This Ohio Main Street Feels Like A Movie Set

Out of all the downtown areas in Ohio, Marietta is one of the best. In fact, walking through downtown Marietta will make you feel like you've stepped onto a movie set with the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers in front of you, mountains behind you, and magnificent castles lining its historic district.

In Marietta, Ohio, you can find the familiar and comfortable at burger joints or dive into the macabre at a funeral home museum, or go off the beaten track into the mountains. This Ohio Main Street feels like a movie set for many different reasons which you can read about below.

History

Marietta has one of the longest histories in the Midwest. It was first settled in 1788 in the Northwest Territory, making it the first U.S. settlement in the territory. The town was named after Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France. This was before she was to lose her head during the French Revolution. With its strategic position on the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum River, George Washington himself said that if he were a young man, "just preparing to begin in the world, I know of no country where I should rather fix my habitation."

His words would prove true throughout Marietta's history, especially with the arrival of the Ohio Valley Railroad in 1871, and the discovery of oil around the same time. Within Marietta's historic downtown district today, you can see historical evidence of the town's success in several museums and magnificent mansions around its Main Street.

One of the impressive mansions is The Anchorage. Constructed in 1859 by Douglas Putnam, it is made of 24-inch thick ashlar sandstone in an Italianate Villa style. It has 22 rooms and an imposing tower that is reminiscent of Renaissance locales.

The Castle is another awe-inspiring structure. Built in the Gothic Revival style in 1855, you'll feel like you're looking at a Disney castle with its impressive Medieval turret tower, white spires, slanted windows, and other Gothic features.

Within Marietta, one can find unusual museums housed within historic places. One such place is the Toy and Doll Museum with antique children's toys held in a Queen Anne house. A more macabre place is the People's Mortuary Museum owned by Cawley & Peoples Funeral Homes. This museum contains old horse-drawn hearses and immaculately maintained hearse vehicles.

Lastly, if you like to see beautiful historic churches, take a stop by the 1838 Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption. It is built in the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with its sandstone walls, dual towers, and, of course, the rounded basilica itself. This style was popular in Latin America, Florida, and California, but is a rare site in the Midwest.

Shopping and Dining

No visit to Marietta's Main Street would be complete without patronizing a few local downtown businesses. In its downtown strip, you can find quirky stores that you won't find else: such as the American Flags & Poles shop, which sells flags, wind chimes, and other outdoor decorations to place around your home.

Another home decor shop worth going to is Dad's Primitive Workbench, which sells primitive antique items, rustic decor, and clothing. There's a little something here for comic book readers and vinyl enthusiasts at Asylum Comics and First City Records.

For local eateries, there are 27 restaurants downtown. The most common establishments are BBQ or burger joints like the Boathouse BBQ, but you can also find local beer and wine at Marietta Brewing Company and Marietta Wine Cellars. For ethnic food, enjoy a taco at Tampico Mexican Restaurant or curry from the Star of India.

Arts

Marietta celebrates many different types of art styles, from fine art to stained glass, and even Appalachian styles, and you can see all of it downtown. Located just off Main Street in Marietta, there are multiple galleries, art shops, and centers, most within walking distance.

Clutch Collective collects and sells art from more than 80 artists in the Appalachian region. Here you can find necklaces, papercrafts, pottery, city scenes, paintings of animals of the Appalachian Mountains, and more. If you'd like to learn how to make functional art you can use at home, such as painted bottles, go to the Marietta Makery.

At Marietta College, you can see rotating exhibits and shows at the Hermann Fine Arts Center, which houses the Departments of Art, Music, and Theatre. To see some beautiful modern stained glass, visit the Marietta Stained Glassworks LLC to see artists who keep this art alive.

Outdoor Spots Nearby

Marietta sits next to the only national forest in Ohio: Wayne National Forest. This Appalachian Mountain park consists of nearly 250,000 acres with around 300 miles of hiking trails, including ones leading you to mountain lakes such as Lake Vesuvius, and a trail that goes by the remains of a stone church at the Old Stone Church Trailhead. For those with accessibility concerns, there are the Lake Vesuvius Boardwalk Trail and Ora E. Anderson Nature Trail, which are paved.

You don't have to go far from downtown to go for a hike. The River Trail runs for 3.28 miles from the Indian Acres Boat Ramp to the Putnam Street Bridge, while the Marietta High School Mountain Bike Trails offer 2 miles of paved shared-use paths and 15 miles of off-road hiking and biking.

Marietta has a few good fishing spots right by the Ohio River, including The Marietta Harbor and Ohio Riverfront Park Gazebo.

The familiar, macabre, and fantastic

Any good movie set needs something different about it to catch the eyes of viewers, while also not getting too fantastical to be unbelievable. Marietta, Ohio's Main Street and surrounding area, fits these criteria well with its local shops amid American-style castles, a macabre funeral home museum, and, of course, the fantastic Appalachian Mountain trails one can find just outside of town. By exploring this Main Street, you'll feel like an extra in a movie and make some star-studded memories.