We visited Castle Howard three days ago and it was a very enjoyable experience. Firstly, the gardens: although very little was in bloom, there’s a lot of beautiful statuary and also a large/beautiful fountain. The home is large and has many rooms filled with lovely items. Another very appealing aspect concerns all of the people working there; we spoke to three women working in various section of the home and they were quite friendly, and the young guy working at the ticket desk was equally friendly. There are a few gift shops and they have some nice items. An interesting aspect is that Castle Howard is still lived in by descendants of the original owners.