Here ye….here ye: attention all wandering knights, dragons, princes and princesses, Loveland Castle is beckoning you home. Visiting Loveland Castle (Chateau Laroche) has been on our “to do” list for quite some time and we finally visited this one of a kind castle nestled along the banks of the Little Miami. If you’ve never been, it really is something to see and I loved reading and hearing more about the history of how the castle came to be built. Henry Delos Andrews originally built the castle so that he would have a place for his Boy Scout troop to meet. The land was given to him by parents who received the land after purchasing a one year subscription to the Cincinnati Enquirer (I don’t think they do deals like that anymore). The Boy Scout troop soon became known as the Knights of the Golden Trail and Henry began his amazing journey to build a castle complete with a mini dungeon so that the KOGT would have a meeting place suitable for them.
Admission to the castle is $3, and during summer hours (April-Sept) the castle is open every day from 11am-5pm. We were greeted warmly and given a brief oral history on the castle. You are then able to tour the castle on your own. Our first stop was visiting the dungeon. The steps are steep so be careful. After, we headed upstairs to see the large dining room and the balcony overlooking the scenic Little Miami. I liked seeing all the medieval touches throughout the castle. There were coats of armor, knights, swords, and more on display. There is also a continually running video about the castle and Sir Henry but since I was with my two jesters, I didn’t get to sit and watch too much of it. We also toured the beautiful gardens and grounds. If you want to extend your visit, pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the scenery.
During the third Saturday of the month through September, Castle Days take place. There will be Knights to entertain you, a marketplace with unique crafts, comedy and historic reenactments and, of course, fun. Visit Loveland Castle on Facebook for more updates. Admission during Castle Days is $5 and the next one is this Saturday, June 16 from 11am-5pm. We hope you’ll get a chance to visit Loveland Castle one day soon.
When not blogging for Family Friendly Cincinnati, you can find Kristin writing on her personal blog, MasonMetu (from me to you).
