11 Castles & Castle-Like Structures Within a Reasonable Drive of Cincy

Did you know there are castles among us? Believe it or not, Cincinnati has all sorts of beautiful castles and castle-like structures within a four-hour drive. The following roundup features 11 majestic and mysterious castles, some of which you can visit and others that are simply magnificent sites to behold. / Image courtesy of Landoll's Mohican Castle // Published: 5.6.20<p></p>

PLACE: Landoll's Mohican Castle / ADDRESS: 561 Township Road (Loudonville, OH) / Distance from Cincinnati: three hours north / Landoll’s Mohican Castle is a luxurious lodging, dining, and wedding destination. The property sits within a lush forest that makes the secluded setting of this European chateau-style castle all the more magical. / Image courtesy of Creative Revolver via Landoll's Mohican Castle // Published: 5.6.20

Owner Marta Landoll’s husband, Jim Landoll, set out to build a shed on the property that was meant to resemble a castle. Marta convinced him to keep expanding onto the project. It was constructed room by room until it was big enough to open as a hotel in 2002. Today the lodge has over two dozen suites, a restaurant, and an event center. They also offer ghost tours, on-site massages, and weekend packages. / Image courtesy of Landoll's Mohican Castle // Published: 5.6.20

Gordon Ramsey once visited the spot while filming one of his reality shows, Hotel Hell. They filmed him and his team making tweaks and improvements to the hotel and the restaurant. The episode aired in 2016. / Image courtesy of Landoll's Mohican Castle // Published: 5.6.20

PLACE: The Loveland Castle Museum / ADDRESS: 12025 Shore Drive (Loveland, OH) / Distance from Cincinnati: 30 minutes north / Chateau Laroche (now called The Loveland Castle Museum) was constructed in 1929 and is one of the closest castles on this list you can visit. Owner Harry Delos Andrews was inspired by his tour of duty in Europe and wanted to bring his love of castles stateside. He even formed the Knights of the Golden Trail, which was a group influenced by Harry’s experience as a Boy Scout troop leader. The group’s mission was to save civilization by following the 10 Commandments. / Image: Sherry Lachelle Photography // Published: 5.6.20

The castle, which sits on the banks of the Little Miami River, now functions as a self-guided museum and rentable space for weddings and other special occasions. It has a banquet hall, armory, watchtower, and a dungeon for guests to peruse. Each of the rooms are decked out in medieval memorabilia. / Image: Sherry Lachelle Photography // Published: 5.6.20

It is believed Harry hauled an estimated 56,000 stones from the bed of the Little Miami River to the site of the castle. The bricks were made by pouring concrete into old milk cartons. / Image: Sherry Lachelle Photography // Published: 5.6.20

$PLACE: Piatt Castles / ADDRESS: 10051 Township Road 47 (West Liberty, OH) / Distance from Cincinnati: an hour and 45 minutes north / These historic homes were built by a pair of brothers and Civil War veterans named Donn and Abram Piatt in the late 1800s. The gothic-style homes are named Mac-A-Cheek and Mac-O-Chee, which comes from the Mac-A-Cheek settlement that the Shawnee Native Americans named the land before it became West Liberty. The Native American phrase translates to “smiling valley.” / Image courtesy of Instagram user{ } @josiah_wade_photography // Published: 5.6.20$

The Mac-A-Cheek property, still owned by the Piatt family, now functions as a museum and a destination spot for people to explore its over-100-year history, as well as the quirky collectibles nestled inside. They also host events and weddings set in the drawing room, on the lawn, or on the terrace. / Image courtesy of Instagram user @sigilmarketing{ } // Published: 5.6.20

$The Mac-O-Chee castle (pictured) sits a mile away from Mac-A-Cheek, and it was sold by the Piatts after Donn Piatt died in 1891. Past owners have opened it for tours, like the Piatts have done at Mac-A-Cheek. Mac-O-Chee came under new ownership in 2019 by a family who has plans to open it to the public again in the future. / Image courtesy of Instagram user @miss_shade { } // Published: 5.6.20$

