Things to Do in Marietta, Ohio

The museum stands on the site of Campus Martius, the stockade the settlers built between 1788 and 1791. Inside is the Rufus Putnam House, the only surviving dwelling of the fort, still on its original spot. The Ohio Company Land Office, reportedly the oldest building in Ohio, is on the grounds too.

★ Good to know Allow at least an hour. It’s run by the Northwest Territory Museum Society for the Ohio History Connection, and it’s closed on major holidays.

The founders laid out the town cemetery around a prehistoric burial mound in 1801 to keep it from being destroyed. The Great Mound, or Conus, was built between roughly 100 BC and AD 500 as part of the Marietta Earthworks. The cemetery holds more Revolutionary War officers than any other in the country, including Rufus Putnam and Benjamin Tupper.

★ Good to know It’s at Fifth and Scammel streets, a short walk from Campus Martius Museum.

Marietta has deep river roots, and the Valley Gem and its sister boat, the Major Riviera, keep them afloat. They run sightseeing, lunch, dinner and theme cruises on the Ohio from Front Street.

★ Good to know Cruises follow a published event schedule and the season winds down in fall, so book ahead and allow for river conditions to shift return times.

This Gothic Revival house on Fourth Street was built around 1855, and it has been a museum since 1994. Guided house tours cover Marietta’s 19th-century families, and the carriage house holds a gift shop.

★ Good to know The Castle is known for its ghost tours and cemetery tours, so check its events calendar if you want something beyond the daytime tour.

Across the Muskingum on the west bank, Harmar grew up around Fort Harmar in the 1780s. It was a separate town from 1837 to 1890, and much of it is now a National Register historic district. Wide, tree-lined streets hold Federal, Greek Revival and Gothic Revival houses.

★ Good to know The Putnam Street Bridge connects Harmar to downtown, so it’s an easy walk from the museums.

This paved trail runs more than four miles along the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. It links downtown with several city parks, and walkers use it as much as cyclists do.

★ Good to know Parts of the trail near downtown have been under renovation, so check for detours before you ride.

The riverboat-era Lafayette sits at the foot of Front Street, and it’s part of Historic Hotels of America. Even if you stay elsewhere, the Riverfront Bar & Grill has views of the Ohio River and the Williamstown Bridge.

★ Good to know The Gun Room is the hotel’s breakfast spot.