Parkersburg

Parkersburg is a city of 30,000 people (as of 2018) in West Virginia. It was known as "Newport" when it was founded, later to be renamed Parkersburg in 1810. The city sits where the Little Kanawha River meets the Ohio river; the town of Belpre lies just across the river in Ohio. Among Parkersburg's more famous residents is Morgan Spurlock, director of the 2004 film Super Size Me; the city's film connections continued with the 2006 film Bubble, which was filmed in the area and starred local residents. The area also has a long history with oil drilling, and is the home of the first documented commercial use of oil in the US.

Get in

Parkersburg is on I-77 between Charleston and Akron, Ohio. US-50 also enters the city from Athens, Ohio on the west and Clarksburg on the east, and OH-7 passes through Belpre, between the Point Pleasant area and Marietta, Ohio.

By plane

By bus
  • Greyhound. Has once daily service from the state capital Charleston. (updated Mar 2022)

Get around
  • Easy Rider Bus System, 520 Juliana St, ☏ +1-304-422-4100. Buses run 5:50AM to 6PM Monday through Saturday; no service on Sundays. Operated by the Mid-Ohio Valley Transit Authority, serving the Parkersburg and Vienna area. Base fare is 50 cents, with 30-day passes available for $20. (updated Mar 2022)
  • yellow taxi, ☏ +1-304-422-4000. (updated Mar 2022)

See
  • 🌍 Blennerhassett Island, 137 Juliana St, ☏ +1 304-420-4800. Island open from May to October, museum open year-round; check website for hours. An Irish aristocrat built a mansion here in 1798, before being accused of treason and briefly imprisoned. The original mansion burned down in 1811, but the foundation was rediscovered in 1973 and has been carefully reconstructed. The brick edifice at 137 Juliana features a museum with an orientation video and three floors of archaeological and historical exhibits, horse-drawn wagon rides, and tours of Blennerhasset Mansion. Visitors can also go picnicking, bike riding, or take nature walks. Allow three hours for a complete tour, including the 20-minute sternwheeler ride to and from the island. Adult admission prices are $2 (museum), $8 (boat ride), $3 (mansion tour) and $5 (wagon ride). 
  • 🌍 Oil and Gas Museum, 119 3rd St, ☏ +1 304 485-5446, +1 304-428-8015. M-F 11AM-4PM; Sa 11AM-5PM; Su noon-5PM. Covering the history of the oil and gas industry in West Virginia and Ohio with videos, pictures, interactive displays and artifacts - from manufacturing and transportation, to its effects on local wealth and culture, and the resulting impact on state founding and the Civil War. (updated Nov 2016)
  • 🌍 Julia-Ann Square, ☏ +1 304-428-0124. A district of historic homes being preserved and restored. You can take a self-guided walking tour of the area, or a guided tour in mid-October and early December. 
  • 🌍 Henry Cooper House (in City Park). A reconstructed cabin that originally dates back to 1804, believed to be the oldest in the county, a few years prior to the founding of Parkersburg. (updated Sep 2021)

Do
  • 🌍 Parkersburg Art Center, 725 Market St, ☏ +1 304-485-3859. Art exhibits, classes and workshops, and guided tours. On-site gift shop. 
  • 🌍 Smoot Theatre, 213 Fifth St, ☏ +1 304-422-PLAY (7529). A restored 1926 vaudeville house, hosting films, concerts, plays, ballets and comedy shows. Dessert tours available. 
  • 🌍 City Park, 1920 Park Ave. Municipal park; largest in the city (46.6 acres), with swimming pool, sports facilities, picnic shelters, playgrounds & regular events. Free. (updated Mar 2023)
  • 🌍 Fort Boreman Park, Fort Boreman Dr, ☏ +1 304 424-1976. Daily 9AM-5PM. Here some spectacular views await of the Ohio River and Parkersburg from this bluff, along with trails and historical exhibits. (updated Sep 2021)
  • 🌍 North Bend State Park, ☏ +1 304-643-2931. Off WV-31 near Cairo. Fishing streams, swimming pool, mountain biking, horseback riding and hiking trails, including the 72-mile North Bend Rail Trail. The park has a 305-acre lake for fishing and boating, as well as carriage rides on weekends from May until October. Lodge with on-site restaurant, cabins and campground accommodations available. On-site gift shop. 
  • 🌍 Point Park, 113 Ann St. Open 24 hours. This park will enable you to walk along the water's edge of the Ohio River and take in such things as the Parkersburg Bridge, Parkersburg flood wall, and various ships like paddlewheelers and tallship replicas, etc. Great if you are looking for a stroll. (updated Sep 2021)
  • 🌍 Haunted Parkersburg Ghost Tours, 320 Market St, ☏ +1 304-428-7978. Operating from mid-September through Halloween. Learn about the Banshee of Marrtown, the East End Ghoul, the West Virginia Mothman, the Men in Black and the appearance of the alien Indrid Cold. Two-mile walk taking less than two hours. $8. 

