Toledo is a moderate-sized city in Northwest Ohio, on the Maumee River, at the edge of Lake Erie, it is one of the most productive Ports on the Great Lakes/ St. Lawrence Seaway. Toledo is also a designated Foreign Trade Zone area. The Port of Toledo handles coal, ore, general cargo, ship repairs, as well as having storage for over 22 million bushels of grain for export. The diverse architecture of Toledo, rivals larger cities like Chicago. Home to Libby Glass, which has had a tremenous positive influence on the amenities of the City.
Understand
People had big dreams for Toledo. The city is set on some of the most inhospitable land in the Midwest: the Great Black Swamp. Early white settlers spent years digging ditches through the swamp and lining them with clay tiles, when they weren't catching mosquito-borne diseases. Michigan and Ohio briefly went to war (no shots were fired) over the land. Later settlers came over from Eastern Europe by the boatload, or up from down south, to work on the Erie Canal and in local factories that made cars and auto parts.Today, Toledo is a city of 315,000 with a big local university, an independent daily newspaper, and historic buildings downtown that are turned into artists' lofts. Toledo is also home to the legendary Toledo Mud Hens minor league baseball team. They play in the Fifth Third Field in downtown Toledo. There's a huge and beautiful neighborhood of Victorian mansions near downtown, a world-class art museum and a new glass museum, a world-class zoo, and a band in every garage. In the cities north end there is The Polish Village where it is very common to see store fronts written in Polish. The food is worth stopping for: not only Tony Packo's famous hot dogs, but also classy Middle Eastern food such as the Beirut, Hungarian baked goods, and a few good old diners.
Get in
By air
- The nearest airport is: Toledo Express Airport (IATA: TOL), 11013 Airport Highway, Swanton, +1 419 865-2351.
- The nearest regional/international airport is Detroit Metro Airport (DTW).
By bus
- Greyhound, 811 Jefferson Avenue, +1 419 248-1477. Station hours: 5AM-11:30PM. Ticketing hours: 5AM-10:30PM. Greyhound makes regular stops in Toledo. (Be warned: The bus stop is not in a safe area.)
- Megabus offers low-cost bus service to Toledo from Chicago and Cleveland. The Megabus stop in Toledo is located on the south side of the Southwyck Shopping Center, at the northwest corner of Southwyck Boulevard and Cheyenne Boulevard.
By train
Amtrak's Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited routes both stop at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza train depot at 415 Emerald Avenue. Station and ticketing hours: 12AM-12:30PM & 8:30PM-11:59PM. The station is closed 12:31PM-8:29PM.
By Car
Toledo is located at the intersection of I-75 and I-80/I-90. Everybody travelling in the Midwest United States has probably been through it at least once.
Get Around
See
- Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion, Monroe St. directly across from Museum of Art. Cafe open during museum hours. Opened 2006. Free.
- Toledo Museum of Art, 2445 Monroe Street (at Scottwood Avenue), +1-419-255-8000 (information@toledomuseum.org), Tu-Th 10AM-4PM, F 10AM-10PM, Sa 10AM-4PM, Su 11AM-5PM. Admission to the Museum is free at all times. Special exhibitions or events may require purchased tickets..
- COSI Toledo, One Discovery Way, +1-419-244-2674 (cosi@cositoledo.org, fax: +1-(419)-255-2674), Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 12PM-5PM. The museum is closed most Mondays and on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Years Day.. Admission: Children (3-12): $6.50, Adults (13-64): $8.50, Seniors (65+): $7.50.
- Toledo Zoo, 2 Hippo Way, +1-(419)-385-4040,Hours: May 1 - Labor Day: 10AM-5PM, Labor Day - April 30: 10AM-4PM.
- Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, 2535 Collingwood Avenue, +1-419-244-9575.
- The Old West End -- the blocks south of the Art Museum. Historic neighborhood full of huge old mansions and 100-year-old trees. You can tour these homes at Christmas and at a festival the first weekend in June.
Annual events
- Lights Before Christmas
- Crosby Gardens Arts Festival
- Monster trucks
- The Polish Festival
Do
Music and Performing Arts
- Toledo Opera, 425 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 601, +1-419-255-7464 (info@toledoopera.org, fax: +1-419-255-6344).
- Toledo Jazz Society, 425 North St. Clair, +1-419-241-5299 (fax: +1-419-241-4777).
- Toledo Symphony Orchestra, 1838 Parkwood Avenue, #310, +1-419-246-8000 (music@toledosymphony.com, fax: +1-419-321-6890).
