PARKERSBURG - While many businesses will be closed Monday for Memorial Day, a number of area attractions are open through this weekend and will be open to visitors Monday on the first official weekend of the summer tourism season.

Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park is open today and will be open Monday for tours and sternwheeler rides to the island. The sternwheeler Island Belle will pick up visitors at Civitan Park in Belpre for rides to and from the island.

The Blennerhassett Museum, located at Second and Juliana streets in Parkersburg, will be open today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for Memorial Day. Tickets for the island visit are available at the museum or on Blennerhassett Island. For more information call 304-420-4800.

The Oil and Gas Museum on Third Street in downtown Parkersburg will be open from noon to 5 p.m. today and Monday. Museum director Dave McKain also operates Henderson Hall on River Road in Boaz and said it will also be open for tours from noon to 5 p.m. Monday.

The Veterans Museum of the Mid-Ohio Valley will have a Memorial Day open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday at the museum at 937 Avery St. in Parkersburg. Veterans will be greeted at the door by the Air Force Junior ROTC Honor Guard from Parkersburg South High School.

In Williamstown, Fenton Art Glass is holding its annual Memorial Day Sale through the weekend, including Monday. The sale runs from noon to 5 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. There will not be any factory tours on Monday.

The Valley Gem sternwheeler will host to a Bluegrass Grand Buffet Dinner Cruise from 5 to 7 p.m. today. Guests will enjoy a riverboat ride featuring a grand buffet dinner and bluegrass musical guest Tunnel Hill. Admission is $35 for adults, $33.50 for seniors and $25 for children.

The Valley Gem is also offering a Memorial Day Muffin Cruise from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday. The cruise includes fresh Kona coffee, muffins and live commentary while guests cruise the Ohio River and return to the landing on the Muskingum River. Admission is $9 for adults and $5 for children.

To make reservations for either event, contact the Valley Gem Sternwheeler at 740-373-7862.

The Campus Martius Museum and the Ohio River Museum, both in Marietta, are open today and Monday from noon to 5 p.m.

Le Ann Hendershot, the interim manager for both museums, said this marks the opening weekend for the Ohio River Museum and attendance Friday was good with school groups and visitors. The Campus Martius Museum has been open since early May.

The Campus Martius and Ohio River Museums, located one block apart on Second Street and Front Street, are operated by the Ohio Historical Society.

The Campus Martius Museum focuses primarily on the pioneer history of the Northwest Territory and Marietta as its first settlement.

The Castle on Fourth Street in Marietta will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.

For those who want to give back to the community on this national holiday, the Keystone Donor Center will have special hours of operation on Monday in observance of Memorial Day.

The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Regular hours will resume on Wednesday. There is a Memorial Day blood drive at Wayside United Methodist Church. All presenting donors at both of these blood drives on Memorial Day will receive a $5 Speedway gift card while supplies last.

• Monday - Keystone Donor Center, 3210 Dudley Ave., Parkersburg, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Monday - Wayside United Methodist Church, 3001 Grand Central Ave., Vienna, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.