Events
  • 🌍 Mid-Ohio Valley Multicultural Festival, ☏ +1 304-428-4405, +1 304-428-1552. Held every June in City Park. Three days of entertainment, cuisine, education and artistic expressions from many cultures. (updated Nov 2019)
  • 🌍 Parkersburg Homecoming Festival, ☏ +1 304-422-9970. Second Street and Ann Street. Held every third Friday in August. A parade, arts and crafts booths, a flea market, pageants, a talent show, a wacky raft race, a rubber ducky derby and a chess tournament. 
  • 🌍 Harvest Moon Arts and Crafts Festival, ☏ +1 304-424-3457. Held every September in City Park. Quality food, entertainment and approximately 200 booths displaying wares from local and regional artists and craftsmen. (updated Nov 2019)
  • 🌍 West Virginia Honey Festival, ☏ +1 304-428-5835, +1 304-428-1130. Held every September in City ark to educate the public on beekeeping, honey and the uses of honey. Baking contest and auction, entertainment, concessions, arts and crafts and a beard of live bees. (updated Nov 2019)
  • Volcano Days Festival, ☏ +1 304-679-3611. Route 50 in Waverly. Held the fourth weekend in September on the site of the extinct oil town of Volcano, West Virginia, which was once like a gold-rush town until it was utterly destroyed by fire in 1879. Historical lectures, flea market, arts and crafts, races, live entertainment and the "Almost Famous" chicken dinner. 

Learn

Buy
  • Berdine's Five and Dime, 106 N Court St, ☏ +1 304-643-2217. In Harrisville. Closed Sundays. America's oldest operating five-and-dime store, selling tin toys, bulk candies, practical and unusual items from yesteryear since 1908. 
  • Holl's Swiss Chocolatier, 2001 Grand Central Ave, ☏ +1 304-295-6576, toll-free: +1-800-842-4512. In Vienna,. Fresh, handcrafted artisan Swiss chocolates created daily in small batches using only the finest ingredients. 
  • Mulberry Lane Country Store, 4009 Emerson Ave, ☏ +1 304-428-1949. Open 10AM to 6PM Monday through Friday, 10AM to 5PM on Saturday, and noon to 5PM on Sunday. West Virginia's largest craft store, with 5,500 square feet of unique folk art, gifts, collectibles and home furnishings. 
  • R. C. Marshall Hardware Co., 273 Main St, Cairo WV. Now closed, but this 1902 oil-boom store with original tin ceilings and attractive brick facade used to have an immense array of vintage showcases of 1890s supplies such as oil lamps and cast iron ware. 
  • 🌍 Williamstown Antique Mall, 801 Highland Ave, ☏ +1 304-375-6315. In Williamstown. Finest selection of unique antiques and collectibles in the Mid-Ohio Valley. (updated Jul 2022)

Malls

Eat
  • 🌍 da Vinci's Italian Restaurant, 215 Highland Ave, Williamstown, ☏ +1 304-375-3633. In Williamstown. Open 10:30AM to 10PM Tuesday through Thursday, 10:30AM to 11PM Friday and Saturday, and 11AM to 9PM on Sundays, in summer; closes half an hour earlier in winter. A family-owned business since 1980, serving salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza and calzones. Specialties include the German Pizza (with corned beef, sauerkraut and horseradish sauce) and the Spaghetti Mona Lisa (baked vermicelli with meat sauce, topped with cheese, vegetables and pepperoni). $4 - 18. 
  • 🌍 North End Tavern, 3500 Emerson Ave, ☏ +1 304-428-5854. One of Parkersburgs only functioning microbreweries the "NET" is famous for its enormous NET Burgers and beer battered onion rings. Affordable prices. Bar ambiance. 
  • 🌍 The Pizza Place, 2208 Dudley Ave, ☏ +1 304-485-5601. Locally owned and operated the unique Sicilian style crust is a local favorite. 

Drink
  • 🌍 J. P. Henry's, 5106 Emerson Ave, ☏ +1 304 485-9390. Restaurant and pub with casual dining and sports bar. Salads, sandwiches, burgers and hot entrees. $6-$20. 
  • 🌍 North End Tavern & Brewery, 3500 Emerson Ave, ☏ +1 304 428-5854. 8AM-midnight Monday through Saturday, and 1-7PM on Sunday. Ales, pilsners, porters and lagers brewed on-site. Also serving appetizers, salads and grilled items. $4-$9. (updated Nov 2016)

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge
  • 🌍 The Blennerhassett Hotel, 320 Market St, ☏ +1 304-422-3131, toll-free: +1-800-262-2536. 89 rooms. A historic hotel since 1889. Fitness center, plush bathrobes. Complimentary pass to the Parkersburg YMCA, valet service, airport shuttle and daily paper. On-site restaurant called Spats Restaurant and Lounge, and a Starbucks coffee bar. 

Bed and Breakfasts

Connect

Go next
Routes through Parkersburg
Canton ← Marietta ←  N  S  → Jct W E → Charleston
Chillicothe ← Athens ←  W  E  → Pennsboro → Clarksburg
Athens ← Belpre ← becomes ←  W  E  → END


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