There’s only one Highlands Sports Complex and one gothic-style penitentiary and one Oglebay, and that’s why some come.
Other visitors study the history and admire the beauty and enjoy the recreation, and even more attend festivals and concerts and regional events in the parks and on the waterfront.
And yes, most tourists who do visit wish to eat fish sandwiches and pizza squares with cold cheese just like we do.
And Olivia Litman knows why.
She’s the marketing director for the Wheeling Convention & Visitors Bureau and she, Executive Director Frank O’Brien, and marketing assistant Michael Biela collectively mastermind the out-of-town promotion in larger cities with residents looking for a getaway.
“We market Wheeling and this area in the Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cleveland, and the Canton markets, and it’s about 70 percent online advertising and 30 percent traditional media,” Litman explained. “Most local people have no idea what we do here, but what we do is probably why it’s very difficult to find a hotel room in the area most weekends. And let’s face it, we have a lot to enjoy.
“All of the events and entertainment we have here, combined with the parks, makes us a premier destination. We’ve been very popular once it was OK to travel again (after the pandemic), and we expect that to continue this year, too,” she said. “The past few years, The Highlands Sports Complex has been a very popular destination, and, of course, Oglebay, too. And new places like Waterfront Hall and what they are doing there has added many more new folks in Wheeling.”
The Wheeling area has been under construction – quite literally – for more than five years with a $223 million project along Interstate 70 in Ohio County, and currently with the $32 million streetscape and stormwater separation projects along Main and Market streets in downtown Wheeling. The construction is scheduled for a Summer 2025 completion.
The orange barrels and detours, though, have not deterred show and games goers to the Capitol Theatre and Wesbanco Arena, and the City of Wheeling has distributed public funds to private sector operations in downtown Wheeling.
“We’ve experienced so much construction in Wheeling and in the area, but, believe it or not, our visitors are not unhappy with our downtown,” Litman revealed. “They are still coming here, and for that, we’re thankful. We’ve has so many great shows at both venues, and the Nailers have had a good season, too.
“Some people come here to enjoy the golfing, everything your can do at Grand Vue Park and Oglebay Park,” she added. “We have a lot of visitors who are with us for a week at a time, and we’re a terrific three-day weekend destination for the people who live and work in those Ohio cities and in Pittsburgh.
The Wheeling CVB, or VisitWheelingWV.com, is operated on funds generated by the hotel/motel tax that is collected by the City and by the Ohio County Commission. State code mandates the funds be utilized for recreation and to promote the area.
“We monitor the marketing dollars we spend to make sure we get the expected return, and if that’s not the case then we change direction when it comes to our online advertising.,” Litman said. “There is so much to experience in this area, and right now the Palace of Gold (in Marshall County) still brings a lot of people to our hotels, and it’s an international destination.
“Wheeling Island Hotel Casino and Centre Market are very popular with our visitors, and people come from all over to shop at Cabela’s at The Highlands,” she reported. “Our visitors are people of all ages because of the diversity of the attractions. You can do a lot of different things in this area and that’s why the area is so popular.”
