Wheeling, WV Road Trips

Victorian Wheeling. Wheeling has more Victorian architecture than any other city in the US, much of it having undergone extensive restoration. 1 Eckhart House, 810 Main Street, ☏ +1 304-232-5439, +1-888-700-0118. Called Wheeling's "Crown Jewel", Eckhart House is a restored 1892 three-story Queen Anne town home with most of its original architectural features intact. Gift shop on-site. Tours are available W-Sa 1-3:30PM for $3. Parlor teas available. 2 West Virginia Independence Hall, 1528 Market St, ☏ +1 304-238-1300. M-Sa 10AM to 4PM. Called the "birthplace of West Virginia" because the Wheeling Convention was held here in 1861, during which 32 counties in Virginia voted to secede and join the Union. Restored interiors, an interpretive video, audio tours, authentically-costumed guided tours, and an exhibition on West Virginia's statehood featuring dramatic displays with period artifacts. (updated Nov 2016) The Ohio River riverfront is flanked by the 11-mile lighted Wheeling Heritage Trail if you want to walk, jog, rollerblade or bike by the water's edge. At the boat landing is Wheeling Heritage Port, an award-winning riverfront amphitheater that hosts events between May and October, like band concerts, holiday celebrations, an Italian festival, a chili cook-off and movie nights. 3 Oglebay (Route 88 N), ☏ +1 304-243-4000, toll-free: +1-800-624-6988.

Walk across the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, which has been solely repurposed for pedestrians and bicycles. Some good photos ops of the town and up and down the Ohio River Valley exist here; just don't drop your phone. 1 Capitol Music Hall, 1015 Main St, toll-free: +1-800-624-5456. A 1928 movie theatre - the oldest and largest in West Virginia - which is home to the second-oldest country music program in the country, Jamboree USA. Weekly country music shows on Saturday night, touring Broadway musicals. Dinner show packages available. 2 Wheeling Symphony, 1025 Main Street, Suite 811, ☏ +1 304-232-6191, toll-free: +1-800-395-9241. Established in 1929, and today offering 11 concerts annually in their Masterworks series, Pops series, Symphony on Ice concert and free outdoor summer concerts. Tickets are $12-56 (student price $5), subscriptions are $93-218 (student price $15-218). 3 Victoria Vaudeville Theatre, 1228 Market St, ☏ +1 304-233-7464, toll-free: +1-800-505-7464. Shows begin at 7PM on Saturday. Variety shows provided by local talent - including the Ohio City Revue, the Friendly City Band, and Elvis impersonator Earl Brown - in the restored Victoria Theatre. 4 Wheeling Nailers, 1315 Main St, ☏ +1 304-234-4625. Part of the East Coast Hockey League, the Nailers play October through April at the WesBanco Arena in downtown Wheeling. The Nailers are the AA minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. Tickets start at only $10. 5 Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino & Racetrack, 1 S Stone St, toll-free: +1-800-445-9475.

1 Coleman's Fish Market, 22nd St and Market St in the Centre Market, ☏ +1 304-232-8510. Open Monday through Saturday. Fish, shrimp rolls, deviled crab, chicken, coleslaw and fries. Try the fish sandwich (fried fish on white bread) and clam strips. $2–3. 2 Generations Pub, 338 National Rd, ☏ +1 304-232-7917. Popular local restaurant with live bands on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pasta, steak and seafood. (updated Nov 2016) 3 Michael's Beef House, 2200 Market St, ☏ +1 304-232-2231. Open Monday through Saturday. Old-fashioned meaty sandwiches (roast beef, ham, turkey, corned beef, pastrami, reuben and more). $2.50-3.50. (updated Nov 2016) 4 TJ's Sports Garden Restaurant, 808 National Rd, ☏ +1 304-232-9555. Su-Th 11AM-1AM, F Sa 11AM-2AM. Sports bar with a television at each booth. Appetizers, salads, sandwiches, beef, chicken, seafood, pasta, desserts. (updated Nov 2016) Undo's Family Ristorante, 753 Main St, Benwood, ☏ +1 304-233-0560. Authentic, homemade Italian food. Soups, steaks, chicken, seafood, pizzas. Try the escarole soup and veal osso buco. 5 Ye Olde Alpha Restaurant, 50 Carmel Rd, ☏ +1 304-242-1090. Neighborhood restaurant since 1932. (updated Nov 2016) 6 Pizza Villa, 236 1/2 29th St, ☏ +1 304-233-1160. Open at 4PM. A unique crust loaded with toppings for a great price. Try the take n bake pizza that you can cook at home. (updated Nov 2016)

