Wheeling

Wheeling, also known as the "Friendly City" or the "Nail City", is a city of 26,000 people (as of 2019) in West Virginia. Wheeling is known for having more Victorian architecture than any other city in the United States.

Get in
Wheeling is located in the northern (or western) panhandle of West Virginia, between Ohio and Pennsylvania, approximately 45 miles southwest of Pittsburgh and 120 miles east of Columbus.

By plane
The closest commercial service is to Pittsburgh International Airport, which is approximately 40 miles northeast of Wheeling in Western Pennsylvania.

By car
Interstate 70 is the primary route for reaching Wheeling from the east or west. Travelers in Northern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania can reach Wheeling via OH Route 7 or WV Route 2. Wheeling can be reached from Southern Ohio and Southern West Virginia via WV Route 2, or Interstate 79 and Interstate 77 for points further south. U.S. Route 250, U.S. Route 40, and WV Route 88 are other major highways that pass through Wheeling.

By train
The nearest passenger rail service is in Pittsburgh, PA, and is provided by Amtrak's Pennsylvanian and Capitol Limited routes. Wheeling can then be reached by car or connecting bus service provided by Amtrak.

By bus

 * Greyhound Bus Lines. The city's bus station is located in the Intermodal Center Garage at 1405 Main Street in downtown Wheeling. Two daily services are available from Pittsburgh. Greyhound in Wheeling can be reached at.

Get around
Wheeling is a small city, so transportation options are limited.

By car
Car is by far the most efficient way to get around Wheeling. Traffic in Wheeling is non-existent, outside of congestion related to road construction or vehicle accidents, so driving through Wheeling can be accomplished with a great deal of ease.

Interstate 70 runs east to west through the city, and provides primary access to all of the area's major roadways. I-70 enters the city by crossing a back channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling Island (Exit 0), providing access to U.S. Route 40, and the Wheeling Island Racetrack & Casino. I-70 then crosses the main channel of the Ohio River, entering downtown Wheeling, and then continues east through Wheeling Tunnel.

U.S. Route 40 (Old National Road) is the main commercial thoroughfare in Wheeling, traveling east to west through the city, and has several interchanges with I-70. State road 2 is Wheeling's primary north to south road, running roughly parallel to the Ohio River the entire length of the city. Route 2 is a limited-access freeway south of downtown, and becomes a two-lane surface street north of downtown. Interstate 470 is a spur to I-70 that begins in the Elm Grove section of the city (Exit 5A), and spurs south, crossing the Ohio River in the South Wheeling section of the city, and merging with I-70 outside of St. Clairsville, Ohio (Exit 219).

By taxi
Wheeling's primary taxi company is Yellow Cab, and they can be reached at.

See



 * The Ohio River riverfront is flanked by the 11-mile lighted Wheeling Heritage Trail if you want to walk, jog, rollerblade or bike by the water's edge. At the boat landing is Wheeling Heritage Port, an award-winning riverfront amphitheater that hosts events between May and October, like band concerts, holiday celebrations, an Italian festival, a chili cook-off and movie nights.



Events

 * Celtic Celebration, Artisan Center. Held during a weekend in early March. Music, dancing, crafts and food.
 * African-American Jubilee, Wheeling waterfront. Held during the last weekend in June. African-American food, fashion show, live music, arts and crafts.
 * Oktoberfest, Artisan Center. Held in mid-September. German food, music, and lots of beer.
 * OglebayFest, Oglebay Park. Held the first weekend in October. An artist's market with over 100 artisans, a harvest market offering West Virginia food products, chrysanthemum display, parade, fireworks display, live entertainment, dancing, juried arts and crafts show, home-cooked and ethnic foods, German Rathskeller and the Ohio County Fair.
 * Winter Festival of Lights, Oglebay Resort & Conference Center. Held from early November through early January, from dusk to 11PM. One of America's largest light shows since 1985, with a three-mile drive covering around 125 acres. Trolley tours available.
 * OglebayFest, Oglebay Park. Held the first weekend in October. An artist's market with over 100 artisans, a harvest market offering West Virginia food products, chrysanthemum display, parade, fireworks display, live entertainment, dancing, juried arts and crafts show, home-cooked and ethnic foods, German Rathskeller and the Ohio County Fair.
 * Winter Festival of Lights, Oglebay Resort & Conference Center. Held from early November through early January, from dusk to 11PM. One of America's largest light shows since 1985, with a three-mile drive covering around 125 acres. Trolley tours available.

Learn

 * The local newspaper is The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register, 1500 Main Street, +1 304-233-0100 or +1-800-852-5475 (both local).
 * Wheeling Jesuit University, 316 Washington Avenue, +1-800-624-6992. A Jesuit, Catholic, liberal arts university offering over 30 majors.

Budget

 * Comfort Inn Wheeling East, I-70 (exit 11) and Dallas Pike in Triadelphia, +1 304-547-0610. 106 rooms. Outdoor pool. Complimentary continental breakfast. Average price $44-70.

Cities

 * Weirton is about 45 minutes north on OH-7.
 * Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is about 1 hour east on I-70 and I-79.
 * Fairmont is about 1½ hours southeast on I-70 and I-79, or almost 2 hours if you follow US-250.
 * Parkersburg is about 2 hours southwest on I-70 and I-77, or a little over 2 hours if you follow WV-2.
 * Columbus, Ohio is about 2 hours west on I-70.