Oglebay Resort

About The Hotel

Oglebay Park Resort is a 4-star municipal heritage resort at 465 Lodge Drive within the 1,700-acre Oglebay Park about 10 minutes northeast of downtown Wheeling in Ohio County - the Northern Panhandle heritage-resort anchor. Rated 4.2 across 1,471 reviews with location (4.4) strongest, cleanliness (4.2) and service (4.2) solid, rooms (4.0) and sleep quality (4.1) mid-tier, value (3.8) the honest weakness given $227-$248 nightly rates. Amenities include Wilson Lodge (271-room main lodge), separate cottage rentals across the grounds, Speidel Golf Club (36 holes across 2 championship courses - the Palmer Course and Jones Course), Schenk Lake, Good Zoo (family zoo with primates, bears, red pandas and North American wildlife), Oglebay Institute glass-blowing studio (working glass artists on site), indoor and outdoor pools, bar/lounge, on-site restaurant, playground, archery, bicycle rental, business center, free parking and free WiFi. The resort is inside Oglebay Park where the Winter Festival of Lights takes place November through January - one of the largest holiday light displays in the United States, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to a 6-mile driving tour of illuminated displays. Recent 5-star praise: ‘great first family trip - it was myself, my husband, and our eight month old (his first family vacation). We will definitely be back and have even talked about making this an annual family trip.’ A 4-star family review notes ‘this is a great place if you have children. There is so much to do. The activities are endless.’ Candid flags include a 4-star headline noting ‘worst phone customer service EVER, but the best family reunion EVER’ (great on-site experience, poor phone reservations), a 4-star observing ‘the rooms are not the greatest they’re clean’ (functional but not luxurious), and a 2-star report of ‘barely working AC in one of them and the other was literally leaking’ where the family relocated. Wheeling sits in the Northern Panhandle on the Ohio River - Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is 60 minutes northeast, downtown Wheeling and Wheeling Island Casino are 10 minutes southwest of the park, and I-70 is directly accessible via exit 5. Best for Winter Festival of Lights families (November-January), Oglebay-golf weekends, multi-generational family reunions, Good Zoo family weeks, and heritage-resort travelers accepting some room-condition tradeoffs at $227-$248 nightly rates.

