Oakland Township, Michigan
Modeled after a medieval castle, this five-bedroom home in a Detroit suburb is more than 60 feet high and has hidden doors, passageways, and staircases, as well as 26 rooms, including secret rooms.
The house, built in 1990, also has an elevator, five fireplaces, ornate carved wood and other details, and an open living room and dining area with vaulted, coffered ceilings and arched windows. The wooded 6.25-acre property includes a moat with a drawbridge. $2,500,000. Dylan Tent, Signature Sotheby's International Realty, (248) 990-0356.
Pinecrest, Florida
The backyard of this 2019 six-bedroom home includes a large tree house with a porch, swing, and climbing wall. The light, airy main house features an open layout, floor-to-ceiling windows lining corridors and walls, a primary suite with dual sinks and a walk-in closet, and two detached, separate-entrance guest quarters.
The 0.8-acre property, 30 minutes from Miami, has native landscaping, an outdoor kitchen, and an 80-foot-long pool with a bathing shelf. $5,800,000. Alexandra Sierra, Compass, (305) 281-0175.
Madison, Wisconsin
This 2019 five-bedroom home on Lake Mendota has a spiral metal slide connecting the three upstairs bedroom suites to the first floor. The open-layout main level has a game room and theater as well as a chef's kitchen and a living room with fireplace and water views.
Outside are patios, a three-car garage with a green roof, a basketball court, and 99 feet of sandy-bottom, gradual-entry lakefront. $4,000,000. Shelly Sprinkman, Sprinkman Real Estate, (608) 220-1453.
Lehi, Utah
The centerpiece of this contemporary home is a 1,300-square-foot indoor basketball court with concrete walls, the same flooring as the Utes' court, and a mechanical door to the backyard. The house also has five en suite bedrooms; a gourmet kitchen; and a main space with floor-to-ceiling windows, heated polished concrete floors, and fireplace.
The 0.7-acre lot in the Travers Mountain foothills includes a 40-foot infinity pool, a hot tub, and lake and mountain views. $5,200,000. Preston Hicks, Jason Mitchell Real Estate Utah, (801) 310-3375.
Greensboro, Georgia
The backyard of this organic-modern four-bedroom on Lake Oconee has a pool with a hot tub, lazy river, waterslide, waterfall, firepits, and cave. The house features a two-story living area with built-in stone planters full of tropical foliage; a movie theater; and a chef's kitchen with pantry and prep area.
Outside are a covered porch with a pizza oven, grill, smoker, and fireplace; the pool; a putting green; and a private dock on the lake. $3,250,000. Shanna Bradley, Ansley Real Estate/Luxury Portfolio International, (404) 808-6295.
Essex, New York
Lake Champlain's Crater Club, a private summer community, has its own kids' camp. This 0.6-acre parcel includes a 1930 three-bedroom rustic main house featuring wood-clad interiors, a living room with fireplace, skylights, and vaulted raftered ceilings, an eat-in kitchen with breakfast room, and a large screened porch; there is also a one-bedroom guest cottage.
The community offers a clubhouse, clay tennis courts, a playground, hiking trails, and swimming and boating docks, and Essex Village is walking distance. $295,000. Sue Babcock, Engel & Völkers Lake Placid, (518) 524-4408.
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
