This is the quintessential Brownsville historical attraction. If you are looking for a prize of…read morelocal history you cannot find anywhere else then look no further

I have heard of Nemacolin Castle, but had thought it was near the resort by the same name. It…read morewasn't until I entered the address into the GPS that I learned it is located in Brownsville. Husband and I decided to visit when the Christmas tour was offered. We got a history lesson on the man who founded a trading post and built the castle. The Bowman family was quite influential in the area. It is impressive to be made aware of the history behind the family and the home. The home is managed by the historical society and volunteers. It would be great if they would get some additional funding for restoring the home. Right now, they rely on donations and admission fees to maintain the upkeep. There are areas of sagging floors and peeling wallpaper. It is fortunate that most of the furniture items were actually owned and used by the family. The piano is beautiful and one of the first to come to the area. The home was decorated for the Christmas holiday. Admission is $15 for adults and tickets may be purchased online or at the door. On busy times, I would recommend reservations. Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. We were in a tour of about 18-24 people which was too large of a group. The some of the rooms were small and we were crammed in to hear the guide. Still, it was a nice way to spend a rainy Saturday before Christmas. I want to return when they have a haunted tour next fall.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't make it all the way across the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. I made it…read moreabout a quarter of the way, and then noped the eff out. I turned around and went back to solid ground. You see, this pedestrian bridge has an open steel grating walking surface, so you can see 150 feet below you to the Ohio River. It's a long way down. Every time I looked down, my stomach flipped. Finally, I said, "Heck naw," flipped the peace sign to my family (who are normal people and had no problem walking across a bridge), and got off. I guess I mention this for one main reason. If you don't like looking down at the dark, dank waters of a river from a height of 150 feet, this pedestrian bridge might not be for you. I've walked across many bridges in my life with no problem, so I'm not bridge averse. But this one, like I mentioned previously, has an open grating, so it's like walking along a fence that's turned on its side. Oh, heck no! I give the Wheeling Suspension Bridge five stars, though, because it's a historic part of Wheeling, and it really is a neat bridge. The views from the bridge are amazing, and if you make it to the other side, you end up on Wheeling Island. At the entrance of the bridge, there are some signs that have information about the history of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. When we visited, there was construction going on at the entrance of the bridge, so it looked blocked off, but it wasn't. The bridge is open to pedestrians, and I think bicycles, too, because I saw a dude bike across it.

This is a historic gem that is well-worth a brief stop if you are staying in Wheeling, WV or…read morepassing through downtown. The suspension bridge (competed in 1849) crosses the Ohio River and represents a key engineering milestone in U.S. history. First, it is a pedestrian-only bridge (bikes and mopeds allowed), which makes a quiet and peaceful walk. Street parking is available just a short walk away. Second, it's scenic to walk along the bridge at sunset or at dawn (if you can). Third, be careful to avoid looking down too much if you are scared of heights as you can see the river 90+ feet below through the mini-slots on the steel road portion of the bridge (for vehicles and horses). I would recommend walking on the sidewalk portion instead. I hope Wheeling, WV might consider building a city or state museum in downtown near the bridge to provide an overview of its fascinating history and perhaps share insights about the history of Wheeling itself from its role as a frontier town (competing with Pittsburgh to get the National Road), to an industrial center, to its role in Civil War History (the independence of West Virginia from Virginia occurred here). While the downtown feels quite empty on weekends, a museum could bring more tourists and attract restaurants, cafes, and condos.

