This week’s blog post is written by Ravenwood Castle’s Wedding Planner & Marketing Coordinator, Molly Smith.

This week on Quoth the Raven we are stepping into a time machine and revisiting some of our favorite moments and events at the Castle during 2019. It was a busy year for us and we had the honor of sharing so many memories with our beloved guests. We hope that you enjoy this recount of the past year and that Ravenwood will be on your must-visit list in 2020!

January

We tended our fires with care and enjoyed the snowy weather at the Castle. While picturesque no matter what time of year it is, there’s something extra special about cuddling up next to a fireplace in the Pub or in your room and spending time with those you love most in those colder months.

February

The second month of the year is always quite busy for us as we host two very special events: our romantic Valentine’s Day Weekend and our annual fundraising convention Hoop & Stick Con! We changed up our traditional Valentine’s Day Event and added a special four-course dinner, complimentary chocolates and flowers, as well as a show of magical proportions.oop & Stick Con 2019 was also a smashing success – we ended up raising $12,000 for Extra Life and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals!

March

In March we were proud to announce and reveal the renovated Tea Room, which is now formally known as the Drawing Room! This beautiful space is located beneath Cinderella’s Coach House and has been host to many special events, private gaming sessions, and weddings!

April

Our big Hoop & Stick Con 2019 sponsor, Blood on the Clocktower, officially launched their game on Kickstarter! Thanks to them, our guests had plenty of opportunities throughout the entire Hoop & Stick weekend to learn and play. Their Kickstarter ended up raising over $550,000! 

May

In May, Ravenwood Castle received the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2019. This marked our seventh consecutive year being honored and qualified us for the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame! According to TripAdvisor, the award “celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great traveler reviews”. Thank you again to our fantastic guests for sharing and reviewing their memories at Ravenwood – we owe it all to you!

June

The first of our biannual Beer Tasting Weekends kicked off June with a visit from Sierra Nevada and Southern Tier Brewing. These weekend-long events are some of our favorites and with the purchase of your ticket, you get both dinners included as well as plenty of beer from the participating breweries. If you haven’t made it out for one of these yet – we highly recommend it! Ravenwood Castle also made its way to Origins Game Fair and in June and guests got to throw a huge d20 into our homemade dice tower to have a chance to win a stay at the Castle!

July

One of the best months of the year can only mean one thing… Con in the Castle! This year we were joined by Justin and Anne-Marie De Witt of Fireside Games. Guests enjoyed Giant Castle Panic all weekend long in beautiful weather, playtested Fireside prototypes, signed up for tournaments to win prizes, and most importantly: reconnected with friends and family. We hope to see you at Con in the Castle 2020!

August

Autumn at the Castle is unforgettable. The changing leaves, the crisp, clean air… many of our guests enjoy the plethora of hiking trails around the Castle. If you’ve never been to the area, don’t worry if you trek our entire premise your first day. We are in the heart of the Hocking Hills region where many popular attractions such as Old Man’s Cave and Ash Cave are only a short drive away.

 September

Murder Mystery season was in full swing in August and we had the pleasure of seeing many guests come (only some of them go…) and enjoy themselves in the weekend-long adventures. This month specifically highlighted the Mystery of Remington’s Mummy and the Case of the Crimson Claw. Have you been to one of our Murder Mystery Weekends?

October

Our insanely popular Halloweekend Event sold out in record time this year and for good reason! The center piece of the Mad Professor’s Halloweekend is a weekend-long contest of Deathly Deals, an experiment designed to test your cunning, your intellect, and your ability to manipulate and maneuver your fellow guests. There is a costume contest, games every night, monster cookie decorating, and plenty more that, well, we simply mustn’t reveal.

November

Murder Mysteries abound and November was host for two weekends of fun: Death in Small Doses and Captain Ravenbeard’s Revenge!

December

The 2nd annual Christmas Past, Present, and Future Event was in early December made sure to get all of our guests into the Christmas spirit. With a weekend full of delicious meals, holiday entertainment, and a lineup of “magical” activities, this is a celebration we can’t wait to host again next year. It’s great for the entire family and seeing the Castle decorated for Christmas is something you can’t find anywhere else.

See you in 2020, Castle family!

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