5 must-see castles and large estates in the region

Piatt Castles, located just minutes to the west of West Liberty, is actually made up of two castles, Mac-A-Cheek and Mac-O-Chee. The two castles were built by brothers Abram and Donn Piatt, whose parents moved to the area from Cincinnati in the 1820s.

Tours of the two castles are self-guided and lets visitors explore over 200 years of Ohio history, according to the Piatt Castles website.

One of the more well-known castles in Ohio is Chateau Laroche, also known as Loveland Castle. The 5,000-square-foot castle was built along the bank of the Little Miami by Henry Andrews in the 1920s. Styled after the French 10th Century Chateau La Roche the castle has four towers, a domed ceiling, a dry-moat and a hand-tiled ceilings.

Visitors are able to go on a self-guided tour and even spend the night. For more information click here. 

Credit: JAN UNDERWOOD

Credit: JAN UNDERWOOD

The Peterloon, a four-story Georgian-Queen-Anne-style house outside of Indian Hill, was home to Jack Emery and his family from the 1930s to late 1970s. Construction began on the 1,200-acre estate in 1928 and was completed two years later. The estate features 36 rooms, 21 bathrooms, and 19 fireplaces, according to peterloon.org.

Emery was a philanthropist and business man who also built Carew Tower in downtown Cincinnati. After his death (1976) and the death of his wife (1978), the heirs of the estate created the Peterloon Foundation in 1979 to preserve the house and continue the philanthropic work of their parents.

Originally named Whitby Place by designer and owner W.H.C. Goode who, at the time, was one of the wealthiest men in Shelby County. Construction began on the 17,000-square-foot home in 1892 and was completed in 1895 at a cost of $35,000, according to the Shelby County Historical Society. 

The home features 30 rooms with hardwood imported from across the world and 10 fireplaces made out of marble. The name change came in 1990 when Ray and Alma Willis purchased the property. They sold it four years later to the present owners, Frederick and Victoria Keller, who operate as an event center and a bed and breakfast.