Traveling through Ohio, visitors find a surprising number of spectacular castles that look like they came from a different century and continent. Some Ohio castles are original and were built a century or more ago, such as the Piatt Castles. Others are new, inspired by the elegance and romance of old castles like the Loveland Castle Museum. Here are the best castles in Ohio.
We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.
12 Most Fascinating Castles in Ohio
- Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, Photo: Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
- Ravenwood Castle, Photo: Ravenwood Castle
- Landoll's Mohican Castle, Photo: Landoll's Mohican Castle
- Ohio castles: Schwartz Castle, Photo: ColumbusGov/Facebook
- Piatt Castles, Photo: Piatt Castles
- Loveland Castle Museum, Photo: Loveland Castle Museum
- GreatStone Castle Resorts, Photo: GreatStone Castle Resorts
- Ohio castles: Franklin Castle, Photo: Franklin Castle
- The Castle Inn, Photo: The Castle Inn
- Ohio castles: Glamorgan Castle, Photo: Glamorgan Castle
- Marietta Castle, Photo: Marietta Castle
- Ohio castles: Squire's Castle, Photo: Courtesy of Michael Shake - Fotolia.com
- Brumback Library Castle, Photo: Brumback Library Castle
- Cover Photo: Courtesy of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
More Ideas in Ohio: Historic Zoar Village
Located in Zoar, Ohio, the Historic Zoar Village is a communal settlement founded in 1817 by German religious dissenters, offering a variety of historic museums, shops, restaurants, and other tourist attractions. The settlement of Zoar, Ohio was founded in 1817 by a group of German religious dissenters known as the Society of Separatists of Zoar, which was named after the Biblical village from the story of Lot, where Lot’s family settled following their escape from Sodom.
History
The community emigrated to the United States from Germany’s southwest Württemberg region, seeking freedom from religious oppression by the Lutheran Church, and was led by Ulm pipemaker and teacher Joseph Bimeler. After settling in the northern Ohio region, the community established itself as a communal separatist society, operating independently throughout the first half of the 19th century. During its operation as a separatist society, the village functioned as an insular community for more than 80 years, making it one of the longest-running and most successful separatist communities in United States history. Following Bimeler’s death in 1853, the Society gradually began to lose cohesion as a communal village, and by the turn of the 20th century, the communal society concept was disbanded and the village’s property was divided equally among its residents.
Though the community has been officially disbanded, many of the village’s historic buildings have survived into the 21st century and many original Society members still reside in the region today. In 1969, the Zoar Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2012, the village was brought to national attention due to its placement on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual America’s Most Endangered Historic Places list. Support for the village’s preservation was backed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, who instituted a plan for resolving the community’s flooding problems by shoring up its deteriorating levee structure. In 2016, the village was designated as a National Historic Landmark District.
Attractions
Today, the Historic Zoar Village is still home to more than 75 residents from families of original Society of Separationists of Zoar members and is operated as a historic living history village offering a variety of historic and tourist attractions. The community is overseen by the Zoar Community Association nonprofit organization, which was founded in 1967 to preserve and celebrate the structures and culture of the Society through preservation campaigns and public event programming. A variety of historic buildings and facilities are preserved throughout the community, with many operating as museums, shops, or restaurants today.
Notable historic attractions within the community include the Zoar Garden and Greenhouse, which encompasses a full town block and showcases a central Norwegian spruce tree surrounded by 12 smaller trees, planted to represent Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles. The Bimeler Museum and Bimeler Art Gallery preserve the former residence of village leader Joseph Bimeler, operated today as a living history museum and art gallery space showcasing the works of regional historic and contemporary artists. The village’s No. 1 House, which formerly served as a living facility for elderly members of the Society, is also operated as a museum facility, showcasing a variety of historic exhibits depicting daily life of Society members throughout the 19th century. Other prominent historic attractions within the community include the Zoar Hotel, constructed in 1833, which is open for private tours and as part of special event programming, and the Zoar Wetland Arboretum, which showcases a natural wetland ecosystem including a 30-acre marsh and 50-acre woodland area with walking trails and a picnic pavilion.