PLACE: Squire’s Castle / ADDRESS: 2844 River Road (Willoughby Hills, OH) / Distance from Cincinnati: four hours north outside of Cleveland / Squire’s Castle may look like it’s fit for a king, but it’s actually completely empty. It was built in the 1890s by Feargus B. Squire and modeled after German and English baronial castles. It was meant to be used as the gatekeeper’s house for his future country estate, which never ended up being completed. / Image courtesy of Instagram user @nitacavelli // Published: 5.6.20

$Cleveland Metroparks acquired the property in 1925. Today, the structure is a popular destination for visits, picnics, and dreamy photoshoot backdrops. / Image courtesy of{ }Instagram user @gone_with_the_geyers // Published: 5.6.20$

Some believe the castle is haunted by Squire’s late-wife, Rebecca, since there are legends of her breaking her neck and dying in the cottage house. However, records show Rebecca died years after Feargus sold the property. I doubt that stops paranormal investigators from conducting their ghostly research in the structure. / Image courtesy of Instagram user @charity216 // Published: 5.6.20

PLACE: Elsinore Arch / ADDRESS: corner of Gilbert Avenue and Elsinore Place (Mt. Adams) / Known as Elsinore Arch, the "castle" sitting at the base of the Eden Park steps was completed in 1883 with the initial purpose of being an eccentric valve house for Cincinnati Water Works. The architectural design was inspired by a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet playing at Music Hall for the spring 1883 Dramatic Festival. The backdrop for the production was a 65-foot painting of the play’s Elsinore castle. Cincinnati Water Works Superintendent, A.G. Moore, was in the audience during the performance and was so impressed by the castle painting, he hired the firm of Samuel Hannaford and Sons to build an identical one for the new valve house. / Image: Amy Bauer // Published: 5.6.20

Elsinore Arch cost $15,000 to build and was intended to be a grand entrance to Eden Park and the Cincinnati Art Museum. While the stone stairs leading up to the park remain, once automobiles became more popular, the stairs lost much of their necessity. / Image: Amy Bauer // Published: 5.6.20

Elsinore Arch was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. / Image: Amy Bauer // Published: 5.6.20

PLACE: Cote Bonneville Mansion / LOCATION: Mt. Airy / This may not technically be a castle, but it sure does look like one. Cote Bonneville is an impressive Mt. Airy mansion that was built in 1902 for successful cigar manufacturer Napoleon DuBrul by architect W.W. Franklin. / Image: Mike Menke // Published: 5.6.20

The home is made of brick, limestone, and steel with a concrete foundation. The interior exhibits stained glass, wood flooring, mosaics, murals, and hand-carved ornamentation, with a ventilation system designed by the original owner himself. / Image: Mike Menke // Published: 5.6.20

After DuBrul passed away in 1916, the home served as the personal residence for several people over the intervening years, even serving as a convent for nuns from the 1950s to the late 1970s. Tony and Roberta Michel purchased the home and began restoring it in the early 1980s. Today, it’s privately owned by the Blum family. / Image: Mike Menke // Published: 5.6.20

PLACE: Ravenwood Castle / ADDRESS: 65666 Bethel Road (New Plymouth, OH)/ Distance from Cincinnati: two and a half hours east / If you’re looking for a castle with a more ‘Game of Thrones’ quality, Ravenwood Castle is the one for you. Surrounded by the scenic Hocking Hills State Park, this remote castle was designed to replicate the castles that defended the English and Welsh borders in the 12th and 13th centuries. The building itself was built much later than that, however, in 1995. / Image courtesy of Ravenwood Castle // Published: 5.6.20

<p>The English themed inn features a dining hall, pub, rooms named after historical British figures, and a medieval village of rentable cottages. It hosts weddings and even murder mystery weekends, as well. / Image courtesy of Ravenwood Castle // Published: 5.6.20</p>

