*This post is sponsored by Destination Toledo. In this post, we give our honest review of our experience taking a family trip to Toledo. For more information on our Disclosure Policy, please visit this page.

I never imagined that one of our most memorable family vacations would be just a short two-hour drive from Cleveland, but Toledo, Ohio, completely blew us away.

I can’t believe that I’ve lived in Cleveland my entire life and never once heard anyone suggest Toledo for a weekend getaway.

Where We Stayed

We made the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Downtown Toledo our home base, and it was the perfect place for our weekend getaway. Staying downtown meant we could walk to most of our outings, which was a huge plus.

Our 2 queen bed, 1 bedroom river view suite had plenty of space and included a full-size refrigerator, a full sink with a dishwashing machine, and a microwave. Having two TVs in our room was nice so the kids didn’t have to fight over what to watch during our downtime.

Oh, and the downtown skyline and river view from our room was absolutely stunning!

Whenever we stay at a hotel, I always try to find somewhere that has complimentary breakfast. It makes our mornings so much easier and is one less meal I have to find during the day. The complimentary breakfast at the Homewood Suites was exactly what we needed to fuel our busy days. They even had overnight oats available! They were super tasty.

My husband really appreciated the fitness room, and I loved that we could download our room key to our phones – no more worrying about losing those little cards!

DAY ONE:

Focaccia’s, Imagination Station Science Museum, Wild Side Brewing, and The Sandpiper Cruise

We kicked off our trip with lunch at Focaccias down the street from our hotel. They serve great homemade soups, salads, and sandwiches. I got their Spicy Chicken Club. It was soooo good. My husband went the healthier route with Chicken Fruit Salad, and it was huge! Our kids had PB&J and chicken fingers.

After lunch, we visited the Imagination Station Science Museum, which was only a 10-minute walk from our hotel. This place was next-level fun for the kids!

My son was all about the High Wire Cycle – imagine being 20 feet in the air, riding a bike on a tiny cable!

My daughter was super excited for the Cardboard: Build Outside the Box exhibit, where she crafted a cardboard puppet and put on a little show. My son enjoyed this exhibit as well. He created a cardboard rocket that he was able to launch fifteen feet into the air.

The Cardboard: Build Outside the Box exhibit closes Sept 2, but the really cool thing about Imagination Station is that they are always bringing in new, exciting exhibits in addition to the awesome permanent exhibits.

The whole family got a kick out of the Mind Zone area, with its optical illusions and the sideways room that played tricks on our senses. Other notable exhibits we enjoyed were the Food Smasher, Hurricane Chamber, and Gravity Room.

After the Imagination Station, we grabbed a Detroit-style pizza from Wild Side Brewing Downtown and took it with us on a family cruise aboard The Sandpiper. Wild Side Downtown was only a five-minute walk from our hotel and a five-minute walk to the dock for the Sandpiper.

We had never had Detroit-style pizza before, and we really enjoyed it. It had a thick, chewy crust and a crunchy, fried bottom layer. We got their Italian Specialty Pizza, and it was great.

The two-hour cruise on the Sandpiper along the Maumee River was both relaxing and educational. We learned about Toledo’s history, spotted some wildlife (including five bald eagles!), and even saw the nation’s largest mural–the Glass City River Wall.

Here’s more about the Glass City River Wall from their website.

“For thousands of years, various cultures of indigenous peoples lived along the rivers of what is now northwestern Ohio and were the first farmers in the region. The site is recognized for its historic value and is designated with a plaque describing the fortification and its significance. It is a story that is seldom told but is steeped in rich history.

The models used for these images are from three different Tribes - The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, The Shawnee Tribe, and the Dakota Tribe. We chose living models from tribes to reinforce the fact that Native Americans are not a people from the past but exist in vibrant communities today. Many of the tribes who considered this region home were forcibly relocated in the mid-19th century and reside west of the Mississippi today.”

We thought this was such a beautiful piece of art, and it was so awesome to take it in while cruising down the Maumee River.

Day Two:

Glass City Metropark, National Museum of the Great Lakes, Maumee Bay State Park, Tony Packo's, and a Mud Hens Game

If you haven’t been to the Glass City Metroark yet, put it on your must-visit list!

We drove a short five minutes from our hotel and were greeted with free parking (which is always great). The first playground we checked out was the Grosbeak Discovery Play Area and it was unlike anything we’d ever encountered! It has a huge 41-foot play structure, zip lines, slides, and a hanging teeter-totter.

My kids had a blast climbing on the massive slides and navigating the rope-bridges in the 41-foot play structure, all safely covered in nets. We actually ended up at this playground two separate days in our trip because my kids couldn’t get enough of it!

Next, we walked down the path toward the river so the kids could play on the Prairie and Pollinator Discover Play. It’s a super cute natural wood adventure play area within view of the river. And, if you’ve been following us for a while, you know I was super excited because they had my favorite feature–A ROPE SWING! This one was the biggest I had ever seen.

After that, we walked over to the Mini-Maumee Discovery Play Area, a fenced-in water feature that’s a scaled map of the Maumee River and its tributaries, complete with a small waterfall. The kids loved splashing around and exploring every nook and cranny of this creative space. Kids can splash, slide, and navigate through the miniature waterways to discover the wonder of a natural ecosystem.