Restaurants within the village include the Canal Tavern of Zoar, which utilizes the former 1829 Canawler Inn building, a popular inn for travelers on the Ohio and Erie Canalway. Casual breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare is served at the Canal Street Diner. Specialty coffee, tea, soups, and sandwiches are also offered at the Simply Cinnamon cafe.
A variety of local boutiques and stores offer handcrafted items and fine antiques, including Adamson’s Antiques and Folk Art, and the Keeping Room Antiques. A Zoar Farm Market also offers fresh deli meats and produce seven days a week. Lodging is offered at the restored 19th-century Cobbler Shop and Keeping Room bed and breakfast facilities, along with the Zoar School Inn Bed and Breakfast, which is housed within the village’s original schoolhouse building.
Ongoing Programs and Education
A variety of public programming is offered at the village, including hands-on guided field trip tours for elementary and secondary school groups. Workshops and demonstrations are offered as part of guided tours, bringing 19th-century civic activities to life, including historic cooking techniques, school activities, and canal maintenance. An annual Civil War School Day offers historic reenactments by demonstrators dressed in period attire. School outreach programming is also offered, bringing workshop activities directly into area classrooms. A summer day camp is offered annual for both children and adults, and a variety of courses and workshops for all-ages participants are offered throughout the year. Public special events include a Saturdays in Zoar speaker series, a Halloween ghost tour event, and Christmas tours highlighting local holiday traditions and legends.
198 Main St, Zoar, OH, Phone: 330-874-3011
More Things to Do in Ohio
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More Ideas in Ohio: The HideAway Country Inn
The HideAway Country Inn is a classic boutique hotel in the heart of Ohio’s Amish Country that promises a unique and memorable experience. Centrally located between Bucyrus, Marion, and Mansfield, the charming bed and breakfast style inn is set on six acres of landscaped gardens and lawns and offers the creature comforts of home combined with the amenities of a full-service hotel. Surrounded by the rolling farmlands and patchwork meadows of Ohio’s farm country, the HideAway Country Inn offers a real escape from the city, with luxurious accommodations, hearty home cooked country cuisine, spectacular venues for weddings and business retreats and miles of nature trails for exploring.
Beautifully appointed guests rooms are situated in the historic Manor House and the Carriage House. Each guest room is individually decorated in various themes with comfortable country-style décor and lavish furnishings.
Certain rooms enjoy exceptional amenities such as Jacuzzi tubs and cozy fireplaces, while standard conveniences in each room include SMART televisions with satellite channels and DVD players, individual climate control, and coffee makers with gourmet coffee and teas. Other extras that can found in each room are hairdryers, iron and ironing boards, plush bathrobes and luxe bath products in the private bathrooms, alarm clocks, and complimentary wireless Internet. Guests are also treated to a complimentary breakfast every morning.
Luxury Suites include the Tree House Apartment, Eagle’s Nest, Cherry Suite and the Louis XIV Suite. These suites feature spacious cathedral-ceilinged bedrooms with king-sized brass or canopy beds, Restonic™ ComfortCare™ mattresses and imported linens, and en-suite bathrooms with Jacuzzi tub for two, glass-enclosed walk-in showers, plush bathrobes and luxe bath products. Spacious living areas have stylish décor, comfortable sofas, including queen-size sleeper sofas, loveseats, three-sided gas fireplaces with remotes, and SMART televisions with satellite channels and DVD players. Kitchenettes feature coffee makers with gourmet coffee and teas and microwaves, private decks have wicker tables and chairs and boast beautiful views. Luxury Suites enjoy individual climate control and complimentary wireless Internet throughout.
