Three generations of the VanDercar family are inviting the public onto their eight-acre art sanctuary in Wesley Chapel's Quail Hollow neighborhood for guided nighttime tours through October.

The Warlock House Enchantment, at 25950 Queen Sago Place, hosts Statuary Night Tours at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays through the end of the month. Tickets cost $10 per person, available through online reservations or cash at the door, as first reported by Fox 13.

The property is the creation of Lewis VanDercar, a Florida sculptor and surrealist painter who moved to the Quail Hollow area in 1973 and built a dome home surrounded by dozens of hand-built statues of dragons, wizards, gargoyles and Buddha. Born in Flint, Michigan, in 1913, VanDercar worked as a Popeye animator in Miami before serving as a merchant seaman in World War II.

Before settling in Wesley Chapel, VanDercar turned his Miami home into a sculpture garden overflowing with cement gargoyles and mythical creatures. He crafted "Annie," a fire-breathing dragon at Dragon Point on Merritt Island, in 1971.

VanDercar also built a gorilla lair at Monkey Jungle in South Florida and a 100-foot-long, 30-foot-high dragon for Merritt Island Park, according to Tampa Bay Beacons. Asked whether he was crazy or a genius, VanDercar said he was both and that geniuses should be modest. He once placed a classified ad offering a "swamp-colored UFO" for sale.

The property served as a creative haven and host location for family Halloween parties until VanDercar's death in 1988 at age 75. His daughter Muggins still lives on the grounds with her son Bobby and his wife Christine.

The family stresses that despite the name, the Warlock House is not a haunted house. There are no jump scares or actors. Visitors walk through illuminated art among 26 peacocks, dogs and cats in what the family describes as a relaxed atmosphere.

"It's really just to kind of rekindle community and let people really know that it's chill to come out and hang out," Christine VanDercar told Fox 13.

The family plans to expand the property's offerings beyond the October tours. They have discussed wedding bookings, skill-sharing workshops in fire-building and gardening, and retreats, though no specific dates have been announced.

Reservations and more information are available at TheWarlockHouse.com.

Upcoming in Wesley Chapel

  • Warlock House Statuary Night Tours: Tuesdays and Fridays through Oct. 31, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., 25950 Queen Sago Place. $10 per person.
  • Pasco early voting: Opens Monday, Oct. 19, at three Wesley Chapel locations.
  • Cypress Creek band: Won first place at the FFCC Gaither competition on Oct. 14.