Howdy! I’d love to share that my hometown is in Wyoming or Montana, but we’ll all have to settle for my hometown in the Midwest! All joking aside, I love my hometown. I didn’t grow up here, but it’s been my home for the past thirteen years. We lived here for a few years when we were first married, and we’ve been within driving distance of it for the better part of thirty years. Can you guess where I live?
Toledo, Ohio!
You might not get glamorous vibes when you hear Toledo, but it sure has a lot going for it. There are so many fun things to do in Toledo!
One of Toledo’s features that I’ve raved about for years is its Metroparks system. Toledo Metroparks has nineteen parks with 200 miles of trails. Their ecosystems vary. Some, like Oak Openings Preserve, have multiple natural habitats, including forests, dunes, ponds, rivers, and pollinator meadows. Others have man-made structures like dams and wildlife viewing areas. We even have a few located downtown on the Maumee river. All of the parks are an outdoor lover’s dream! My husband and I enjoy visiting them, and the Toledo Botanical Garden is one of our favorites.
Another Toledo must-see is the Toledo Zoo. A beautifully manicured property with all the must-see animals, the Toledo Zoo is beloved in this area! My favorite exhibits are the elephants, polar bears, otters, tigers, and the aquarium. Such a wonderful zoo! The Lights Before Christmas always puts me in the Christmas spirit.
I can’t get enough of the Toledo Art Museum. A stunning classical building houses over 30,000 pieces, including Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and ancient Mediterranean art. I personally love the art-deco details in the entrance to the main museum, and I find strolling through the various exhibits to be relaxing. I visit at least twice a year, and I always find something new to surprise me. On campus is a glass museum, and the structure itself is made of glass. Breathtaking!
If you enjoy sports, Toledo is home to the Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A baseball), Toledo Walleye (hockey), and has several universities nearby–University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, and others.
I also enjoy going to the many coffee shops and the cute towns that make up the suburbs.
Have you been to Toledo, Ohio? If not, what attraction appeals the most to you?
Thanks for joining me today!
Jill Kemerer is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of heartwarming, emotional, small-town romance novels often featuring cowboys. Her essentials include coffee, caramels, a stack of books and long walks outdoors in Ohio where she resides with her husband.
I have never been to Toledo, Ohio. Helen, Georgia is a small Bavarian town. It makes you feel like you are in Germany. Not so much the people, but the town itself. There is a German bakery. The restaurants serve the same meal you can get in Germany.
My friend and I plan to go to some quaint towns in Georgia when the weather cools down. We love to walk through the towns and see everything.
Ooh, I love small Bavarian towns! We used to visit Frankenmuth, Michigan, often–it sounds very similar to Helen! What a fun spot!
I’ve never been to Toledo. I have heard of the Mud Hens. Would love to visit the art museum.
The art museum is so gorgeous and relaxing! I hope you get a chance to visit it!
Back in the 60s, my mother’s brother and family lived there and I remember visiting them. But when the tv show MASH became popular, it was the Mudhens abmnd Tony Packo’s!
Good old Tony Packo’s! We love their hot dogs–which are more like a sausage. So good!!
I’ve been to the art museum a few times and to Impression Five a few times with grandchildren, but my favorite is the zoo. When my grandchildren were younger, I would take them every year with a grandparents’s pass. They loved it.
Aww, how fun! I love the zoo, too! It’s extra special when you can bring kids!
No, I have never been to Toledo. The zoo sounds like a fun time.
One of the things I love about the zoo is its size. Not too big–just right!
I have been to Toledo. I got lost.
Oh no!! that’s no fun!
I have never visited Toledo but I would love to visit all these sites.
I hope you get a chance to!
YES we went to a Wynonna Judd concert in early October of 2023 in Toledo and the next day before leaving went to a lighthouse and to see Lake Erie!
Ooh, that sounds like so much fun! The Marblehead lighthouse is over an hour away on Lake Erie, and it’s beautiful! I wonder if that’s the one you saw.
I have been to Toledo many times. I live 35 miles to the west of it. My favorite things are the zoo and the metroparks. I also like visiting Maumee and Perrysburg.
We’re practically neighbors! I love Maumee and Perrysburg, too. Which reminds me…I need to get to the Perrysburg Farmer’s Market soon!
I am a fellow Toledoian. As you know, we are getting ready this weekend for the big JeepFest. It celebrates everything Jeep. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
JeepFest!! Such a mainstay of Toledo! And a lot of fun! I love that you live here, too!
Never heard of Toledo! (dripping with sarcasm ?) A friend and I were downtown a few Saturdays ago hitting a couple of coffee shops and I told her that it’s been too long since I went to the museum (as we drove by). I could spend days there!
Haha, Deanna! Of course you haven’t heard of it! Downtown has some good coffee shops!
I grew up in Metro Detroit, just up I-75 from Toledo. Small ?
Metro Detroit–a hop, skip, and a jump up I-75! Love it!
Small world!
It sure is!
Good afternoon Jill, I have never been to Toledo. It sounds like it has alot of great places to visit, I think I would go visit the Zoo first as I Love to go to the Zoo. Thank you so much for sharing about Toledo! Have a great rest of the day and week.
When I saw those big letters spelling out TOLEDO OHIO, I almost fell out of my chair! I’m in Perrysburg and have been to all those places and love them all! I have lived in the area my entire 50+ tears of life (and still hate winters lol).
I haven’t been, but all of the parks and trails would be so neat to walk!! Also, I’d definitely want to visit the zoo! I love zoos!
Never been to Toledo, Ohio or any part of Ohio but the zoos, parks & trails would be so great to go toplus this place sound like a great place to visit
WOW! I was born in Toledo. I love the art Museum and the zoo!
It is a wonderful place. When I got married when I was twenty we moved to Florida. My husband passed seven years ago and I still live in Florida.
But when my parents were still alive I would go visit them as often as a I could.
Thank q for sharing.
I have been to several places in Ohio, but not Toledo.
The parks and hiking trails would be favorites. Getting out in nature is relaxing and rejuvenating. The museum would be a nice change of pace. It pretty much guarantees a quiet, reflective time.
We miss Toledo and all of the things you mentioned. We always looked forward to the free tours of the Manor House in Wilwood when it was decorated for Christmas. Just so beautiful!!