Loft Suites include Country Oak, Out of Africa, Napoleon and Hunter’s Den, all of which exude luxury and charm on every level. Bedrooms are located on mezzanine levels within the suites and accessed via spiral staircases for added coziness and comfort. Loft Suites feature designed king-size beds with Restonic™ ComfortCare™ mattresses and imported linens, private en-suite bathrooms with marble finishes, walk-in rain showers and Jacuzzi tubs for two, plush terry robes and Davines spa bath products. Spacious living areas have country lodge style décor, plump sofas, including queen-size sleeper sofas, loveseats, three-sided gas fireplaces with remotes, and SMART televisions with satellite channels and DVD players. Kitchenettes feature coffee makers with gourmet coffee and teas and microwaves, individual climate control and complimentary wireless Internet throughout.
Manor Rooms range from the Smith and the Garden Suites to the Inventor’s and Carpenter’s Suites. These comfortable suites feature hardwood floors, antique furnishings, spacious living areas and stylish bedrooms. King-size beds have Restonic™ ComfortCare™ mattresses and imported linens, and private en-suite bathrooms feature walk-in dual head showers and luxurious Jacuzzi tubs for two, plush terry robes and Davines spa bath products. Living areas have plump sofas, mini fridges, SMART televisions with satellite channels and DVD players. Kitchenettes feature coffee makers with gourmet coffee and teas and microwaves, individual climate control and complimentary wireless Internet throughout.
Located in the beautiful manor house at the Inn, the 1938 Restaurant & Pub is an award-winning restaurant that serves New American cuisine and world-class wines in an elegant and relaxed setting. Winner of the ‘Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence’, the 1938 Restaurant & Pub has a large wood-burning fireplace and huge bay windows that look out over the kitchen gardens and serves a menu of creative farm-to-table cuisine with ingredients from the inn’s own garden.
In addition to offering outstanding cuisine and wine, HideAway Country Inn also offers cooking classes where guests and visitors can learn how to make some of the inn’s delicious dishes at home. The hotel also presents unique wine tasting classes and wine education classes for those want to learn more about the region’s best vintages.
The Serenity Spa Room at the HideAway Country Inn offers a range of indulgent massages, pampering body treatments, and skin care treatments. Spa services include a variety of massages and body wraps, facial and sea salt scrubs, exfoliations, manicures, and pedicures, as well as other salon services.
The HideAway Country Inn offers a variety of first-class amenities, ranging from luxurious accommodations with deluxe hot tubs and fireplaces, an award-winning restaurant and pub, an exclusive spa and salon, and an array of elegant venues for weddings, corporate retreats, and meetings.
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The HideAway Country Inn features a range of beautiful venues that cater for special events such as wedding, receptions, corporate events and business meetings, large or small, formal or casual. Personalized wedding packages include romantic venues, including the rose garden, patio or Woodland Room, table and seating arrangements, customized cuisine and wine from the award-winning restaurant, and the use of dressing rooms before receptions.
Additional services include complimentary ice water for guests, services of a full service wedding coordinator, ceremony music with audio visual equipment and professional sound system, ceremony officiate, bridal dressing assistance, guest parking and full set-up and clean-up of the event.
The HideAway Country Inn can also accommodated business meetings and corporate retreats with an array of venues and facilities that can be configured to cater for any size gathering. Each space is fully stocked with executive amenities, including bottled water, snacks, audiovisual equipment, projector and screens, and wireless Internet access.
The Hideaway Country Inn is ideally located for exploring the area and enjoying the array of interesting sites, attractions, and activities that are on offer. Centrally situated within an hours’ drive of Amish Country and Hocking Hills, the Inn is perfect for those wanting a tranquil escape or to explore and discover. Cultural buffs can see a multitude of theater performances and dinner-theater experiences at the Marion Ritz Theatre, the Bucyrus Little Theatre or Palace Theatre and wine-lovers will delight in the many wine estates and vineyards along the Ohio wine trail to try.
Outdoor lovers and sports enthusiasts can enjoy hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, pheasant hunts, bird watching, or racing cars at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Other unique experiences to the area include the Marion Popcorn Festival and the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival, the lovely Kenton Amish Country and exciting ghost hunts at the Ohio State Reformatory.
Back to: Romantic Weekend Getaways in Ohio.
1601 State Route 4, Bucyrus, OH44820, Phone: 419-562-3013
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