Travel // Chateau Laroche

You don’t need to travel the world to find adventures. In fact, adventures can be found in your own backyard. Or if you happen to find yourself in Loveland, Ohio.

In Loveland (which is right outside Cincinnati), there is a small castle called Chateau Laroche, also known as Loveland Castle, that was built by Harry D. Andrews, who was a World War II veteran. He started construction on the castle in 1929 out of stones from the Little Miami River, which runs right through the land. Andrews spent the rest of his life dedicated to the project before dying in 1981.

There is a lot of folklore surrounding this castle with a range of stories and experiences. One of the most common ones that is told is that the land is haunted by Andrews himself, unable to part with his dream after death. However, my favorite stories center on the legend of the Loveland Frogmen.

 

The legend started in mid 1950s when an ‘unnamed businessman’ spotted three creatures on the side of the road. The reptilian looking beings were 3 or 4 feet tall, had webbed hands and feet, leathery skin and, to top it all off, had frog like heads.

This is the only sighting of the creatures until the 70s when a police officer saw what he thought was a dog sitting on the side of the road. He stopped his car to inspect further when he realized that it was instead a frog-like creature. He even described it exactly as the businessman from 20 years earlier.

Since then there hasn’t been any official sightings of the Frogmen, but Loveland Castle does a great job with keeping the story alive. The castle sits right on the Little Miami River which is reportedly home to the Frogmen so there are signs posted around the land to remind visitors to keep a keen eye out.

The inside of the castle holds rooms filled with the history of Andrews along with different artifacts that has been collected throughout the years. There's even a video that plays with a little history lesson on the origins of the land and the life long dream of the castle that is narrated by Andrews himself. 

There is a little something for everyone in this hidden Ohio gem. You don’t have to travel half way across the world to find an adventure. Sometimes all you have to do is take a look around.