It isn’t too early to schedule a Steubenville ‘City of Murals’ tour for 2016.  A step on guide is  available to join your group and discuss and share the history of each mural as well as different points of interest throughout town as you drive the mural route. You may decide to combine the Mural Tour with a tour of Historic Fort Steuben, with the very knowledgeable, informative tour guides who will ‘take you back in time’ to the days of the fort discussing the history, explaining what the many exhibits on display were used for, sharing human interest stories, and more.  Or you may wish to include a visit to Historic Mount Pleasant and the Quaker Meeting House.  Mt. Pleasant is home to Benjamin Lundy, considered to be the “father of American abolitionism”, and has five documented Underground Railroad stations still standing within the village.

Whether you want to have a stand alone Mural Tour, or one of numerous combination tours (and don’t forget lunch or dinner, at one of Steubenville’s fine restaurants), the Steubenville/Jefferson County Visitor Center will work with you to plan the perfect day (or days) for your group.  Just call us at 740.283.4935 or email: info@visitsteubenville.com

The Ohio River Scenic Byway spans 14 diverse Appalachian Counties in eastern and southern Ohio.  Along its 452 mile stretch you will find famous people and places, history and folklore, culture and entertainment, and the great outdoors.

From East Liverpool to Cincinnati, the byway offers travelers a variety of scenic views ranging from charming riverboat towns to provocative industrial sites.

The Ohio River Scenic Byway is also in Indiana and Illinois and is designated as a national scenic byway.

Stop in at the Steubenville/Jefferson County Visitor Center for more information and pamphlets/maps on the Byway.

Even though the Nutcracker Village has gone back to Fantasy Land until November, and all the holiday ‘flurry’ of activity has subsided, the Steubenville/Jefferson County Visitor Center is still open Monday through Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm to travelers and locals alike.  As always, there is free admission to the Exhibit Hall which is located inside the center, and the Museum Gift Shop is open for business.  You may also stop in for the new publications and travel pamphlets which are arriving daily, among which is the 2016 Official Ohio Travel Guide and 2016 Ohio Campers Campground & Travel Guide.  As always, there is no charge for the travel guides or pamphlets.

The first Annual Nutcracker Village at Fort Steuben Park is drawing near to a close for this season.  The last day to see the Nutcrackers is Sunday, January 10th.

The success and popularity of this event far exceeded expectations and, of course, planning for next year is already underway. Plans include many additional Nutcrackers (hoping to exceed 100), a bigger, expanded Christmas Wonderland and Christmas Gift Shop, other new and unique Nutcracker events, more Advent Market vendors, and days the Market will be open expanded from five to thirteen, beginning with Light-up Night which will be November 22, 2016.  The Nutcracker Village itself this coming year will be open from November 22nd through January 8th, along with Christmas Wonderland & Gift Shop inside Fort Steuben Visitor Center.

So if you haven’t seen what everyone is talking about yet, you have just a few days left. If you have visited and experienced the ‘magic’ and are anxiously wanting ‘more’ –  “Stay tuned, ‘more’ is on the way and from all indications, it will be BIG”

After all, the Nutcrackers “Rule”!

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The weather was beautiful, the crowd was the largest since the 1950’s, and the Nutcrackers stole the show!  The 2015 Christmas Parade has come and gone for another year, but will be remembered well by many.   As with everything else this year the parade was a huge success, entertaining thousands!

The entries were all top notch and well done and trophies for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place in two Nutcracker categories, and of course the Grand Prize of a 6′ Nutcracker were awarded.

If you missed it, or would like to see it again, the parade will be rebroadcast on WTOV9 from 1:00-2:30am on December 24th; and on Fox9 from 4:00-5:30pm on December 25th.  You may also purchase a DVD of the Parade at Fort Steuben Gift Shop, 120 S. 3rd Street, Steubenville.

We knew they were coming, we thought they would be awesome, but we never dreamed they would be this!

There have been thousands of people visiting the Nutcracker Village, Advent Market, Fort Christmas Wonderland and Gift Shop since December 4th when the Nutcrackers first stepped foot into Fort Steuben Park.   The excitement and awe have been at ‘fever- pitch’!  We are hearing over and over words like “awesome” , “magical”, “unbelievable”, “wonderful” and on and on.   People are coming back again and again, and sending or bringing friends and relatives to visit.

The Advent Market is over for this year, but the Nutcracker Village will remain open through January 10th, 2016, as well as the Christmas Wonderland and Gift Shop inside of the Fort Visitor Center.    The Nutcrackers may be visited anytime, but hours for the Visitor Center are 10:00am to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday.  The Visitor Center will be closed for Christmas from December 24th through January 3rd, reopening on Monday, January 4th.   The Christmas Wonderland and Gift Shop may be visited however, by appointment, during that time.

