Where do I meet the group?

Meeting points are Giant Eagle Ravenna, 909 E Main Street, Ravenna, OH and Lowe’s, 940 Niles-Cortland Rd, Niles 44484; check your booking confirmation for departure times.

Is the trip suitable for children?

The itinerary lists medium walking and does not specify age minimums; contact the operator for child policies and rates.

Yes—buffet breakfasts, two dinners, and the included Italian lunch at DaVinci Italian Restaurant are part of the package as described.

Can I bring a wheelchair?

Accessibility details are not provided in the listing; contact the operator directly to confirm wheelchair accommodations.

What is the walking difficulty on Blennerhassett Island?

Walking is described as medium—expect uneven surfaces on trails and steps in the historic mansion.

What happens if there is bad weather?

Tours often proceed in light rain; for severe weather the operator will provide updates and alternative arrangements or refunds per their policy.

Ohio River Sternwheeler Weekend: Marietta & Blennerhassett Island | Boat Tour | History Tour

On Almost Heaven PART II — Blennderhaust Island, Ridgeview Tours packs two memorable river-soaked days into a single weekend that traces seams of early American settlement along the Ohio. The trip launches from northeastern Ohio and visits Marietta, Ohio, and Blennerhassett Island in West Virginia. Riders meet at Giant Eagle Ravenna, 909 E Main Street, Ravenna, OH or Lowe’s, 940 Niles-Cortland Rd, Niles 44484 before a comfortable motorcoach ride downriver. By evening you’ll board the Valley Gem Sternwheeler for a buffet dinner and live music as the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers ease past bluffs and riparian woodlands. The next day centers on Blennerhassett Island State Park: a narrated horse-drawn wagon tour, a guided walk of the 18th-century Palladian-style mansion built by Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett, and time to roam the island’s riverbank trails.

This is an accessible two-day itinerary for travelers who like history with their fresh-air movement. Marietta’s downtown, founded in 1788 as the first permanent U.S. settlement in the Northwest Territory, supplies independent shops and lunch stops; you’ll have free time to explore local storefronts and Crown Décor & Gifts. Lodging is at Fairfield Inn Marietta and meals include buffet breakfasts and two dinners with an Italian lunch at DaVinci Italian Restaurant. The program balances narrated context—local historians guide downtown and mansion tours—with unhurried windows of river observation from the sternwheeler.

What makes this short escape distinctive is its layered access to river culture: a classic sternwheeler ride, an island that preserves an 18th-century mansion, and the chance to see how Ohio River towns evolved around commerce and navigation. The island’s flat river plain and shoreline habitats are prime spots to scan for waterfowl and riverbank flora; the Palladian house offers architectural detail you won’t find on a typical park walk. Practical details matter: the trip lists a medium walking level, group capacity of 54, and an estimated return to Ravenna and Niles by early evening.

This outing fits travelers who want easy-moving history, photogenic river scenes, and compact logistics—two days with most admissions and meals handled. Bring comfortable walking shoes and a jacket for river breezes, and you’ll leave with a stronger sense of Ohio River life, a guided tour of an unusual historic mansion, and the kind of slow-river memories that open a new view on the region’s past. Expect a medium walking level and moderate shore exposure; bring sunscreen, a refillable water bottle, binoculars for river birds, and a small daypack to manage layers and purchases from Marietta shops—most admissions and two dinners are included, and the tour returns to the Ravenna and Niles pickup points the evening of day two, making this a tightly organized yet relaxed small-group trip for curious river travelers alike.