Castles are fascinating structures to behold. Especially in the United States, since we don't have castles like you find in other countries such as throughout Europe; most people are fascinated by the beautiful architecture of castles. A lot can be learned from the history of castles. Kids can learn about history and enjoy role playing with castle toys.  If you'd like to read about a moden marvel, read my hub about Edward Leedskalnin's Coral Castle - a fascinating place!

There are many types of castle toys available, from delicate feminine castles to roaring medieval castles and lots of characters to interact with. Boys and girls alike can enjoy hours of engaging play with castles and their inhabitants - kings, queens, princesses, princes, jesters, noblemen, knights, horses and more.

If you're searching for a great castle gift for your little one, or someone else's, here are some great options to consider:

Melissa and Doug make really great toys - safe, durable and enjoyable! This wodden folding medieval castle is no exception. It opens fully so that more that one child can play together and have access to the castle. Its sturdy wood construction features hand-painted accents, a functioning draw bridge and a trap door. This castle has received exceptional reviews on Amazon from people who have purchased it - that's a great sign of a good product!

Pair this castle with Melissa and Doug's Deluxe Castle Dolls Playset and your child will enjoy hours of fun with this castle.

This is a beautiful solid wood castle with hand-painted accents, two removeable turrets, balconies, flag, a working drawbridge and flying buytress. It also opens fully for easy access by multiple playmates - when unfolded / open fully, it is 3 feet long! This castle will provide tons of opportunity for play and is durable enough to last years. The Melissa & Doug Royal Family figures go great with it, as well as many other figures, such as Playmobil and the small Disney Princesses.

This Dragon World Fortress by Fisher Price is geared more toward boys, but that's not to say that many a little girl wouldn't enjoy it, too! It has a guard dragon that is activated by turning a disc and there are cool sound effects and secrets for kids to discover. Comes with three figures that can unlock the many secrets of the dragon castle.

Pair this with the fierce Imaginext dragons that include cool sound effects and motion.

Let your little ones use their imagination to design and build their very own castle with this 137-piece Lego set. This is an ideal set for young, inexperienced builders. It comes with instructions to build a castle with a drawbridge and catapult and includes minifigure and special elements.

Have fun at the beach, park or backyard with this 20-piece sandcastle set. Let your child's imagination run free and build a castle out of sand. This great set comes with everything you need for sand castle building and it all stores and can be carried in a convenient open-weave basket, great for shaking out all the loose sand before storing it!

Fisher Price's new Precious Places line includes this Swan Palace, which holds a lot of discoveries to be made. Use the included figures to activate a magical entrance. Includes thrones for the princess and her prince, the area transforms into a banquet table filled with food, there's a hidden bed and mirrored dressing room that has storage for the princess's decorative head pieces. There's also a second-level dance floor where the prince and his princess can waltz the night away.

There's also lots of accessories in the Precious Places line that can be purchased separately.

Here's a castle they can play INSIDE of! It's five feet tall and is actually two pieces that fit inside one another for easy storage. Has a steel frame with durable double side printed fabric for a realistic castle look. It even comes with a dress-up set!