Our Impressions of Zanesville

We LOVED Zanesville! It has a small-town feel, with local restaurants, water access, a cool downtown and parks galore!

I had always thought Zanesville was named for the western and outdoors author, Zane Grey. It wasn’t. Zanesville was named for Ebenezer Zane, who ironically was the grandfather of Gray’s wife, Dolly.

Actually, Zane was Zane Grey’s middle name. His name at birth was Pearl Zane Gray. He hated the first name Pearl and soon dropped it to go by Zane Gray. And as if that wasn’t enough about his name, in adulthood he changed the spelling of his last name from Gray to Grey.

Enough about names and spellings! Needless to say, we very much enjoyed our time in Zanesville. We had no expectations upon our arrival, but were incredibly impressed with the people and what was here to do, see and experience. I could easily see us returning here to spend more time.

Zanesville Area Attractions

The Wilds in Cumberland, OH WOW!!! We are not always a fan of zoos. Sometimes the space for animals seems so crowded and the animals seem almost sluggish and almost depressed. That is absolutely NOT the case at The Wilds!! The Wilds is a private, non-profit safari park and conservation center. It is home to rare and endangered species from around the globe living in natural, open-range habitats.
The property encompasses 9,154 acres of reclaimed coal mine land. It has 2,000 acres of pastures and a 27-acre Carnivore Conservation Center. There are more than 15 miles of mountain bike and hiking trails and approximately 150 lakes. It is the largest wildlife conservation center in North America.

We took the Behind the Scenes Tour. We were able to get up close to many of the wild animals. I was able to touch and feed the rhinoceroses and giraffes!! It was an amazing experience.

Lorena Sternwheeler Riverboat was an unexpected pleasurable experience. Nowhere in my research before arriving did I see anything about the Lorena Sternwheeler! We just happened to be in Zanesville the weekend they offered a fall foliage trip on the Muskingum River! Our cruise took us from Zane’s Landing in the downtown area to the Riverfront Park and back. It was a very nice leisurely cruise.

Riverfront Park is a HUGE park along the Muskingum River. There are walking paths, boat launches, baseball fields, soccer fields, tennis courts, a rail to trail biking path, as well as space for almost any activity you can think of! There is a lot of free parking. When we were there, the park was full of kids and families. What a nice park!

National Road and Zane Grey Museum is really three distinct museums: The National Road, Zane Grey and Pottery. We had a great guided tour by local college student Wesley.

The first section of the museum focuses on The National Road, also known as the Cumberland Road (not to be confused with the Cumberland Trail), the first major improved highway in the U.S. The 620-mile road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers. Around the outer edge of the museum is a 136’ diorama of the building of the National Road. There are numerous Conestoga wagons and other western artifacts.

The second section of the museum focuses on Zane Grey. Over the course of his lifetime, he was a dentist (like his father before him) and an author of 85 books that were made into over 100 films. There are many displays and movie posters. There is even a documentary about Grey that is narrated by one of his sons.

The third section of the museum is a pottery exhibit. For many years Zanesville was known as “the pottery capital of the world”.

Food and Drink

Muddy Misers in Zanesville has great food and a great atmosphere. Casual indoor and outside seating. We ate there multiple times. Every time it was an excellent experience.

Oriental Super Buffet in Zanesville is what you would typically think of as a buffet, with Asian and American appetizers, foods and desserts. The price was inexpensive, the food and options were plentiful. From what we could tell, the parking lot was filled from the time they opened to the time they closed.

Tom ‘s Ice Cream Bowl and Diner in Zanesville is a local favorite and staple. People come for the ice cream, candy, nuts and light American food (burgers, fries, etc.). Apparently, there is a new owner (only the second in many decades), but the locals say it hasn’t changed much. The new owner used to be the cook! It is a nice casual diner.

Home Base: The Campground

For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Except for water, electric and sewer rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!

We stayed on site 35 at Wolfies in Zanesville. The park is clean and well-maintained. The staff was very friendly and accommodating (we asked to arrive a day early). Simple check in. Our pull through site was a FHU (water-electric-sewer) on packed gravel. Most sites have grass between them. 30 and 50 amp service was available. Good Verizon cellphone coverage. There was a good open sky for our satellite dish.

The campground is in a good location close to downtown. We would definitely return.

Fun Facts

• The city of Zanesville was NOT named for Zane Grey. Zanesville was named long before Grey was born. It was named for Ebenezer Zane, a relative of Zane Grey’s wife!
• Zanesville is the birthplace of Zane Grey, a novelist who wrote popular adventure stories in the early 1900s.
• Zanesville was once known as the “Pottery Capital of the World” because of its many pottery manufacturers.
• Muskingum River “Y Bridge”: The Muskingum River is a considered a scenic waterway and one of the few remaining systems in the U.S. to use hand-operated locks. It is the only river in the world with a “Y Bridge”!

	Zanesville
Population:	24,600
Founded:	1801
Elevation:	676 ft.
Average Income:	$59,661
Average Housing:	$232,500
Average Age:	39 yrs.
Crime Score	B+

Website:
Zanesville: https://www.coz.org/

Summary

Zanesville is a hidden gem, a place to return to!! We had a great time here. We had no complaints at all!

Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!

Your partners in travel,
Kathryn and Dave
RVing Nomads

It’s a lifestyle

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