<p>Ravenwood transports guests to another world, and does so without modern distractions like TV or cell service. They do have limited wi-fi in the main castle building, however. (And they have landline phones, as well, if you remember what those are.) / Image courtesy of Ravenwood Castle // Published: 5.6.20</p>

PLACE: The Lexington Castle / ADDRESS: 230 Pisgah Pike (Versailles, KY) / Distance from Cincinnati: an hour and a half south / It’s only fitting that this opulent castle is located in Versailles, despite the Kentucky home rule-class city being pronounced as “ver-sails”. The Kentucky Castle is a boutique hotel where medieval meets modern in design. / Image courtesy of The Kentucky Castle // Published: 5.6.20

The castle, which sits on 55 acres of farmland, also has a spa, farm-to-table restaurant, and makes for a fairytale event venue. Their bourbon hall, dining room, and music room can cater to groups as small as 15 to 30 guests. The ballroom can be reserved for a 75 to 150 guest range. The rooftop bar and dining space can accommodate up to 350 people standing or 250 seated. With a tent set up on their outdoor space, they can host groups of 1,000+. / Image courtesy of The Kentucky Castle // Published: 5.6.20

The Lexington Castle has also been known as Castle Post, Martin Castle, and Versailles Castle. It’s located right outside of Lexington and down the road from Keeneland. / Image courtesy of The Kentucky Castle // Published: 5.6.20

PLACE: Metamora Castle / LOCATION: Laurel, Indiana / Distance from Cincinnati: an hour northwest / Metamora Castle is the most mysterious castle on the list because no one is quite sure what it is/was. Also known as “The Castle on the Hill,” it doesn’t appear to be open to the public, which only leaves it open to speculation and local rumors. Some believe the medieval-looking structure is a church. / Image: Mark Orr via ViewBug // Published: 5.6.20

Metamora is a canal town and is home to the country’s only wooden aqueduct, horse-powered canal boats, as well as hiking trails and dozens of charming shops. / Image: Sherry Lachelle Photography // Published: 5.6.20

The castle sits on Mount Metamora off of US-52 near the Whitewater River and Whitewater Canal, just west of Metamora. If you aren’t looking for it, it can be hard to miss. / Image Mark Orr via ViewBug // Published: 5.6.20

PLACE: The Castle in Marietta / ADDRESS: 418 4th Street (Marietta, OH) / Distance from Cincinnati: three and a half hours east / ‘The Castle’ was built in 1855 and was home to some of Marietta’s prominent citizens. The Gothic Revival home cost $10,000 (roughly $275,000 today) to build. The property was leased as early as 1808 by a potter’s family and became one of the earliest pottery manufacturing sites in the Northwest Territory. It hosted business and community functions over the years and has been a private residence to only five families between 1808 and 1974. / Image: Sarah Arnold, Clutch MOV // Published: 5.6.20

Now operated by the Betsey Mills Corporation, it offers tours as a historical house museum and hosts educational programs and history-related events throughout the year. Guests can partake in mock trials, summer camps, teas and luncheons, and renting of the facility. / Image: Sarah Arnold, Clutch MOV // Published: 5.6.20

PLACE: Frankenstein’s Castle in Kettering / ADDRESS: 2655 S Patterson Boulevard (Kettering. OH) / Distance from Cincinnati: an hour north / The Patterson Tower, also called Frankenstein’s Castle, sits in Hills and Dales MetroPark. The structure features a turret-shaped, stone lookout and a spooky past. In 1967, a teenager named Peggy Harmeson was killed on the tower’s metal stairs when it was struck by lightning. Legend has it that during storms, her ghost can still be seen today. / Image // Published: 5.6.20

The tower was built in 1940 and condemned a few decades later after the lightning accident. / Image: Di Minardi // Published: 7.23.19

Today, the tower door is cemented shut and all the windows are barred. That doesn’t stop people from peeking through the “castle’s” windows to get a dose of heebie jeebies. / Image: Di Minardi // Published: 7.23.19

Restart Gallery

You May Also Like These Photo Galleries

You May Also Like These Photo Galleries