MOV Scene

❦ Marietta & the Mid-Ohio Valley

Year: 2026

  • Hidden Gem: A Night at the Lafayette

    Hidden Gem: A Night at the Lafayette

    The brick Lafayette Hotel with blue awnings
    The Lafayette Hotel at Front and Greene Streets. Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Lafayette Hotel has stood at 101 Front Street, at the meeting of the two rivers, since 1918. Named for the Marquis de Lafayette, who visited Marietta in 1825, it leans into its riverboat heritage, and it is one easy place to spend an evening downtown.

    • The Gun Room for breakfast and dinner on weekends.
    • Riverfront Bar & Grill for a casual meal and a drink.
    • Cafe Lafayette for coffee.

    Hours change by season, so check lafayettehotel.com or call 740-373-5522.

  • Hidden Gem: The River Trail

    Hidden Gem: The River Trail

    A riverside path curving along the Ohio River at Marietta
    The riverfront path at Marietta. Photo: pasa47, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Marietta’s River Trail is a paved, mostly level path the city built in phases starting in 2005. It runs about 4.4 miles from Indian Acres Park along the Muskingum River, through downtown, along the Ohio River and over Duck Creek to Cogswell Lane.

    The Putnam Street Bridge over the Muskingum River in Marietta
    The Putnam Street Bridge over the Muskingum, near the downtown stretch of the trail. Photo: Brett A. Bringardner

    It is open to walkers, bikes, strollers and wheelchairs. Park at the Armory on Front Street to reach either end, with restrooms in the middle. A Duck Creek section that collapsed in 2020 reopened in August 2023.

    The calm Muskingum River seen from Fort Street in Harmar
    The Muskingum from Fort Street in Harmar. Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Tip: start downtown, head up the Muskingum, and finish with lunch on Front Street.