A Scholarly Trip along the Ohio River Scenic Byway

Published on Nov 16, 2009 in College Visits

Whether you're looking for the perfect college for the student in the family, or you just want to tour some of the nation's finest higher education institutions, let the Ohio River Scenic Byway lead the way. With this itinerary as a guide, head out on this beautiful America's Byway to many fine colleges and universities across the Midwestern U.S., and have the trip of a lifetime.

Start your college tour on the Ohio River Scenic Byway in Evansville, Indiana, where you’ll find a huge cluster of colleges. Visit the University of Southern Indiana, a university with more than 70 majors. Evansville also houses the University of Evansville, which has been ranked within the top five comprehensive universities for study abroad programs in the US. Next, go 45 miles east of Evansville to Owensboro, Kentucky, and stop at the Kentucky Wesleyan College, which has been in operation for more than 150 years. Founded by the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, Brescia University is a liberal arts school offering many degrees. Also a few miles east of Evansville, in the town of St. Meinrad, is Saint Meinrad School of Theology, a Catholic school that offers graduate-level degrees in theology. St. Meinrad was commemorated by Pope Pius XII in 1954 as an archabbey, one of only two in the U.S. Visitors are welcome!

Don’t let these schools be all that catches your attention, though. While you're on the byway in Evansville, don't miss the prehistoric Native American exhibits and artifacts at Angel Mounds. Be sure to visit the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial just 45 miles east of Evansville, where young Abraham Lincoln spent 14 years of his life.

As you continue east along the Ohio River and the byway to the next cluster of colleges, consider two more stops right on the byway. Near Leavenworth, Indiana, visit popular Wyandotte Caves where you can cool off in limestone caves which have housed human life as long as 3,000 years ago. Or travel on to Corydon to tour the Corydon Capitol State Historic Site, the site of Indiana’s first state capital.

Continue your college quest on the byway in New Albany, Indiana, starting with a visit to the Southeast Campus of Indiana University, which offers more than 50 graduate, undergraduate, and associate degree programs. Or inspect the Mid-America College of Funeral Service, located in Jeffersonville, which is right by New Albany. Visit Sullivan University just across the river in Louisville, Kentucky, which is one of the leading career institutions in the nation. Also in Louisville is Bellarmine University, a liberal arts university.

While in the area, take a break from your college quest and check out the Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which showcases tools, paint, and half-breadth models of steamboats. Also visit the Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, home of the ever-popular Yenawine Exhibit (dioramas hand-carved by retired railroadman, Merle Yenawine, depicting daily life in smalltown Indiana.) Other exhibits in the Carnegie Center change about every six weeks. Call ahead to find out what's on display during your trip.

Continue your college journey 40 miles north along the byway to visit another liberal arts education center in Hanover, Indiana: Hanover College, the oldest private liberal arts college in Indiana. After your visit, head off to the next collage of colleges, but be sure to stop at some fun points of interest along the way, such as the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge just a few miles east of Hanover in Madison. The refuge covers about 50,000 acres of land and showcases more than 200 species of birds. Or visit Clifty Falls State Park, a 1,336-acre park that follows the deep limestone gorges formed by Clifty and Little Clifty Creeks.

Continue northeast on the byway into Ohio to visit several fine institutions in the Cincinnati area, such as Thomas More College, on the western outskirts of Cincinnati in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. This school was recognized as a “selective liberal arts college” by the Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching. Visit the University of Cincinnati, the source of the first antihistamine, co-op education, the first electronic organ, and more. Interested in adding a religious aspect to your education? Check out the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (the oldest Jewish Institute of Religion in America), Temple Baptist College, The Mount (or College of Mount St. Joseph), or Cincinnati Christian University. Cincinnati is also home to the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, the oldest school of its kind in the nation, and Xavier University, which offers 78 undergraduate majors.

While you are in the Cincinnati area, travel the Ohio River Scenic Byway to the outstanding National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which chronicles our nation's harrowing struggle toward freedom from slavery. Or visit several nearby presidential sites, such as the Harrison Tomb (for our nation's short-lived ninth president) and the William Howard Taft National Historic Site (our nation's 27th president). Leave Cincinnati and take the byway east to Point Pleasant and the Ulysses S. Grant’s Birthplace (our nation's 18th president), now restored and open to the public. Stay on the byway to Ripley, where you can visit the home of one of the most active "conductors" on the Underground Railroad: the Rankin House, former home of John Rankin, a leader in the abolitionist movement.

Continue on the byway to Portsmouth, Ohio, where you'll find both colleges and historic sites. Here stands the beautiful 52-acre campus of Shawnee State University, and the southern campus of Ohio University. For a bit of history, visit two local houses on the National Register of Historical Places: the 1810 House, a historic farm homestead and now home to the Scioto County Historical Society; and the Moore Stone House, former home of Revolutionary War veteran, Philip Moore, Jr., and also known as "The Cradle of Methodism."

Take the byway further east and just over the river to Huntington, West Virginia, to investigate Marshall University, named after former U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall, or an hour or two further for Ohio Valley University in Vienna, just across the river south of Marietta. Marietta itself offers Marietta College, a liberal arts college that focuses on career-oriented programs. Here in Marietta, byway travelers will particularly enjoy going back in time to the golden age of steamboats at the Ohio River Museum or the age of pioneer settlement and migration at nearby Campus Martius Museum. Check out the W.P. Sydney Jr., the last intact, steam-powered, stern-wheeled towboat in the US.

Now take the Ohio River Scenic Byway northeast to the final cluster of colleges on your journey. As you pass Wheeling, West Virginia, cross over the river briefly on the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge to visit Wheeling Jesuit University, which teaches Jesuit traditions to prepare for life, leadership and service. This town on the Ohio River has many attractions in addition to the bridge, such as the Capitol Music Hall, home to Jamboree USA and the Wheeling Symphony, and West Virginia Independence Hall, the "birthplace of West Virginia."

About 30 miles north in Steubenville, Ohio, lies the final college on your trip: Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic school that focuses on academic excellence and Christian beliefs. Admire the many town murals depicting Steubenville city life in the 1850s and 1920s, and then round off your byway journey with a stop at reconstructed Old Fort Steuben, which was originally built in 1787 after the Revolution to protect surveyors of the Northwest Territory.

With a long list of colleges to choose from and several superb places to see along the way, your road trip on the Ohio River Scenic Byway will be the highlight of your college search. The natural beauty of the Ohio River, the multitude of historical stops along the way, and the knowledge each college has in store for you will create a lasting memory of this educational and entertaining family vacation.

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