Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

An independent field guide · 365 places

The field guide to outdoor Ohio

Parks and forests, ancient mounds, caves, waterfalls and back roads, with the story behind each place and where to eat and fuel up nearby.
Popular:
  • 117parks & forests
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

Explore by type

What are you in the mood for?

See every place →
State parks & forests117 places, with cabins, campsites and trails117 places Waterfalls34 falls, with trail notes34 falls Mounds & earthworks64 ancient sites, from Serpent Mound to Newark64 ancient sites Caves & caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters12 caves Lake Erie beaches20 public beaches, Conneaut to Toledo20 beaches Historic sites40 places, from the frontier to the Civil War40 places Road trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail33 drives Oddities19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops19 roadside stops The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile loop, all 26 sections1,444 miles

New to the guide?

Six places to start

One from every corner of the state, each with its full story inside.

01Old Man's CaveHocking Hills · SoutheastA gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center. 02Great Serpent MoundAdams County · SouthwestA gigantic earthen snake on a hilltop over Ohio Brush Creek, built by a people whose name is still argued over. 03Brandywine FallsCuyahoga Valley · NortheastThe tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with an accessible upper overlook. 04Marblehead LighthouseMarblehead · Lake ErieThe oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, lit since 1821, on nine acres of limestone shoreline. 05Zoar VillageTuscarawas County · EasternA well-preserved communal village founded by German separatists in 1817, on the Ohio & Erie Canal. 06Longaberger Basket BuildingNewark · CentralA seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket, with handles that are heated in winter.

Plan a trip

Open the mapAll 365 places on one map. Filter by cabins, campsites, hunting, beaches and more.Explore the map → Browse by countyPick any of Ohio's 88 counties and see its parks, mounds, waterfalls and historic sites.Find your county → Build a tripSave places as you browse, then line them up into a weekend. Kept in your browser, nothing to sign up for.Start a trip →

Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

Tap a symbol for a preview, or search for a place. Open the key to show or hide categories.

Parks, forests & wildlife areas

Find a park

117 parks in 7 regions

Mothman Museum and Statue, Point Pleasant

Point Pleasant · Mason County, West Virginia
Cryptid museum · Just over the line in West Virginia
Directions →Official source →

The world's only Mothman museum, across the Ohio River from Gallipolis, beside a 12-foot steel Mothman.

Museum
Opened in 2005 by Jeff Wamsley; exhibits on the Mothman sightings, the Silver Bridge collapse, John Keel and the Point Pleasant reporter Mary Hyre
Statue
A 12-foot metal Mothman sculpture by Bob Roach, put up in 2003, at 4th and Main
Sightings
Reported from November 1966 to December 1967; the first widely known one was on November 15, 1966, near the old TNT area
Bridge
The Silver Bridge between Point Pleasant and Ohio collapsed on December 15, 1967, killing 46 people
Festival
The Mothman Festival on the third weekend of September, with 10,000 to 12,000 visitors
Tours
TNT area tours run at set times; book ahead

The story

In November 1966 two young couples reported being chased by a winged creature with glowing red eyes near the abandoned World War II munitions plant north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, an area called the TNT Area, now the McClintic Wildlife Management Area. More sightings followed for thirteen months. On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge, an eyebar-chain suspension bridge between Point Pleasant and Kanauga, Ohio, near Gallipolis, collapsed in rush-hour traffic, killing 46 people. An investigation found a small crack in one eyebar link, and the sightings stopped after the collapse. Many locals have connected the two events ever since, and the museum presents the connection without insisting on it.

The Mothman Museum, opened in 2005 by Jeff Wamsley, holds handwritten police reports and witness statements, press clippings, a piece of the bridge, film props from The Mothman Prophecies and exhibits on John Keel, who wrote the 1975 book that made the creature famous, and on the local reporter Mary Hyre. Since 2002 the town has held an annual festival that brings 10,000 to 12,000 visitors, and a 12-foot stainless-steel Mothman stands across the street.

This is a just-over-the-line stop: the museum is in West Virginia, a short drive from Ohio.

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.
Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
Official page
Location confidence
Approximate — boundary or exact point not confirmed
Approximate location, use the address
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
Tickets or admission info

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

Visiting

Status
Open daily
Hours
Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Closed Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Easter and Thanksgiving.
Cost
Recent listings give about $5 for ages 11 and up and about $2 for children; older listings give $3 to $6. Confirm at the door.
Phone
See the museum
Please note
The museum is in West Virginia, across the Silver Memorial Bridge from Gallipolis, Ohio.
Address
400 Main St, Point Pleasant, WV 25550
More information →DirectionsShow on the map

Hours, prices and even the attractions themselves can change. Confirm before a long drive.

Parks nearby

Forked Run State Park
About 30 miles · A small Ohio River park in Meigs County.
Open
Lake Hope State Park
About 45 miles · A lake and furnace park in Vinton County.
Open

Road trips

Ohio River Scenic Byway
A road trip that passes near this stop
Open

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.

Know a place that belongs here, or spotted something out of date? Email hello@fieldnotesohio.com.