The Greater Wheeling Trail is also known as the Ohio River Trail. Along with the with the…read moreWheeling Creek Trail, it's part of the Wheeling Heritage Trail System. The Brooke Pioneer Trail connects at its northern end. Using the combination of trails, my husband Rick and I did a 32 mile round trip between Wellsburg and Wheeling. Although the address shown is the parking lot at the southern end of the trail, we connected from the Brooke Pioneer Trail and made our way south. Picking up from where we connected, we continued our way south along the Ohio River. Like the Brooke Pioneer Trail, this path is sandwiched between WV #2 and the river. We continued to enjoy the great river views as we pedaled along. Approaching the north end of Wheeling, we saw a lock and dam. From this point south, the trail became much more urban-like, however it was very well marked and maintained. At this point, Wheeling is very long an narrow because of the topography. We curved a little to the west, temporarily losing the urban feel of the trail as we were in the narrows between the cliffs and the river. Curving again to the south we regained the city atmosphere and had a great view of Wheeling Island. We noticed the tail wasn't as well-marked south of I-70/US-250,but it was still easy to follow. We eventually made our way to the southern terminus & parking lot at 48th Street. We retraced our path north to and we picked up the Wheeling Creek Trail. This trail was built on an old Baltimore & Ohio line and whereas the Ohio River Trail had a city feel to it, the Wheeling Creek Trail was in a park-like setting. The trail didn't parallel the creek in some places--indeed it was adjacent to the interstate in places, but it was still a pleasant, meandering ride towards the eastern edge of the city. The scenic high point was the tunnel near Rock Point Road. After reaching the east end of the trail, we turn around and headed back to Wellsburg. We did every inch of the 32 mile combined trail systems. These trails were an easy ride, paved all the way, and made for a pleaseant day cycling.

I love the smell of Krylon in the morning. Tagging is my favorite kind of public art: raw, off the…read morecuff, available to anyone with an idea and a can of spray paint. I don't condone writing on private property, but dang it if I don't love to see it. I am probably in the minority with this one. It might be because of where I spent several of my formative years (in gang territory, surrounded by graffiti). So when I visited Wheeling, I made sure to stop and see Mt. Wood Overlook, because it's a little spot in this small West Virginia city that's covered with tags and writing. This place is a hidden gem, especially if you like quirky public art. The space itself looks like it's the cement foundation of a former building, and taggers have just taken over and written all over it. There are drawings and messages (happy birthday wishes, dates of first kisses, angry statements to exes) scrawled over every inch of this place. From the parking lot, you enter on the top floor, then you can take two flights of stairs down into what looks like a castle full of graffiti. It's seedy and creepy, but it's so cool to see what's going on in the minds and hearts of people who stopped by and left a message. There are some trails near the overlook, and just from the look of them, I would not recommend going down them. The trails are littered with spray paint cans and liquor bottles, and I read that this is also a popular spot for drug use, so who the heck knows what you might come across. Mt. Wood Overlook would make an excellent spot for a photo shoot. It's also located across the street from a cemetery! It's an awesome place to feel life breathing off the walls from fresh art, with the background of death looming in the periphery. Whatta place! You gotta visit if you're in the area.

It was a cool artistic place yet at the same time it was very sketchy. Any time you see graffiti…read morethat's what usually gives people first impressions. But this had graffiti all over, that you can step in it and not worry about paint being on your shoes. They have a small parking lot with maybe a few spaces - but there was one scary-looking dude just sitting and chilling in his car looking at everyone -like he was getting ready to snap. But I let it go. I did not go to the lower levels, as I just stayed at the top. The top is where you get a great view of the city of Wheeling. It's very interesting that the city is separated by a mountain. Bring your cameras, folks!

The Marsh Wheeling Stogies Cigars founded in 1840 was the oldest cigar company. The company started…read morein his home and moved to this location on Market Street in 1908. The original cigars cost 4 for one cent!!! The Scaffolding style Neon Sign sits atop the 5 story now empty building. It is the first thing you see when you cross into Wheeling on the Old Fort Henry Bridge.

