In May of 2023 we took a weekend to go to Blennerhassett Island in the Ohio River next to Parkersburg WV. It is about a 6 hour drive with avoiding highways. The drive over was nice weather so the top was down all the way. We drove through the heart of West Virginia across the mountains. One thing that is prevalent is wind generating turbines on the mountain tops across WV. We are big advocates of alternative energy so it was good to see the wind mills and on this drive you got up close to some of them to see the size of them is impressive.
We met our son and daughter in law in Parkersburg on Friday and went to a local brewery. the Marietta Brewing Comp in Marietta Ohio which is just across the river. It was nice restaurant that was just a short walk to the river that we strolled before heading back to the hotel across the river.
On Saturday we did our excursion to Blennerhassett Island. The only access the island is via boat. The island has a paddle wheel boat that transports people to the island. The trip on the boat is about 20 minutes from the dock near the museum to the island. On the island we had a house tour and a wagon tour of the island.
The history of Blennerhassett Island starts in 1789 when Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett buys the island and builds what at the time is a mansion on the island. they were aristocrats from Europe. What made the island famous is when Aaron Burr convinces the Blennerhassett’s to help fund and lead an uprising to take over parts of the center of the United States. The US government under Thomas Jefferson did not take this to well and sent the army to stop the plot. That is the short version. there is a documentary on Blennerhassett island that is worth watching before you go. We found it on Prime Video and rented it for $3.
The tour guide we had for the mansion was so so at best. The facts she gave was not enough to put the history of the property together. If we had not watched the video we would have gone away with a different story that what really happened. that night we ate at Da Vinci’s Italian Restaurant. If your in Parkersburg we highly recommend this place. The food was great, portions were generous and priced in the medium range.
On Sunday we departed taking back roads as much as possible. We went past Black Water Falls state park and ate lunch at the Smokehouse grill in the park. It was ok and worth the drive around the park. We plan on a separate trip back to the area around Black Waterfalls at some other time. There is alot to do just a hour drive away from Black Waterfalls state park so we plan on a very long weekend trip.
It was a great trip and if your close to Parkersburg highly recommend Blennerhassett Island.