Comfort Inn Wheeling East, I-70 (exit 11) and Dallas Pike in Triadelphia, +1 304-547-0610. 106 rooms. Outdoor pool. Complimentary continental breakfast. Average price $44-70. Haven Inn, 302 Wheeling Ave, ☏ +1 304-845-2144. In Glen Dale. New Vrindaban Guest House, ☏ +1 304-843-1600 ext 11. Palace Road off US-250. Open April through November. 38 rooms, temple guest rooms, and 12 cottages. Buffet breakfasts, lunches and dinners available. Rooms and guest rooms are $30 peak season, $15 off-season; cottages are $125 - 150 excluding holidays. Hampton Inn Wheeling, 795 National Rd, ☏ +1 304-233-0440. 104 rooms. Outdoor garden, exercise facility. Complimentary breakfast bar and USA Today. $84 - $115. McClure House Hotel and Conference Center, 1200 Market St, ☏ +1 304-232-0300, toll-free: +1-800-862-5873. 170 rooms. From $61. Super 8 Motel, 2400 National Rd, ☏ +1 304-243-9400, toll-free: +1-800-800-8000. 55 rooms. Exercise room. Complimentary continental breakfast. Average price $60 - 73. 1 Oglebay Resort & Conference Center, 465 Lodge Dr, ☏ +1 877-436-1797. 212 rooms and 49 cottages. Indoor pool, outdoor pool at Oglebay, jacuzzi, sauna, fitness room, Wolff tanning bed, massage therapy, golf club with driving range. Four restaurants on-site. Complimentary newspaper. Packages include Mountaineer Buffet Breakfast. $135 - 275 peak season, $99 - 170 off-season. (updated Nov 2016) 2 Wheeling Island Resort, 1 S Stone St, ☏ +1 304-232-5050, toll-free: +1-877-WHEELING (94335464). 151 rooms. Island-themed rooms with marble showers.

Wheeling is located in the northern (or western) panhandle of West Virginia, between Ohio and Pennsylvania, approximately 45 miles southwest of Pittsburgh and 120 miles east of Columbus. 1 Wheeling-Ohio County Airport (HLG IATA) (8 miles north of downtown Wheeling, off of WV Route 2). Though this airport is open for public use, no commercial airlines service it. (updated Mar 2019) The closest commercial service is to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT IATA), which is approximately 40 miles northeast of Wheeling in Western Pennsylvania. Interstate 70 is the primary route for reaching Wheeling from the east or west. Travelers in Northern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania can reach Wheeling via OH Route 7 or WV Route 2. Wheeling can be reached from Southern Ohio and Southern West Virginia via WV Route 2, or Interstate 79 and Interstate 77 for points further south. U.S. Route 250, U.S. Route 40, and WV Route 88 are other major highways that pass through Wheeling. 2 Wheeling Suspension Bridge. The first bridge to span the Ohio River, built in 1849 with a length of 1,010 feet, which was largely responsible for the influx of people to the area. At the time of its construction, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world, although that title was quickly usurped in 1851 by the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. It remains, however, the oldest vehicular suspension bridge still in use. 3 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge (Interstate 470 Bridge).

Wheeling is a small city, so transportation options are limited. Car is by far the most efficient way to get around Wheeling. Traffic in Wheeling is non-existent, outside of congestion related to road construction or vehicle accidents, so driving through Wheeling can be accomplished with a great deal of ease. Interstate 70 runs east to west through the city, and provides primary access to all of the area's major roadways. I-70 enters the city by crossing a back channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling Island (Exit 0), providing access to U.S. Route 40, and the Wheeling Island Racetrack & Casino. I-70 then crosses the main channel of the Ohio River, entering downtown Wheeling, and then continues east through Wheeling Tunnel. U.S. Route 40 (Old National Road) is the main commercial thoroughfare in Wheeling, traveling east to west through the city, and has several interchanges with I-70. State road 2 is Wheeling's primary north to south road, running roughly parallel to the Ohio River the entire length of the city. Route 2 is a limited-access freeway south of downtown, and becomes a two-lane surface street north of downtown. Interstate 470 is a spur to I-70 that begins in the Elm Grove section of the city (Exit 5A), and spurs south, crossing the Ohio River in the South Wheeling section of the city, and merging with I-70 outside of St. Clairsville, Ohio (Exit 219). Wheeling-Ohio Valley Regional Transportation Authority, ☏ +1 304 232-2190. A local public bus system operates daytime bus service through most of the city, but service times and frequency are very limited.