The National Road-Zane Grey Museum is in three parts that cover the National Road, Zane Grey, and the Pottery industry from this area. The National Road was 621.4 miles and the first Federally funded highway. Started in Cumberland Maryland and ended in Vandalia Illinois. It was the most important land route to the west inspiring the philosophy of manifest destiny and traveled through Zanesville via the Y-Bridge. It's designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Zane Grey was born in Zanesville. He wrote 89 books and sold over 130,000,000 copies. His most successful book was The Riders of The Purple Sage. The TV series the Lone Ranger was adapted from his novel The Lone Star Ranger. Movie Star Randolph Scott played in 20 of his movies and even Actor Gary Cooper got his start playing in a Zane Grey story. The Potter connection is tied to the Pottery capital of the World here in Zanesville. We had a tour guide and the gift shop is nice. The docents were very friendly and...
Read moreFirst time in the area & searching for attractions, I came across this. We had to check out of our campground by noon & the museum didn't open until 1, so we just waited in their parking lot. They are remodeling the outside but inside is still open to tour.
It was fabulous! We loved the history of Ohio & National Rd that was presented & learning more about Zane Grey as well. The diorama, I guess it is called, was just amazing in detail & the historical presentation it depicted. It was my favorite part of it all! I took a ton of pictures of the many scenes.
If you're in an RV, parking could be limited & there are low hanging limbs to be aware of going in & out. Making it more accessible for RVrs to visit would be my only suggestion for...
Read moreGreat place to visit both inside and out. Our first attempt to visit however was not a success as the venue is only open May - October. Worth the wait and the admission price is worth it as it is three in one. Being new to the area, it helped to foster pride in our community & its history.
I believe you can also get added admission to the John & Annie Glenn house tour (separate site) which we did not take part in.
We arrived early the day of our visit but it was a nice day and the curators were very friendly.
Can either have a guided or self...
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