Upper Ohio Valley Museum and Hall Of Fame

The museum was originally going to be dedicated just to Lou Holtz but when the idea was raised to him he suggested that it include Upper Ohio Valley people in all fields of endeavor.  Not being football fans we had no idea who Lou Holtz was but since the museum is free we stopped to find out. The museum has a small section on Holtz, exhibits on other notable residents, and historic exhibits on the area. The museum is in the old First National Bank in East Liverpool and uses the bank vault for a display on Pretty Boy Floyd.  Floyd, a petty criminal, bank robber, jail inmate, and murderer, met his demise near East Liverpool on October 22, 1934 at hands of local and federal law enforcement. 

 

The accessible entrance to the museum is on Crook Ave. Crook Ave- also know as Umbrella Alley because of the colorful umbrellas providing shade- is a pedestrian walkway. There isn't a push button to alert the staff and they may not hear knocking so it's best to call ahead. The main floor of the museum is accessible. The model train layout is hard to see from a seated position. The ramp to view some of the Pretty Boy Floyd exhibit is narrow and steep. A lift accesses the second floor. The lower level is not accessible. 

Parking is available on the street. We parked two blocks south on  4th Street and walked/ rolled up Crook Ave. Wheelchair users may need assistance as it's fairly steep. Museum  40.61877, -80.57911

First Ladies National Historic Site

The visitor center is located in the historic 1895 City National Bank building with the main exhibits in the restored lobby. A theater in the lower level has four videos that play continuously. We watched In Times Of War and found it to be very informative. We would have watched all of them if we had more time. The second floor has a few more exhibits, a kid's hands-on area, and a research library open by appointment only. 

 

The accessible entrance has a call button and is located on the south side of the museum, to the left of the main entrance. Once inside there's a lift that goes to the lower level and then an elevator for access to the first and second floors. 

We parked on the street, taking up two spaces. Most of the meters are limited to two hours but the museum is small so that's plenty of time to see the exhibits and watch at least two videos. The sidewalks and curb cuts are in good condition. Visitor Center  40.79766, -81.3753

 

Air Heritage Aviation Museum

Dedicated volunteers are the driving force of this small museum. The eight planes on display have been restored to flying condition and the exhibit cases feature stories, models, and memorabilia.  

The museum is accessible except to the second floor gallery.

We noticed the Harvest Hosts sign when we pulled in so we asked if we could stay the night even though we hadn't called ahead of time. Yes! Very quiet although people who spotted the museum sign on Route 51 turned down Airport Drive to check it out so expect some activity even when the museum is closed. Museum  40.7775, -80.38997

Merrick Art Gallery

A stable source of income from family businesses and investments allowed Edward Dempster Merrick to retire in 1885 at age 53 and pursue his interest in creating and collecting art. His collection includes paintings bought from New York galleries and at auctions plus purchases made during his tours in Europe with his friend and fellow collector, Andrew Carnegie.  

 

To display the artwork Merrick bought an unused train depot in his hometown of New Brighton and added a second story. As the collection grew he had a matching building constructed next to the train depot with a second story bridge to connect the two buildings. Over two hundred paintings are displayed in the style of the 19th century - close together and organized by subject.  All of the paintings which have elaborate frames are set in plain wooded boxes, something we've never seen and seemed to serve no purpose.  Furniture and other period pieces are also on display. 

Merrick left an endowment so that the museum will always be free to everyone. Unfortunately after his death his family destroyed all of his original paintings. Whether the painting were destroyed because they were really bad or just because his family didn't approve of his hobby, we'll never know since they left no documentation. :( 

 

The museum is accessible. There isn't a desk to check in so after entering take the elevator to the second floor galleries. When we visited the lights were off in all the galleries. There's enough light to find the light switches but not enough to see the paintings so we turned the lights on and then off again when we left.  

The parking lot is small but RVs can be parked on the street. Museum  40.73276, -80.31016

 

Mingo Creek Trail

The trail is about five miles out and back. It follows the creek which is mostly a dry bed at this time of year. The Washington and Greene Counties' Covered Bridge Festival was in full swing the day we visited, something we were not aware of so it was a bit of a surprise to see so many cars and people. Nine communities with covered bridges take part in the festival and  Mingo Creek Park has the largest one. Booths are set up on both sides of the trail, making it easy for visitors to stroll along and enjoy all the food and crafts for sale. The trail was uncrowded once we passed the festival area. 

We parked in a small lot at the west end of the trail and walked/rolled to the large parking lots at the east end where we turned around. The trail continues for about 1/3 mile after the lots but that section is not paved. The trail is mostly level but there's one very steep hill around the halfway point which is difficult even with a strong helper. The festival area was level and hard packed so rolling was fairly easy. 

The lot where we parked is very small. The lots at the east end are large enough for any RV if parked across the spaces plus other lots along the park road also have access to the trail. Trail  40.1926, -80.05133

 

Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival

The festival occurs over six weekends in late August through early September and features a different theme each weekend. We attended during the Pirate Invasion weekend so some of the attendees were dressed in pirate outfits. 

 The festival has been held in the same location, a 20 acre former strip mine, for 27 years so it's very well run with elaborate buildings. There are nine stages with entertainment all day plus a jousting arena. Four food booths provide a variety of sandwiches, meat on sticks, and side dishes. There are also booths selling candy, ice cream, and nuts. The most numerous booths belong to the artisans and vendors - over 80! Make sure to pick up a program pamphlet, which includes a map, at the entrance to the festival. 

The grounds are not accessible without a strong helper. Even then it's difficult because of the hilly terrain. The three ramps access the lower level of the festival grounds are all steep.  The jousting arena is the only area that is really level. Some of the vendor booths have steps. 

The parking area is huge. We arrived after lunch and were directed to an upper lot and  had a long downhill walk/roll to the entrance. There are accessible spots near the entrance but an early arrival is necessary to get one of those spots. Festival  40.18093, -79.69745