Zanesville Museum of Art

In the 1920s abundant deposits of clay and silica along with a good transportation system of rivers and railroads transformed Zanesville into a nationally known manufacturer of all types of ceramics. More than a dozen potteries operated in the area. Along with the factories came wealth for a few people like Edward and Klara Ayers, local business owners, who founded the museum in 1936 and donated their own collections glass, ceramics paintings and sculptures. Today the museum galleries feature an eclectic collection of art including local glass and pottery, Asian, African, Persian and Indonesia art, decorative art, contemporary art, sculptures, and even an entire 17th century paneled room imported from England. 

    

          

The museum also hosts traveling exhibits. We were treated to a fantastic collection of Tiffay lamps and decorative pieces.

The museum is accessible.

The lot is large enough for most RVs.  Museum    39.9786, -82.00947

Art Museum Of WVU

The museum is small and features changing exhibits that showcase one artist or topic. When we visited the artwork included more than 80 woodblock color prints and abstract cubist painting by Blanche Lazzell, a native of West Virginia. 

The museum is accessible.

Since this is on the university campus, parking is limited to a few lots. The closest lots to the museum are Short Term Lot 1 and Short Tern Lot 9. These are designated 47 and 49 on Google Maps. Both are very sloped. We parked in the northwest corner of Lot 49 to be as level as possible. Museum  39.64973, -79.97288

Lake Fairfax Park Campground

The Water Mine Family Swimmin' Hole waterpark was closed for the season when we camped at Lake Fairfax but it looks like great fun. This park must be very busy during the summer! The campground is okay but the sites are close together with little privacy. We chose site #2 because it's level. We couldn't distinguish the boundary between it and site #4 which didn't matter as the campground wasn't busy.

Amenities besides the waterpark include tables, fire rings, restrooms, showers, dump station, and a skate park. 

None of the sites are designated as accessible but most of the RV sites are usable. Some of the tent sites are sloped.      Campground  38.96264, -77.32142

Visiting Washington D.C.

While visiting my sister and her family we took a quick trip into town to see all of the "improvements" 

The golden statues

The reflecting pond

The National Guard keeping us safe.

The closest we could get to the Whitehouse from south side.

We also stopped at the Museum of American History. Since we didn't have much time, we decided to just see a couple of small exhibits - Lowriding Culture and Entertainment Nation. The exhibits in Lowriding Culture include two very elaborately customized 1960s era cars and stories about the families who created them.   Museum

At first glance Entertainment Nation seems like a typical presentation of familiar objects from movies, television, sports, and other entertainment venues but a closer look reveals the conflicts and roadblocks that marginalized groups faced as they broke into the entertainment business. 

Hidden Hollow Campground

The 3,023 acres Fernwood State Forest was strip-mined before the state of Ohio bought it and restored the forest. The state also built a free campground, three shooting ranges, a picnic area, and three short trails.

The campground has 22 sites, picnic tables, and a vault toilet. The parking pads are narrow and most have a slant. There are three or four campsites with parking along the road. These are a little more level. None of them are accessible. The trails are not accessible.

Even though the campground is free campers must sign in and the camping limit is 14 days in a 30 day period. Gunshots from the shooting range can be heard in the campground but most of the time it's not bad.

We had lots fun just hanging out and sharing food at potluck meals with a great group of people at a Homes On Wheels Caravan.     Campground  40.33429, -80.7641

Ariel-Foundation Park

Ariel-Foundation Park is an excellent example of creative reuse of a closed industrial site. In 1898 a steel mill was built on the location using beams and tresses from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The steel mill failed and buildings were bought by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in 1907. The glass factory, which used the abundant local natural gas and silica sand, was much more successful, operating until 1976.

Creating the park from the ruins of the glass plant took years of negotiations to buy the land, get donations, draw up plans, demolish the unsafe structures, and clean up the site. A day long grand opening in 2015 attracted 10,00 people. 

Two buildings, the carpenter shop and the clock house, were renovated and are available for events. A large factory building has been converted to an open-air community event center that can also be rented. The 280' smokestack built in 1951 has a spiral staircase around the outside that goes to an observation deck. Paved paths wind through the park past ponds, interpretive signs, and sculptures created from discarded beams and chunks of glass.

86 acres of the former Goodwin Sand and Gravel Company was purchased which increased the park to 250 acres. The quarries are now scenic lakes used for fishing and kayaking. Paved and dirt paths circle the lakes. 

The paved paths are accessible, but a few sections are steep. Most wheelchair users will need assistance. The quarry area is accessed by a steep road. Walking/rolling down the road can be avoided by parking in one of the lower parking lots.

The upper lots are large enough for any vehicle. RVs will fit in the lower lots if parked across the spaces. Park  40.38219, -82.49505