Touring, traveling, vacationing and visiting information about beautiful Southeast Ohio

Southeast Ohio

Although Southeast Ohio was the first part of the state to be settled, today it also the least populated area of the state. Southeast Ohio is rugged country by Ohio standards. The foothills of the Appalachian Mountains begin in Southeast Ohio. The area has deep river gorges that snake around the hills, but very little precious farmland. Of course there are farms of all sorts in the southeast, but not on the large scale that we see in the northwest.

At the beginning of the 19th Century, coal, iron ore, oil, and natural gas were plentiful in the area and these resources made for swift development of the region. This abundance of raw materials opened the area for mining, drilling, and blast furnaces. But this did not last. The mines became to expensive to operate. The oil wells also became too expensive to operate, but there are still some in production today, especially in Athens, Meigs, Morgan and Muskingum Counties.

The Ohio & Erie Canal skirted the southeast with claims that the area was too difficult to build a canal. The more likely reason was political infighting that dictated where the canal would go. In 1841 they began building the Hocking Canal branch that connected Nelsonville and later Athens, with the the main branch of the Ohio & Erie Canal at Carroll

Later they would expand the Ohio & Erie Canal by making another branch, a shorter branch to the Ohio River from Cleveland by extending the canal from Dresden (today this is near the Longaberger Basket Company) down to Marrietta. However, by the time this section of the canal was completed, the age of canals was almost over and Marrietta had missed a golden opportunity.

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THE WILDS lets visitors go on a safari without leaving Ohio. The Wilds has a restaurant, gift shop, and educational displays. Many special activities such as bird watching, hiking, educational seminars, overnight camps, day camps and group retreats are offered at The Wilds, but the main feature is seeing the animals roaming the hills of southeast Ohio.

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National Road Crosses
Middle Ohio

Two-hundred and twenty miles of the National Road run through Ohio and almost half of those miles run along the northern edge of Southeastern Ohio (or roughly through the middle of the state).

Statue of Civil War General
Philip Seridan in Somerset, Ohio

The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving Ohio's railroad past.

Located in Nelsonville, the vintage passenger railroad equipment includes commuter cars from the 1920s, open-air cars with roofs and a former B&O baggage and passenger car. The railroad normally operates on weekends and offers numerous special events throughout the year.

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