If you haven’t been to visit, you really don’t want to miss out, so stop in and “experience the magic” for yourself!

This year will mark the First Annual Advent Market featuring Food, Local Artisans, Christmas Gifts, Live Entertainment, Hayrides, Music, and so much more!

The Market will be open on the following dates:

December 4th (4-9 P.M.);  December 5th (3-9 P.M.);  Light-up Night on December 8th (4-8 P.M.); December 11th (4-9 P.M.); and December 12th, Christmas Parade Day, (Noon – 9 P.M.)

The Market will be located at Fort Steuben Park, 120 South Third Street, Steubenville.

This will be a truly fun time for the entire family!

For more information contact:  Nelson Fine Art and Gifts at 740.282.7101 or Steubenville Visitor Center at 740.283.4935.

Have you heard about Steubenville’s newest residents?   Well, for at least a couple months each year at Christmastime,  Steubenville will be inhabited by the “Nutcrackers”.

These life sized (6′ tall) Nutcrackers will take up residence at Fort Steuben Park beginning in December, as well as appear in a number of store fronts and be featured in the 2015 Steubenville Christmas Parade.

And the best part is, these fellows are Steubenville ‘Natives’.  They are completely created and manufactured (born so to speak) here in Steubenville at the locally owned Nelson Fine Art & Gifts.   They each have a name and birth day too!

This year will mark the introduction and opening of “Steubenville’s Nutcracker Village” at Fort Steuben Park, 120 S. Third Street,  so be sure to come and welcome your new ‘neighbors’ and while you’re here, stop in the Visitor Center and visit Christmas Wonderland and the Christmas Gift Shop.

Check out the video below to see how it all happens…. you will be amazed!

As part of the annual Civil War program at Historic Fort Steuben, historian Roger Micker will present a lecture on fiery abolitionist John Brown on Tuesday evening, November 17th at 6:00PM in the Fort Steuben Visitor Center in Steubenville.

“Herman Melville proclaimed John Brown the ‘meteor’ of the protagonists of the Civil War,” explained Micker, “and many of the issues he raised are still debated today.”

December 2nd marks the 156th anniversary of Brown’s execution at Charlestown, Virginia for his violent and unsuccessful raid on Harper’s Ferry Armory.  Micker’s presentation will focus on the influences surrounding Brown’s life and the conflicts between abolitionists and pro-slavery groups in Missouri and Kansas as well as the raid on Harper’s Ferry.

Micker retired from teaching at Steubenville High School in 2012.  He has given presentations at Gettysburg, Stones River, Harper’s Ferry and Antietam and lectures at various tri-state area historical organizations.  He is a member of the: Ohio Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee; Ohio Historical Connections; Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable;  Friends of Gettysburg; Ohio Graduation Testing Committee;  re-enactor, living historian, and preservationist.  He also writes articles published by the Ohio CW 150 committee.

The program will be held in conjunction with the exhibit Ohio and the Civil War in the Exhibit Hall at the Visitor Center, 120 South 3rd Street, Steubenville.  The program is free, though donations are welcome.  For more information, call 740.283.1787.

This year Christmas in Steubenville will have new and exciting additions.

Our annual Christmas Parade to be held on December 12th at Noon in downtown Steubenville has a brand new theme “Sights & Sounds of Christmas: Nutcracker Dreams” to coincide with the newly established “Nutcracker Village” located at  Fort Steuben Park.  The “Nutcracker Village” will be festively decorated with trees, lights, and of course some 35 life-sized Nutcrackers and will run from December 4th until January 10th. The 6′ Nutcrackers are manufactured locally at Nelson’s Fine Arts & Gifts and can be custom designed for purchase or rental.

Another new addition this year is the Advent Market, which will also take place at the Fountain area of Fort Steuben Park.  The Advent Market will be open December 4th (4pm-9pm), December 5th (3pm-9pm), December 8th, Light-up Night (4pm-8pm), December 11th (4pm-9pm) and December 12th, Christmas Parade Day, (Noon-9pm).  The Market will feature Food, Local Artisans, Christmas Gifts, Hayrides, Music and fun for the whole family!

Also,  inside Historic Fort Steuben/ Steubenville Visitor Center will be ‘Christmas Wonderland’.  A beautiful, and extensive, display of trees, trimmings, lights, and many other wonderful ‘surprises’.  It will be open to visitors from December 1st through January 31st.  There will also be a Christmas Shop, featuring a large selection of Christmas decorations and items,  in addition to the Fort Steuben Museum Gift Shop.  The Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 10am – 4pm.  The visitor center will be closed for Christmas Holiday from December 24th through January 4th, and during that time, Christmas Wonderland, may be visited by appointment.

The Visitor Center and Fort Steuben Park are located at 120 South 3rd Street, Steubenville.