There is just something romantic about a castle. I thrill at the thought of visiting one in Europe some day. But I found that I don’t need to go so far to be swept away. I discovered this during a recent visit to Landoll’s Mohican Castle.
The Castle is celebrating it’s Kingdom of Lights this holiday season (November 17, 2018-January 6, 2019). They have decorated each building with lights and piped in Christmas music to put everyone in the holiday spirit. I found out about the event through a Facebook post. And once I saw it, I knew I had to go.
My husband, Bobby, and I had planned to go on their opening night, November 17. But circumstances kept us from attending. We thought about going the next night, but the weather was miserable. Knowing that our December weekends were filling up fast, I figured we would have to go before Thanksgiving or we would miss it altogether. So I got off work early November 21 and we took the 30 minute drive to Loudonville.
I’ve passed the signs for the Castle many times on my trips down State Route 3, but never traveled the winding roads to see it. When we went, the weather was perfect; no rain or snow, but it was dark, very dark. The only thing I can think that would have made our approach to the Castle better would be lights at the entrance of the property. However, once we parked and made our way to the paved walk, it was like stepping into an enchanted kingdom.
When we traveled up the path to the Castle and were surrounded by the lights and the music I felt like I was in the movie Tangled. (That’s the Disney rendition of the fairy tale Rapunzel.) There is a scene in that movie where Rapunzel is in the city surrounded by luminaries and she is awed. That was me on that Wednesday night.
We walked around the property, took pictures (well, Bobby took pictures) and enjoyed the evening. Bobby asked me if I would ever want to stay at the Castle. Of course I said yes. We went to the lobby to make inquiries. As we were talking with the clerk, she told us about the history of the Castle (it was built by a business man who also had a love for castles). The property has expanded in its 14 years to include a restaurant and more rooms in the building they call the Stables. The Stables opened in 2018, and as the clerk explained is decorated in modern country chic. The Castle suites, I am told, are decorated in a more traditional “castle type” style with deep colors and grand designs. Each suite is unique with its own external entrance.
We also found out that we could climb the steps up to the tower to get a 360 degree view of the property. The steps are sturdy, but narrow. And if you go to the tippy-top the door to get out on the balcony is quite small.
After we walked around the Castle, we decided to continue the enchantment by enjoying a meal at the Copper Mug Bar and Grille on the property. Even though we didn’t have reservations, we were able to be seated pretty quickly. The restaurant isn’t huge, but is nice. We had an intimate table by a window.
The menu isn’t expansive, but it seemed to have something for everyone. Bobby and I started with soup. I know it sounds sort of funny, but even though Bobby and I aren’t fans of onions, Bobby does like a good french onion soup. His soup had a good amount of cheese melted on top along with nice, caramelized onions and a full beefy broth. I had the Red Pepper Soup. We both enjoyed the soup. It was nice to have a warm cup on a cold evening.
For entrees we decided on the Chicken Florentine Alfredo and the Delmonico Steak with a loaded baked potato and root vegetables. I say “we” because we typically share our meals. The steak was magnificent! It was nice and juicy and tender with an excellent sear on the outside. The chicken florentine was very good as well. There was plenty of chicken to go with the noodles and spinach. The dish also included grape tomatoes which added an fresh dimension to the sauce.
However, I would say the most memorable part of the meal was the rolls with Landoll’s house-made blueberry jam. Bobby didn’t try it, because he doesn’t care for blueberries, which was fine. I had the entire portion to myself. It was nice and sweet and not too chunky.
In fact, I liked it so much that I was pleased to hear our waiter, Josh, tell us we could purchase it at the gift shop. We went home with a jar — which I ended up sharing at our Thanksgiving dinner the next day. It was a crowd pleaser there, too.
When we left the grounds of Landoll’s Mohican Castle, I was a little sad. Our enchanted evening was coming to a close. However, I guess on the positive side, I can always return. It isn’t like I have to hop a flight to Europe to enjoy the dream of being a princess of a medieval castle.
