This is a great museum that explores the history of movement of people and goods down the Ohio…read moreRiver. The high point is a guided tour of the W.P Snyder, a steel hull steam powered paddle wheel towboat. The tour, escorted by a knowledgeable guide includes boiler room, engine room, crews quarters, galley, dining and living quarters and the pilot house. Also included a models of many riverboats, annotated period photographs and many artifacts from the period.

Another must-see in Marietta, Ohio! Down the hill from Campus Martius Museum; we saw them on…read moreseparate afternoons, but can combine for a nice full day. Also a docking point for other boat tours, to learn history of the era. I'm a vintage photo fan, so was not disappointed in their huge collection: a priceless visual record of all types of river transportation, focusing on the famed paddle wheelers. See period tableware, furniture, machinery, engineering drawings, disasters...all from the old boats themselves. There's something for every interest. A good rainy day option too.

I've taken my daughters on The Anchorage Mansion haunted tour twice now. We did a regular guided…read moretour first and the second time I brought my sister and niece with us for a guided flashlight tour. Before the tour, the group is gathered in the gift shop while you wait on everyone to arrive. The gift shop is filled with spooky gifts, apparel and Knick knacks that, as a lover of Halloween myself, it's hard to say no to. The ladies who give the tour are dressed up adorably to fit in with the time period of the mansion. They are knowledgeable and informative and are happy to answer any questions about the mansion and the spirits that reside in it. The hidden Marietta tours are one of the main reasons why Marietta, Ohio stays on top of my favorite spooky cities to visit.

I went on my 3rd Hidden Marietta Ghost Trek yesterday. This one was Front Street. Check in is…read morealways easy and an easy place to find. Our guide (I can't remember her name but had red hair) was very friendly, silly and informative. She said it was her first time doing the tour alone but did a fabulous job despite having to look at reference cards a few times. I genuinely loved her personality and liked the tour wasn't super serious, I felt like I could ask a question at any point. My husband and I grew up in the area and both enjoy learning hidden facts about the town. We will go on another closer to Halloween I'm sure!

Found this cemetery on Google Maps. We read the sign that gives the names of the Revolutionary War…read moreheroes buried here. This cemetery has the largest number of burials for these veterans. Included is a mound by the earthwork mound builders. I took the stairs to the top for a nice view of the area. This was a nice stop to stretch our legs and learn some history.

Marietta is a charming river town. So why go to a cemetery? Best I can say is it's like a piece of…read morehistory really. And in Marietta, the entire town is rich with history from the Indians and America during the pre- and post-Revolutionary War. You can't throw a stick without hitting a street named after one of Washington's generals, and many soldiers settled here with free land in lieu of pay from General Washington's army. The mound is a big hill built by the Indians. After driving down bumpy cobblestone roads lined with homes that look like Martha Washington might come out onto the porch at any minute, you come upon the Mound Cemetery, nestled among the homes looking quite like it belongs there is the Mound Cemetery, bordered with an ancient looking wrought iron gate that at once says both KEEP OUT and "welcome." Odd that. Climbing the stairs to summit the Mound is part of your initiation to the Marietta culture. The stairs are steep, which adds to the allure. Once atop, the scene is one of history, art, tranquility, and ... Marietta. Other than lounging in the Gun Room at The Lafayette downtown, it doesn't get much more Marietta than this.

Recommend fun experience for you and your family. If you want to have a time where you have toys…read morefrom your childhood with your kid or kids go to toy and train museum. Three floors of pure joy, but the bottom floor/basement is full of Peanuts characters. There is an I spy room where you find dinosaurs. There is also an old fashioned Merry-Go-Round.

This is our favorite stop whenever we travel through the area. The trains are amazing, but the toys…read moreare impressive. New to us this time is the Peanuts collection, so fun!Hopefully will be back this way again soon.

What a great experience!…read more Ferry tickets have to be purchased at the Museum, which is a short walk from where you board the ferry. You can also purchase a package for the ferry, mansion tour, wagon ride, and museum ($39 as of May 2024). The mansion tour is really excellent. The docents are very knowledgeable. The wagon ride is a must - fun and informative. This is a great day trip!

Located on a small island in the Ohio River, Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park features a…read morerecreated Palladian mansion to explore, horse drawn buggy tour, and back on the mainland an extensive museum to visit. We started our visit at the museum on the mainland which features many artifacts chronicling the history of the local area as well as several belongings of the original owners of the mansion (the Blennerhassetts) who fled to the US from Ireland after the Uncle and Niece duo decided to get married to much scandal. There is a free parking lot available to park in for visitors. The museum covers three floors and We started in the basement of the museum and made our way up. In the basement you'll find an extensive collection of Native American artefacts, as well as a short film about the island and their entangelment with Aaron Burr. The Blennerhassetts and their island home owe their notoriety to when they allowed their estate to become headquarters for Aaron Burr's military expedition to the Southwest back in 1805 which resulted in them all being arrested and tried for treason and sedition. One of the most interesting finds in the museum includes replicas of Aaron Burr's death mask as well as the pistols used by Burr and Hamilton in their infamous duel. After spending over an hour in the museum, we made the short 2 minute drive from the museum to the pier to wait for the riverboat to ferry us to the island. It was a bit of a drizzly overcast day and their was no signage out anywhere indicating where the ferry would be. Your ticket that you purchase to board the ferry will include the pick up times at the dock and on the island. The island itself and the structure on it are a trove of historical gems and natural beauty. Our guide for the house, Scott, was a wealth of knowledge and was very thorough in his stories about the people who made the island famous and the ultimate downfall of the entire Blennerhassett family. This was a highlight of our trip to West Virginia!

If you are looking to experience a train ride, this will do the trick. If you are looking to see…read moreamazing scenic views... there aren't as many as I hoped. The open cars are nice for the breeze on a hot day however you can't hear a word that comes over the speaker system so if history is being shared... we don't hear it. Also, I felt like I spent more time looking at trees and brush right along the tracks than breathtaking views. There are a couple but I would have hoped for more. I did see the backyards of several houses.

The train itself was cool .... But that was it . They could do SO MUCH MORE. The route is anything…read moreBUT scenic .... Run down back yards , junk everywhere , a closeup view of the town water treatment plant . A very good Santa visiting the kids was exciting for them , but they were less than thrilled with the teenagers partially dressed up and preoccupied . This could be a really entertaining attraction if some effort was made .