Did I already mention that the Glass City Metropark has so much to do? Because we still weren’t done!

We brought our scooters and hit up the The Ribbon Roller Rink, an outdoor roller rink with a 1,000-foot loop featuring rolling hills and soft curves. It’s free to use, though you can rent skates if you don’t have your own. My husband and I loved watching the kids zoom around with big smiles on their faces.

Honestly, I feel like you could easily spend half a day or more at Glass City Metropark. You can get lunch on-site at Market Hall (where you rent skates, if needed) and spend a good chunk of the day exploring this beautiful riverfront metropark.

Next, we walked over to the National Museum of the Great Lakes. We spent the next hour and a half touring the historic James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship and Museum Tug Ohio. Both of my kids enjoyed this, but my son especially liked seeing the living quarters, engine room, and helm. Once we were finished on the ships, we went inside the museum and learned about the fascinating maritime history of the Great Lakes.

For lunch, we headed over to the iconic Tony Packo's, famous for its hot dogs and Hungarian fare. We had first heard our guide talk about Tony Packos on The Sandpiper, and were very interested in checking it out for ourselves.

The kids had a blast seeing all the autographed buns lining the walls, and the food was as good as we’d heard. My husband went with the M.O.A.D (mother of all dogs) and it was massive! We also had the pierogies, which we liked, but were different than the pierogies we’ve had in the past.

Some of our favorite signed buns were Ron Howard, Bob Feller, Mr. T, and Mickey Rooney.

After lunch, we drove to Maumee Bay State Park. The state park was a nice, relaxing place to experience the beauty of nature.

We had fun as a family walking on the boardwalk, relaxing at the beach (swimming is allowed), and reading on the story walk.

This is definitely a place you could spend an hour or two at if you have nature-loving kiddos.

I know I’ll be getting this question, so I’ll go ahead and let you know now that my husband’s hat is from JUPMODE. It has quickly become his new favorite hat!

JUPMODE makes some seriously great midwest apparel, so be sure to check them out.

After that full day of adventuring, we went back to the hotel for some much-needed R&R.

Dinner that evening was at Maumee Bay Brewing Co., Toledo's oldest brewery.

The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the food had our bellies feeling full and satisfied. You can really feel the history as soon as you walk through the front door.

To cap off the night, we caught a Toledo Mud Hens ballgame. The Mud Hens are the Triple-A affiliate for the Detroit Tigers, and even though we’re die-hard Guardians fans, we still had a great time!

The energy in the stadium was infectious. You can really tell that Toledo is proud of their Mud Hens, and the ballpark is really beautiful. The night ended with a walk-off win and fireworks, which felt like the picture-perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Day Three: Plate 21 and the Toledo Zoo

Our last day began with a hearty tasty breakfast at the cutest cafe called Plate 21. Located in South Toledo, Plate 21 gave my husband and I Tremont/Ohio City vibes. The space is well thought-out and designed, and the menu considerately crafted.

My husband got the breakfast wrap and he said it was delicious. My son loved his mango smoothie, and my maple pecan donut was one of the best I ever had!

Honestly, if we lived in Toledo, I could see myself visiting this cafe all the time! It was also only 5 minutes from the Toledo Zoo, which was super convenient.

Next, we spent the rest of our day exploring the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium while rocking our Jupmode gear.

We’re a big fan of zoos, and this zoo didn’t disappoint. It’s very walkable, and the exhibits are very well-kept.

We thought it was awesome that admission included the Zoo, Aquarium, and Natural History Museum.

While we were there, they were also having their annual Wild About Art event. Artists and makers had tents set up all throughout the zoo to display their art and products.

My kids really liked the event, and my son ended up buying a 3d printed Pokemon.

Here are a few of our favorite areas in the Toledo Zoo.

THE AQUARIUM

The aquarium was great! The kids liked the sturgeon touch tank, the jellyfish, and the stingrays.

THE PROMEDICA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

We almost didn’t go the museum of natural history because I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I’m so glad that we did! It was really cool inside.

We saw two gigantic Komodo dragons, some slithering snakes, and walked through a greenhouse-type area where these tiny little frogs were hidden all along the path.

My kids loved this area as it was like a scavenger hunt trying to find where the frogs were hiding in plain sight.

AFRICA

The Africa area was super cool and a definite highlight for our family.

We decided to ride the train ($3 per person) and it was absolutely worth it as it gave us such a great view of the giraffes, zebras, and domestic cattle.

SPLASH PAD

Be sure to bring a change of clothes (or a towel so your kids can dry off) because they have a really fun splash pad at the Toledo Zoo.

It wasn’t even that hot when we were there, and my kids still loved it. I can imagine it’s a great way to cool down on those hot summer days.

NATURE’S NEIGHBORHOOD

This was a really fun adventure playground area. It had a big treehouse that my kids loved and lots of cool little areas to explore, plus a neat water feature.

Thanks For Following Along!

That was our three-day weekend visit to Toledo with kids!

If you’re looking for an ideal family getaway without venturing too far from Cleveland, we think Toledo should absolutely be at the top of your list. The mix of fun, education, and relaxation was just what our family needed.

We can’t wait to visit again soon!

A Weekend Visit To Toledo With Kids - Just 2 Hours From Cleveland!