Find a Caterer in Devola

Parking is in a reserved lot under the Washington Street bridge just off Front Street. The 1-1/2hr scenic cruise departs from a pier just behind the W.P. Snyder towboat at the Ohio River Museum (see my review). You can buy your tickets on board or online. The cruise backs up from her dock and swings downriver towards the Ohio and turns left, bypassing downtown, and sails up the left side of Buckley Island. You pass under quite a few bridges getting to this point. Once past the island the Valley Gem makes a u-turn and sails down the opposite side of the island, retuning to her dock at the Ohio River Museum. There's a nice snack bar aboard that served hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, chips, and drinks (alcohol too if sailing on the Ohio River). The lower deck (air conditioned) is handicap/wheelchair accessible. The upper deck is half-covered with a canopy with ample seating at tables and along the handrails. Wonderful cruise and very relaxing! Highly recommended! Edit to add:October 7, 2015...What a really cool cruise! It was three hours round-trip, and our all-you-can-eat buffet included - as the main courses - prime rib, pork tenderloin, and vegetable lasagna (all three were very delicious), as well as steamed mixed veggies, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, and for dessert yummy brownies (I had several) and cheesecake. The buffet opened about 15-20 minutes after leaving the dock and was self-serve except the meats which were hand-carved and placed on your plate for you. Beverages included unsweetened tea, water, and assorted soda. Most everyone was done eating before we entered the lock (around 1pm). The crew aboard the Valley Gem were all very nice and friendly. The lock and its wooden gates were built before the Civil War and have been in near-continuous use since. The Devola lock (about five miles north-northeast of downtown Marietta) is one of eleven locks built on the Muskingum River between 1836 and 1841 (the first in the country) as part of the Ohio Canal System. Each lock is approximately 35 feet wide and 160 feet long. After 1880 commercial river traffic declined so today the locks are operated mostly for pleasure boaters. If you have time it's well worth a visit to the lock in the morning prior to taking the cruise. It's only a fifteen-minute drive to the Valley Gem parking lot from the Devola Lock. Parking is next to the Ohio River Museum under the bridge overpass. There's a steep ramp to board the vessel, so be careful if traveling with someone who has mobility issues. Embarkation starts about thirty minutes prior to departure. I recommend buying your tickets online, it's safe and I've done it twice already. They do take credit cards aboard but it tends to slow down the line of those getting on the boat.The trip up the Muskingum River is very tranquil and lazy. The shoreline is mostly tree-lined, and you occasionally see houses here and there. From the Valley Gem dock in Marietta to the Devola Lock is approximately one-hour. The experience of entering, being raised and lowered, and exiting the lock was quite interesting. The gates are manually hand-cranked. We did see an eagle and two blue heron. After exiting the lock heading upstream we travelled for another fifteen or so minutes to the remains of a small sunken sternwheeler, it's mast was pretty much the only recognizable feature sticking above water. After that the captain made a slow u-turn and headed back to the lock, continuing the trip back to Marietta. Overall a wonderful experience which I'd gladly repeat.

Cheese nachos are amazing... decent service

Karen and I stopped in while in town with our son, Andrew, who is attending Marietta College. Food was good and atmosphere exciting. Oliver's is open on Sunday, yeah, so when we're in town on the weekend it could be a regular stop for lunch or dinner.