- Toledo Ballet, 5001 Monroe Street (Westfield Franklin Park), +1-419-471-0049 (fax: +1-419-471-9005).
- Rally by the River
Learn
- University of Toledo, Dorr Street and Secor Road, +1-419-530-4636.
Buy
- Libby Glass Factory Outlet, 205 South Erie St., +1 419 254-5000. Libby Glass is manufactured in Toledo. Store has 16,000 square foot dinnerware, glassware and giftware.
Eat
Local specialties include,Tony Packo's Pickles'n'Peppers, salt-rising bread from Wixey Bakery and handmade noodles.
- Tony Packo's, 1902 Front Street, +1-419-691-6054 (eat@tonypacko.com, fax: +1-419-691-8358). M-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 12PM-9PM. The original Tony Packo's, which has been serving its hometown favorites for over 70 years. Packo's was made world famous by several mentions on the TV series M*A*S*H by Max Klinger (played by Toledo native Jamie Farr). If you're lucky enough to spare any amount of time here be sure to order at least one cup of chili, which is rumored to put some Cincinnati brands to shame.
- Tony Packo's, South Superior Street (Off of Washington Street, only a few steps from Fifth Third Field), +1-419-691-6054 (eat@tonypacko.com, fax: +1-419-246-1111). M-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 12PM-9PM. The downtown branch of this hometown chain. The staff at this location is very hospital and personable.
- Rudys Hot Dogs is a well known restaurant chain located throughout the Metro Toledo Area, many would say that they are better than Tony Packo's. You can ask anyone in Toledo where the closest Rudy's is located and they will point you in the correct direction.
Drink
- Papa Joes is a bar located in West Toledo on Monroe St right by I-75, they are known for their half price pizzas and dollar beers.They also have free pool on Tuesdays. The bartender looks like a fraggle and or einstien.
- The Orchard Inn is another bar located in West Toledo on Sylvania Avenue in between Douglas and Secor. This bar is known for very intense pool games between locals. It has shuffleboard as well.
- Pub St George is a bar for the younger crowd in the Uptown Area where reggae music is provided by the Crucial 420 Band. Beer is readily available and many different kinds are served. The band is led by Reggae Dave, he is a local celebrity that has an extensive following. One could also dine on fish and chips at this bar.
Sleep
- Clarion Toledo Hotel Westgate, 3536 Secor Road, +1 419 535-7070. Nr. University of Toledo
- Wyndham Toledo Hotel, 2 Seagate/Summit Street, +1 419 241-1411, fax: +1 419 241-8161. An oasis of tranquility in the center of Toledo's bustling downtown.
- Hotel Seagate, 141 North Summit Street, +1-866-744-5711, Fax: +1 419 242-1337. A suite hotel close to the Seagate Convention Center that features meeting space, free wireless internet, and close local attractions.
Get out
- Cedar Point amusement park is about an hour east in Sandusky.
- Cleveland is a couple hours east on I-90 and the Ohio Turnpike.
- Michigan is just north of town and Detroit is one hour north on I-75.
- Along the southern shore of Lake Erie are a large number of public North Coast Beaches. The beach at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, just east of Toledo is one of the nicest.
- Located east of Toledo and west of Cleveland, a group of picturesque and festive Lake Erie Islands are accessible via ferry. In addition to several Ohio State Parks located on the islands, there is plenty to do including wineries, restaurants, bars, marinas and beaches.
- Lake Erie Tour Route and Lighthouses. Go back to the mainland and see the shoreline. The drive (or boat ride) around Lake Erie takes you through the Working Waterfronts around Buffalo NY, Cleveland OH, Detroit MI, Erie PA, Toledo, OH, and southern Ontario and is intermingled with beautiful preservations of flora and fauna as well as the history of North America's first westward expansion, the Old Northwest Territory.
- Maumee Bay Resort & Conference Center, 1400 State Park Road, Oregon (Ohio). An 1,850-acre State Park, Maumee Bay, a fine recreational facility with a unique natural environment as seen by the convergence of the land and Lake Erie. The lodge, cottages and golf course are at Ohio's premier resort and the newest state park. The Lodge is located along the shore of Lake Erie with a two-story stone fireplace that welcomes guests. The 120 guestrooms with private balcony/patio gives spectacular views of the surrounding park. There are 24 cottages with fireplaces adjacent to wetlands and the lush greens of the golf course.