My takeaway from visiting Wheeling is that the people of Wheeling love their public markets. There are two of them in this small city. This public market (named ... wait for it ... Public Market) is the smaller of the two markets. It's small, but it also houses the Wheeling Visitor Center, so it's still important.
There's a little grocery store inside, with lots of fresh produce and local goods, like honey, jams and breads. They also had an astounding amount of probiotic foods, like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and other fermented foods. These are located in a refrigerated section by the produce.
I was told that Public Market would be a good place to get something to eat, but I couldn't find anything but groceries. When I asked a lady if there was a restaurant or food stall or some place to get a bite inside public market, she said, "They'll make you a little something. What do you want? A sandwich? They'll make you a sandwich." She walked away, and I was left puzzled. Who is "they"? And yes, I did want a sandwich, so who did I need to ask to make me one? Alas, I never did find this fabled sandwich-maker inside Public Market, but apparently, they do serve food here. Maybe I just visited on a day when "they" weren't there.
Like I mentioned, the Wheeling Visitor Center is located here. It's in a small section at the front entrance, tucked away. This is also home to the Wheeling-Ohio County CVB. Apparently, sometimes there's someone behind the desk who you can talk to, and sometimes there isn't. Much like the sandwich-maker, I think if you're there at the right time, you'll see them. But if not, there's always literature and pamphlets and information about the area that you can pick up and take with you. read more