Holiday activities a day trip from Marietta
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MARIETTA -- For those reluctant to bid the holidays good-bye, there are still activities within a reasonable day-trip drive of Marietta that are experiences-in-the-waiting, both Christmas themed and otherwise.
The Roscoe Historic Village in Coshocton is an hour and a half north by road. The community is dedicated to its history as a canal center and locked into the mid-1800s. It is especially appealing during the Christmas season, with the streets and buildings festooned with lights and decorations, and Roscoe's signature living history tours available twice a day, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
"There really are a variety of things to do," village executive director Mary Ellen Given said. "We have the living history tours themed on the canal days in a restored community, there are dining and shopping areas for people to get in out of the winter weather, it has a nice ambiance, especially at this time of the year."
Roscoe was one of the stops on the Ohio and Erie Canal, which connected the lake and the river for decades during the 19th century. To get to Coshocton, take I-77 north to the Kimbolton exit and follow Ohio 541. The Christmas decorations remain in place until Jan. 7, Given said.
In Columbus, the Kelton House Museum and Gardens take an elegant approach to the holiday season. The Town Street mansion, built in 1852 in Greek Revival and Italianate architectural style, was transformed into a period museum 40 years ago and is operated by the Junior League of Columbus.
"The Museum in Holiday Splendour" offers exhibits of ornaments and decorations -- feather trees, handcrafted glass, cardboard villages -- from the Michael Girard collection, along with the history behind Santa Claus and the overall experience of what the holiday would have been like in a grand 19th century home.
"The collection is authentic late 19th and early 20th century ornaments," said museum director Georgeanne Reuter. "During that time, women often made by hand ornaments from advertising patterns and added their own custom touches. They're wonderful and charming, made from paper and tinsel. It's remarkable how they've held up for more than 100 years."
The collection, she said, includes early glass ornaments - small, because glass was expensive at the time -- and unique-to-the-period belscnikels, which are Santa Claus dolls that include the usual backpack filled with gifts and a less common feature.
"He carries a switch in one hand for threatening children if they're not good," she said.
The exhibit is open Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Kelton House is at 586 E. Town St. in central Columbus. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for college students and $3 for children 6 to 18.
In Cambridge, the Dickens Victorian Village remains lit with Christmas cheer through New Year's Day, augmented by the holiday light show at the Guernsey County Courthouse from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. today. The welcome center for Dickens Victorian Village is open from noon to 5 p.m.
For those who are ready for some relief from holiday themes, the Brossard Memorial Library in Gallipolis offers Space: A Journey to Our Future, an interactive exhibit done in partnership with NASA. It's a self-guided, self-paced experience through 5,000 square feet of material intended to educate and amaze people about space and the space program.
Visitors can examine meteorites from the moon and Mars, go through a computer-simulation exercise for packing to visit Mars and establishing a base camp there, find out about the spacecraft that already are exploring distant corners of the solar system, and learn about the science and history of space travel.
The exhibit continues through Jan. 5. The library is closed New Year's Day but is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For those who'd like to get out for fresh air and exercise in a natural setting, there is the Cedar Falls Stroll at Hocking Hills State Park on Friday starting at 10 a.m. A park naturalist will lead the hike to explore the natural and cultural history of Cedar Falls, starting from the Cedar Falls Trailhead shelter.
Hocking Hills State Park is about 85 miles west of Marietta, with the easiest route being south on Ohio 7 to Belpre, then west on U.S. 50 to Athens, U.S. 33 to Logan and then south on Ohio 664. The drive is about one and a half hours.