What Guests Are Saying

“Overall, our trip to Oglebay was absolutely great! It was myself, my husband, and our eight month old (his first family vacation). We will definitely be back and have even talked about making this an annual family trip. Pros/Notes: Location: Location was amazing! It is so peaceful and calm. There is barely any noise, and the views were amazing! We have been there in the summer and winter. The winter is nice with the snow and lights, but this time we were there in June and the hills, trees, and lake looked absolutely beautiful from any view from the lodge. Atmosphere: Very calm, very relaxing. Rooms: Rooms were very nice. We’ve stayed in the Wilson and the Byrd lodge in the past, and this time we were in the Byrd lodge. Very spacious and a lot of room, especially to bring an infant along. We brought a playpen, play mat, and portable changing table along with the baby’s stroller - everything fit very comfortably in the room without having to feel like we were squeezing or moving things around. The room could probably use some updating, but if they do, I hope it keeps the lodge charm! Value: Oglebay is very reasonably priced. We’ve gone in the past where we get a deal that includes breakfast, so if you can snag that deal it’s very worth it. Otherwise, each day we were spending $100+ for two adults to eat because there are very limited casual options at the lodge. But the zoo is reasonably priced, the souvenirs are reasonable, and the coffee shop near the lobby is worth it’s value. ($4 brownie the size of a quarter of a sheet pan!). Cleanliness: For the most part, the areas around Oglebay are very clean. I would seldom see trash, all areas were kept, and everything smelled nice. Our room did have some areas that could probably use improvement. For example, I found two cobwebs in the room and a plastic fork under the air conditioner (I wasn’t looking for either one, just happened to notice them). They were in difficult to see places, but maybe just being more mindful. Service: Was amazing. From the moment you walk into the front desk and until you leave, every person we worked with was so kind, pleasant, and helpful. Even if I really force myself to think of one situation where there was a bad service experience at Oglebay, I can’t think of one example! Suggestions: There are only two suggestions I have. One.) the resort is gradually going through an update, which is great! We stayed in the Byrd Suite. The rooms still need an update and are starting to feel outdated. But, my only concern is that with all these updates, I hope that Oglebay doesn’t lose it’s comfort and charm! A lot of the updates are becoming very modernized, which I understand is the way of design now, but I still want to go and feel like I’m in a second home. Two.) There are plenty of food options, which is nice. There is a restaurant, steak house, cantina, coffee shop, and nearby restaurants on property that you can either easily drive to or take the trolley. My main suggestion would be creating a quick-service restaurant for families. Our baby is not eating yet, but there were times when we did not want to go to a sit down restaurant. Yes, the restaurant was very nice and I would recommend, but sometimes we just want to go and get a quick and inexpensive meal before moving on to the next activity. We saw a lot of families ordering pizza, so even a restaurant where you could quickly grab pizza, burgers, chicken tenders, fountain drinks, etc. This would be a very convenient option whether you want to sit down and eat a quick meal with your family, or if you want to grab food and go back to the room or outside. Activities: There’s so much to do at Oglebay! We really wanted to do some things, but not overexert ourselves and still feel relaxed. Here’s what we did (and would probably do again). The Good Zoo: The zoo is a fun place that usually takes us a couple hours to walk through. This is a relatively small zoo, but it is certainly enough where you can see kangaroos, goats, alpacas, donkeys, and more. There is a small indoor part too where you can see monkeys, turtles, and ocean animals. My only warning - when you enter the zoo, you have to go down a big hill… which means, you’ll have to go back up! So, mentally prepare. Indoor Pool: We visited the indoor pool on a cloudier day. The area was so nice and clean. This was our first pool experience with a baby (and we saw plenty of other families taking their infants and children there as well). The pool is nicely broken up where there is a swimming side (3’-5’), a shallow side you can sit, a hot tub, a sauna, and plenty of chairs. We never struggled to find a place to put out belongings or share an experience. Trolley: The trolley was so nice and convenient! If you’re not in a hurry to get someone, within 30 minutes the trolley hits every destination within the Oglebay resort. The ride itself was very fun, and while we used it to go to a specific location, we would utilize it just for a peaceful joy ride. Sweet Shop: Mmm, this place was great! My husband and I like different things, and they had enough of a variety that we both left with a full candy box. This area is also nice if there are any souvenirs you want to buy for yourself or gifts to bring home. Gardens: While we did not visit the greenhouse or mansion, we took a walk around the property and oh my, was it beautiful! We had our stroller, and this walking path made it very easy to navigate. There were ramps and smooth paths all around. We also took some time to sit near the pavilion and enjoy the sounds of nature and the fountain. Overall, this was a very successful trip. We were able to enjoy time with our son and know that as he gets older, there will still be fun things for him to do there. While we hope to make it there yearly, even if we are not able to, Oglebay has become a constant for our trip list.” — Christa, 5 stars

“Excellent winter park experience. This was our 5th year to get a cottage for a winter weekend—we had so much fun with exceptional service, amenitites, and lodging. It was the first time we went to the Good Zoo in winter and it was a highlight—the animals and their habitats were well cared for and the zookeepers were very knowledgeable and friendly. The Grow Lab is innovative and interesting—great initiative. The park’s walking and hiking paths were in great shape. Skyline restaurant was lovely and food and service delicious. We will return! Overall, beautfiul park and resort.” — Marty22011, 5 stars

“My husband and I loved our stay at Oglebay Park Resort. We stayed 4 nights in mid January. While many of the park attractions are closed at this time, we enjoyed the slowness and peacefulness of the winter season. We still had plenty to do to keep us occupied and the grounds are beautiful to explore via car or walking. We especially enjoyed the pool, hot tub, and game room. Our room was very comfortable and we did not have any complaints. My only suggestion to future guests would be to make sure that your room comes with a fridge as not all of them do.” — Heather G., 5 stars

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• 1,700-acre historic municipal resort - Wilson Lodge, cottages, golf, zoo, lake all on property
• Speidel Golf Club - 36 holes across 2 championship courses (Palmer + Jones) on-site
• Indoor and outdoor pools + bar/lounge + on-site restaurant + Good Zoo access
• Winter Festival of Lights November-January access - one of the largest holiday displays in the US
• Glass-blowing studio, archery, bicycle rental, playground - multi-generational family amenities

Cons:

• CANDID: Value 3.8 - the honest weakness at $227-$248 nightly rates
• CANDID: 2-star report of barely-working AC and leaking AC in different rooms (family relocated)
• CANDID: 4-star reports ‘the rooms are not the greatest they’re clean’ - functional not luxurious
• CANDID: 4-star reports ‘worst phone customer service EVER’ for reservations (great on-site, poor phone)
• No in-room jacuzzi on amenity list - indoor and outdoor pools are the shared water amenity

The Location

465 Lodge Drive, Wheeling, WV 26003 - Within the 1,700-acre Oglebay Park about 10 minutes northeast of downtown Wheeling in Ohio County (I-70 exit 5). You can find more details or book your stay on TripAdvisor.