Location: Follows the Ohio River in southern Ohio from Wheeling, West Virginia on to Indiana and Illinois
Length: 967 miles (1557 km)
Time To Allow: 5 days

Description/Highlights/Points of Interest

This byway is a history-rich corridor that meanders along the banks of the Ohio River, hugging its shoreline and offering almost continuous river views. Ohio's history can be found in both rural landscapes and small, quaint towns, covering periods from Native American habitation through western settlement, changing transportation patterns and industrialization. The landscape along the route offers scenes illustrating this history. Sites include Scofield Covered Bridge, Grant's Birthplace, Lanier Mansion State Historic Site, Angel Mounds State Historic Site and Fort Massac State Park and Cave in Rock State Park.

Suggested Itinerary

Beginning west of Cincinnati, you can travel alongside the Ohio River without flood walls obstructing your view. Here you see a more pastoral life of the Ohio; no industry or other large buildings interrupt the free flow of fields, nature and water. Your first stop will be in North Bend at the Harrison Tomb, located off Cliff Road. The 60-foot (18.2 m) marble obelisk in this 14-acre park pays tribute to William Henry Harrison, the ninth U.S. president.

Continue to Cincinnati, and visit the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House. It was here that Harriet learned of the injustices of slavery and wrote her famous novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Visit the Museum Center at Union Terminal, the Crew Tower and the Omni Netherland Plaza.

On the way to New Richmond, the scenery changes from the cityscape of Cincinnati to lush green forests, blue skies and a rolling river. Visit Pt. Pleasant, home of America's 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant's birthplace, a one-story, three-room cottage, which offers a quick but memorable stop. Follow Grant's life back on U.S. 52, heading north, taking Ohio State Route 231 to historic Georgetown, where you can visit Grant's boyhood home on 219 East Grant Avenue. From Georgetown, you can head south again on State Route 68 to State Route 62, back to the scenic byway on U.S. 52.

Stop in the town of Ripley and visit the Ripley Museum and Rankin House. Abolitionists John and Jean Rankin hid some 2,000 escaped slaves in this way-station on the Underground. Harriet Beecher Stowe stopped here to speak with Rankin about the problems of slavery before writing her novel, and later used some of his stories in her book. The Parker Home, also in Ripley, was another haven along the Underground Railroad. John P. Parker was a former slave, inventor and businessman who is believed to have helped many slaves escape to the Kentucky side of the Ohio River.

While in Ripley, stop by Carolyn's House of Mini Rooms Museum to see doll-house sized rooms dedicated to various themes. Then head to Portsmouth, where you'll see artistic flood-wall murals which beautify the byway and protect the city from the rising waters of the Ohio River.

Continue on to the French Art Colony of Gallipolis. Here you can see Our House State Memorial, a river inn where travelers such as the Marquis de Lafayette once stayed. Visitors can learn about the rich history of the local area and state. While traveling through, note the French-styled homes along the riverbanks. Traveling further east along the byway is the city of Pomeroy, which has been featured on Ripley's Believe It Or Not, for its unusual courthouse which is built into the side of a cliff and is accessible on all three levels from the outside.

Continue on the scenic byway to Marietta, the place where Ohio began and the first city founded in the Northwest Territory. The early days of Marietta are remembered at the Campus Martius Museum, which offers displays of riverboats and other antiquities. You can also stop at the Ohio River Museum next to the Martius Museum.

Heading north up the river you'll pass through the town of Steubenville, where you can witness the Old Fort Steuben Reconstruction 1787. This fort was under the command of Captain John Francis Hamtramck for the protection of the surveyors of the Northwest Territory. Demonstrations and land office tours are available. In downtown Steubenville, you'll see murals depicting the 1850s and 1920s city life of Steubenville. The murals are painted on the sides of many of the great buildings in the area. While in Steubenville, stay in a historic bed and breakfast or dine at the unusual paddleboat restaurant dedicated to river living. Also, from August 23–25, you can check out the Steubenville Marina off State Route 7, for the Steubenville Regatta and Racing Association's Rumble on the River. For those with some extra time and a love for antique vehicles, the Welsh Classic Car Museum would be an ideal stop.

Continuing on State Route 7, head to Wellsville and the Wellsville River Museum, a three-story building constructed in 1870. Period furniture and paddlewheel displays are featured in the various rooms. East Liverpool has been called "Crockery City," and is known for its artistic place settings. The city's Museum of Ceramics operates out of the former post office.

Travel Season/Dates

Expect road closings in Spring due to flooding. Ferries cannot operate when the river freezes.

The following organization offers a trip along the Ohio River Scenic Byway:

Ohio River Trails
American Driving Vacations
Unfolding over 200 years, the fascinating history of today’s Ohio River culture began in 1780, when barges loaded with pioneer families used the river to carry them to new homes. Merriweather Lewis floated the Ohio to meet George Rogers Clark in St. Louis, the starting point of their famous journey of discovery. Serving as the gateway to East, West, North and South, the Ohio River saw action in the French and Indian War, the American Revolution and the Civil War. In between the conflicts, a rich “river culture” complete with steamboats, paddlewheelers, patchwork quilts, antebellum mansions and historic towns thrived along its banks. Traveling America now features a special collection of packages that cover the entire 462-mile (743.5 km) stretch of the Ohio River Trail National Scenic Byway from Cincinnati to the Pennsylvania border. You can enjoy the whole trail, a portion at a time, or just that special section you’ve always wanted to visit.