gimix

Has anybody been to this festival before? If so, I would like to know how good and exciting it is. Any inputs/comments appreciated.

lauralue9

YES! My husband and I went last year without the teenagers (who thought it was stupid, boy were they wrong!) We picked a beautiful day and left after lunch (it's a 2 hour drive for us). We stopped at a few antique and pottery shops on the way and arrived just at sunset. We probably spent 90 minutes driving around the various light locations and did one area twice. We found it very much fun. We had Xmas Cds in the car. There was a LOT of traffic. We dropped into the lodge for dinner and didn't have reservations. If we were to do this again, I would call ahead for dinner reservations, we had to wait quite a long time. The food was OK, not great, but reserve a table by the lights at sunset. Have fun!

rjw_lgb_ca

I went many times when my folks lived in Wheeling. Pretty park, sweet light show (modest but full of heart), in a dying West Virginia town. It's good, but exciting? Not really. It helped fill an hour of a winter's day in that quiet, quiet, quiet little town.

gimix

Thanks so much lauralue9 and rjw_lgb_ca for your responses. I havent been to any festival of this kind before. So I guess I would just go to see how it is. I'm thinking of going in the first weekend of December(Saturday - 4th Dec). Is it crowded and is there lot of traffic always? Its a 2 hr drive for me too and I was wondering if its a good idea to return the same night??? I checked Oglebay Resorts for accomodation and it seemed little expensive. What do you guys suggest??

JackOneill

Ditto everything rjw said. I lived in Wheeling and Oglebay was the crown jewel, and the park IS gorgeous (particularly given the surroundings, i e, dying town). The light show is okay, but I'm not into that sorta stuff, so it may just be me.
As far as where to stay, definately stay at Oglebay. Just don't expect the Four Seasons. It's more of a rustic, lodge type place. Nice. Clean. But not a "Wow!" type of place.

Ann41

Unless the "festival" has changed in the past few years, it's not really a festival--you drive through a route at Oglebay where they have displays and lights set up. It's very nice and Christmassy, but not what you might call exciting.

syd

Oglebay Park itself and the cabins particularly for accomodations are quite nice. I personally wouldn't go out of my way to see the lights though. Again, not really a "festival", just a drive through and traffic can be pretty heavy. It has been a few years since I've been there and I see that they've added some new things like a tree display, so maybe it's more exciting now than I remember.

Stacy

We take our boys to Oglebay every year. The lodge has lots of Christmas decoration, entertainment and very nice buffets. There are several gift shops, a small zoo, and other low key things for the kids to do. The price you are quoted includes the breakfast buffet so seems more expensive. Our family really enjoys and my husband is excited because there is a new Cabela's store in Wheeling.

flsd

For those who enjoy holiday light displays, it's a nice trip. Oglebay has a nice lodge and good dining facilities. The park is beautiful.
If the weather's still nice, take your golf clubs.
Wheeling isn't exactly a "dying" town - it has a symphony, an artsy movie theatre, country music (the Capitol Music Hall), pro hockey (the Nailers) and some decent restaurants.

shilohsmom02

We've been there three times in the past five years- love it as a pre-holiday getaway. If you are looking to stay in the lodge during the light show the best time to go is the Sun-Wed before Thanksgiving. Those are the cheapest rates all year and the only time we go. (Keep in mind that the $69 room rate includes a FULL breakfast buffet for two people each morning and a free pass to drive through the light display.)

We have an 11 year old who enjoys it every time we go. Aside from the light displays there is a small zoo, laser light show, glass blowing demonstration, fudge shop, miniature train display etc. Much more to see and do than just the lights but still a nice quiet place to relax. The staff is friendly and accommodating.