The Vibrant, Giant Resort Park Proving There's More To Wheeling, West Virginia Than Its Boring Reputation

It is easy to miss the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. You could drive right through it on Interstate 70, an 18-mile journey that would take you less than a half-hour to complete, and you'd never really see much at all. You could spend days road tripping through the Mountain State, visiting such natural wonders as Seneca Rocks and New River Gorge, and just skip this part of the state. Lots of folks badmouth Wheeling — the largest Panhandle town — as boring. "I've had nothing but bad experiences," wrote user Tripadvisor user. "The casino was about the only decent thing there." On Niche.com, many residents express similar sentiments, saying, "I often find myself bored" or "The only thing you can do to keep yourself occupied is going to someone else's house to hangout."

This impression may be a little dated, as Wheeling (pop. 25,000) is starting to rebound, and the old industrial hub is seeing multi-million-dollar investment and revitalization. Many are finding that Wheeling is now a hidden Panhandle city with incredible cuisine, eclectic shops, and mountain charm. However, even if you don't think downtown Wheeling is a major destination (yet), it's a great basecamp for a more pastoral part of town: Oglebay Park Resort, a 2,000-acre public estate just 6 miles from the town's main drag.

This single property contains museums, shopping, wellness centers, an entire zoo, and outdoor experiences for all four Appalachian seasons. Oglebay isn't just a fun rural park; it's a dynamic vacation spot that will give you reason enough to spend days in the Northern Panhandle. Plus, thanks to on-site lodges, cabins, and cottages, you can comfortably spend nights here, too.

To enjoy the park's many activities, start with a wristband ($29.99 for one, $40 for two, at the time of writing). This grants you a lot of access: You can pedal a swan-boat on Schenk Lake or scamper through a splash area at Crispin Center Pool. You can hurl discs at chain baskets on a 9-hole disc-golf course or play a rousing game of pickleball on one of several courts. If (real) golf is your game, the combined courses here comprise 72 holes, and players come from all over to test their skills on greens designed by Robert Trent Jones and Arnold Palmer. Note that the golf courses do cost extra.

Oglebay is largely forested, and you're likely to spot local wildlife among the trees, but you can also just visit Good Zoo, Oglebay's on-site menagerie. Residents include sloths and kangaroos, and the zoo's "Animal Experiences" package allows visitors to get up close with such species as red pandas and cheetahs. The zoo is also a relative bargain, at $17 for adults and $13 for children. Once you've worked up an appetite, you can browse the menus at more than a dozen Oglebay restaurants, from the fast-casual Crispin Café to the date-worthy Trace Chophouse.

Oglebay remains open all winter, when the grounds are taken over by skiers, snowboarders, and ice skaters. One of the best-known events at Oglebay is the Festival of Lights, which includes a drive-through holiday display, a full-scale Santa's Village, and Christmas-themed zoo exhibits. If Oglebay were its own municipality, you could easily add it to a list of the most magical towns across America that go all out for Christmas.

The only sensible way to get to Oglebay Park Resort is to drive. The entrance is about 75 minutes by car from Pittsburgh or 90 minutes from Morgantown, one of West Virginia's hub cities. Once you arrive, though, you can explore the park by trolley; this free service makes a loop around the resort's best-known landmarks, running every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The full circuit takes about 30 minutes, and guests can hop on or off anytime it's running.

Lodging at the resort is wide-ranging, appealing to many different budgets. Depending on the season, you could pick a room for somewhere between $100 and $200 per night, comparable to a decent chain hotel. Prices surge from there, as guests can pick from premium suites and full-sized luxury cottages. If you're looking for something more economical, a slew of humbler hotels are scattered along I-70, just east of downtown Wheeling, many of them costing less than $100 per night, and they're a short drive from the park. As more people spend time in the area, they may wonder what it's like to stay significantly longer. Indeed, West Virginia is a mountainous gem that's America's most affordable state for retirement.