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The staff at Otels hope you enjoy the following Travel Ideas
from travel writer (and enthusiastic naturalist) Mark Kolakowski
Best wishes on your next trip!
Wheeling, West
Virginia
By Mark
Kolakowski
Copyright © 2009 by the author
Driving along I-70 between Pennsylvania
and Ohio, it’s easy for travelers
to zip through the 15 miles or so of the
West Virginia panhandle without a second
thought about making a stop. Think again. There are several
interesting attractions in and about
Wheeling
that can make this a logical place to stretch your legs during a
longer cross-country jaunt.
Oglebay Park, just east of Wheeling, has a variety of things to see and
do within its 1,650 acre expanse:
The holiday Festival of
Lights in November and December is a drive-through nighttime
display with over one million lights arrayed to depict seasonal
figures and themes, and has been a popular draw for visitors from
far and wide for decades.
The Good Zoo indeed lives
up to its name, and is a delight for all ages. The focus is on North
American species, and a steam train loops the zoo on a 1.5 mile
track. AAA, with reason, rates it a prime, or gem, attraction.
The
Bisonette
Gardens
are a spring and summer attraction.
Reflecting the industrial heritage of the area is the
Carriage House Glass Museum.
The
Mansion
Museum is the former home of the park’s donors,
Col.
And Mrs. Earl Oglebay, and depicts life in the Ohio River Valley
during the 19th century.
Oglebay Park also offers over 5 miles of hiking trails, an
environmental education center, swimming, fishing, pedal boats,
golf, tennis and skiing in winter.
Also east of downtown, the Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum boasts an extensive collection
across all categories of vintage toys, and has displays related to
the manufacturing thereof. It is housed in a 1906 Victorian school
house.
Back in Wheeling proper, the
West Virginia
Independence
Hall Museum
in the former Custom House traces the story of
West Virginia’s separation from
Virginia
during the Civil War, due to the strong Unionist loyalties of its
population.
At 900 feet, the
Wheeling
Suspension Bridge linking downtown and
Wheeling Island in the Ohio River
is an impressive engineering feat that dates to 1849.
The top destination in the area, for my money, is 10 miles south of
Wheeling
via state route 2, in
Moundsville. The Grave
Creek Mound Historic Site, which towers 69 feet, is widely
billed as the tallest such prehistoric Indian burial mound yet
found. On site is a museum displaying artifacts excavated there. The
period that the mound represents may stretch as far back as 1000 BC.
Near the mound is another looming structure, the old
West Virginia State
Penitentiary built in 1867. Tours are available of the interior,
six days a week from April through November, and by appointment at
other times.
To make hotel reservations in West Virginia, please visit us at
WestVirginiaHotels.com!
We welcome your comments or suggestions about the above
Travel Report:
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