Oglebay Park Wheeling, WV — Attraction in Martins Ferry

What was once a magical and generational destination is now forever marred by the senseless slaughter of tamed deer in November 2023. Despite urgent pleas from the public, proposed litigation, PETA, and others, the Park Commission chose to ignore other more viable options such as relocating some of the deer elsewhere in the U.S. or pharmacological sterilization measures to control the population. What Wheeling and the many thousands of visitors each year were left with is a public park which continues to pride itself on family wholesome values, commitment to nature and the environment, and continues to feature deer in its annual Festival of Lights show. How can anyone now look at those displays in awe and splendor without seeing the hypocrisy. Shame on you, Oglebay Park. You have taught our current children and those yet to come that rather than work collaboratively and collectively to approach over-population that values life, in no matter what form it may be, that the easy way out is to simply permit the slaughter of tamed and...

My family has spent Easter at Oglebay every year for over 20 years. What made this place so special was the peaceful setting, the beautiful deer roaming the property, and the warm traditions like the Good Friday wine and cheese reception. Sadly, most of that is now gone.

The deer—who were friendly and a joy to see—have been killed off in managed hunts. They say it was for population control, but for longtime guests like us, it feels like they’ve erased one of the most memorable parts of what made Oglebay magical. The hills are empty now, and the connection to nature we used to feel is lost.

They also quietly canceled the Good Friday reception years ago. It used to be a festive kickoff to the weekend with wine, cheese, face painting, and balloon animals for the kids. It was part of the charm. Now, that’s gone too.

Oglebay used to feel like home—a place that honored tradition and families who returned year after year. It doesn’t feel that...

I had made reservations for my husband and I at least 12 months prior for the 4th of July (it was his Christmas present). It was to see the fireworks. I specifically ask for a room in the new addition, close to an elevator because my husband is handicapped, with a view of Shenck Lake and the fireworks, and a room with a fireplace. I took a day off of work, we packed and drove and what we got was a very dismal room overlooking the parking lot and very distant to an elevator. We would not have been able to see the fireworks from our "terrace" but could monitor the parking lot. The local Holiday Inn would have been better. We did not check in and the hostess at the front desk was very kind. I'm not sure if I will go there again and we've been there many times. Extremely disappointed. If I could give a no star...