina is home to numerous shops, restaurants and special events, including this weekend’s Medina Candlelight Walk. For information: mainstreetmedina.com, visitmedinacounty.com