I'm a little torn on this review to be honest and it's kind of a hard one to write because the…read morePalace of Gold is definitely beautiful, but overall my experience wasn't the greatest. I visited in winter, which meant no flowers were in bloom in the gardens and the outdoor space was pretty gloomy with the exception of a very cool bug that I found on the steps. The seasons definitely change the atmosphere and I imagine that in spring or summer it feels much more vibrant and alive here. The palace itself is lovely with intricate details and ornate interiors and very much what I expected stylistically. However, it wasn't nearly as grand in scale as I had imagined. It was much smaller than I thought it would be. When you step inside the front lobby area, there are gorgeous stained glass windows and beautiful decor and I really enjoyed the light coming through into that space and being able to take photographs in there. The woman inside asked us on a few occasions if we wanted to take the tour and I wasn't sure until we saw the lobby area. Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment was for me was finding out -- only after paying -- that photography wasn't actually allowed inside. That was tough and had I known I definitely would have made a different decision. Personally, I would have been just as happy taking photos of the exterior and I would have saved myself a lot of money. The tour is a little costly considering that you're just accessing a very small area and although the information was somewhat interesting, I had already read the majority of it beforehand. After the tour I was excited to head over to where they keep the cows, which are considered sacred here, because I had read that guests are sometimes allowed to help feed them. Unfortunately (again) it's only during a specific time of day and there wasn't anyone around that I could talk to, but I was able to see the cows through the fence and they were absolutely adorable. We were advised during the tour that we were welcome to go to the lunch offering near the housing area and we did try to find what the tour guide had described, but there were no clear signs. When we did eventually locate the area where they were serving some food, it felt very uncomfortable, like we had wandered somewhere we weren't meant to be. We definitely didn't feel like we belonged there and left almost immediately. Overall, the palace itself is really beautiful and historically interesting and although I don't subscribe to the beliefs of the people here, I do respect what it represents to them. Between the cost and the no photo surprise and the general feeling of uncertainty throughout our visit, we just spent much of our time here wandering and feeling uncomfortable. The welcome center wasn't very welcoming, the peacock walk had no peacocks and the chanting and yelling of Krishna devotees can be a frightening experience to those new to it. This is worth seeing once, hopefully in a season where it's full of flowers and sunshine and beauty. I just suggest you manage your expectations and definitely make it clear that you are not there to be converted.

I recently learned that you should always be open minded to the suggestions on the billboards on…read morethe highway. We saw a sign mentioning the Palace of Gold on the way to Pittsburgh so we decided to make a detour and check it out. My first impression was how beautiful it was. Most of the building is indeed gold colored so there was no false advertising there. They also do tours of the palace so you can get an in depth look of the palace. The tour guide did an amazing job. What I really enjoyed was how quiet peaceful it was. There was a lot more to do than look at the temple. You could take a walk, visit the temple for worship and just enjoy the Mountain View. Everything was very relaxing. We loved it visit to the Palace of Gold. Such a hidden gem!

We were here during the Washington County Covered Bridge festival. This bridge had a car show, live…read moreband, and some food and crafts to buy. Nice way to spend an afternoon!

The district of Crafton is divided into two sections. Part of it belongs to the city of Pittsburgh…read moreand the other part is the borough itself. The city section is called Crafton Heights. The borough building sits at 100 Stotz Ave which is on a roundabout in the center of the borough. The administrative offices and police department are located there. It encompasses a fairly wide area with a few parks as well as a public pool and playgrounds. One of the things that makes this boro different is that two of the schools are not located in Crafton itself. The school district is called Carlynton (Carnegie, Rosalyn Farms, and Crafton) which is where it gets its name from. Carlynton Jr-Sr High is located in Rosalyn Farms and Carnegie Elementary is on Washington Pike in Carnegie. However, Carlynton's football games and special events such as graduations are held at Honus Wagner stadium right off of Carnegie Elementary. Crafton Borough is an older neighborhood which does not have a lot of room for expansion. The Crafton Ingram shopping Center is currently under renovations. While I frequent it for my daily needs there are not a lot of places I use it for. Since the borough winds a lot you may find yourself in another borough and back in Crafton Borough within a matter of minutes. Their newsletter is online along with trash collection pickup. Taxes to the borough as well as sewage is handled by Jordan Tax service. The community at large is friendly. Each summer they hold an event called "Crafton Celebrates" complete with a parade, food, games, and local entertainment. They hold a summer concert series in Crafton Park in the band "shell." What I like best is that it is convenient to the city and if you want to use the park and ride you can either park your car at Crafton station or head over to Ingram station. Crafton police normally patrol the area but by no means is anything foulproof. Still, it is a nice area to live in and you can be almost at any other point of the city of Pittsburgh within the same amount of time.