Last Updated on September 12, 2020 by lindseymahoney
As school starts up again, many of our kids have to remain at home due to the COVID outbreak. When my son isn’t virtually learning online, I have tried to get him outside to explore new places around town. I have created a full list of kid-friendly places to enjoy around Toledo for any parent who needs to find an activity outside of the home!
I chose locations within an hour of the Toledo area that includes some places over the border in Michigan and fun spots near Lake Erie. This list ranges from outdoor parks to explore, to museums that can be an interesting field trip for your kids to learn.
Another fun idea is to create a bucket list with some of these places to visit and check them off with your kiddos. This list started when Thomas and I began our bucket list and it has expanded from there.
Disclaimer: Some of these places may have restrictions during quarantine so be sure to check if they are open before going to each place.
Kid-Friendly Places to Go in Toledo
Metroparks
The Botanical gardens are such a beautiful and kid-friendly place to visit! There is an epic treehouse playground that kids can enjoy and the whole family can enjoy walking through the gardens. Keep an eye out for sculptures throughout the park.
One of my favorite Metroparks is Wildwood. They have a fantastic playground for kids, lots of hiking trails, and a beautiful Manor house that is often open to the public. Every December they decorate the historic home and offer tours to the public, complete with a free s’mores bar in the front yard.
Fallen Timbers Battlefield & Fort Miamis
Fort Miami (Miamis) was a British fort built in the spring of 1794 on the Maumee River in what was at the time territory of the United States and designated by the federal government as the Northwest Territory.
Oak Openings Preserve Metropark is the largest of the Toledo Area Metroparks. It offers playgrounds, hiking and bike trails, and even a Cannaley Treehouse Village.
Fort Meigs, the largest reconstructed wooden-walled fort in the nation, was originally built to defend the Ohio country from British invasion during the War of 1812. Take your kids on a field trip to the War of 1812 battlefield in Perrysburg, Ohio.
“Side Cut” was named after the canal locks in the park that connected the Miami and Erie Canal to the City of Maumee. Although no longer in use, 3 of the 6 initial locks have been preserved and can be seen in the park.
Activities and attractions include scenic overlooks along the trails, a swinging bridge, indoor and picnic shelters, a playground and wildlife feedings stations with indoor viewing areas, called Windows on Wildlife.
Local & State Parks
Maumee Bay State Park offers not only the finest of recreational facilities in the Midwest, but also a unique natural environment created by the convergence of the land and Lake Erie. Take a hike, go camping, fishing, golfing, all at the Maumee Bay State park. Near the park, you can visit three national wildlife refuges.
Grassy waterside park provides benches, paths & a pavilion featuring community events & concerts. Enjoy the view of the river and in the summer months, let your kids run through the water fountains!
Toledo Stranahan Arboretum is a 47-acre site that features an excellent collection of rare trees, ravines, wetlands and restored prairies.
Marblehead Lighthouse State Park
Explore the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes at Marblehead Lighthouse State Park
Museums
The Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum housing over 30,000 objects. The museum is free to the public and kid-friendly. My kids have taken art classes at the museum, visited exhibitions, walked the statue garden outside and even dressed up in princess outfits to look at the artwork.
Modern glass structure with displays of historic glass items, glassblowing demonstrations & classes. Take your kids through the Glass Pavilion, located on the grounds of the Toledo Art Museum.
The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center is a complex comprising several buildings related to the life and presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. Take a tour of the President’s home and visit the museum filled with artifacts about his life and time serving the country.
Visit The Henry Ford to explore our collection of authentic artifacts and stories of America’s ingenuity and innovation.
National Museum of the Great Lakes
The National Museum of the Great Lakes is a complete experience—our kid-friendly campus includes the museum ship S.S. Col. James M. Schoonmaker and a maritime park with unique artifacts and beautiful landscaping along the banks of the Maumee River.
Kid-friendly guided tours in a former firehouse with vintage equipment & uniforms on display.
Historical village complex & museum with a 19th-century log home, blacksmith shop & railroad depot.
Located in Neil Armstrongs hometown of Wapakoneta, the museum chronicles Ohio’s contributions to the history of aeronautics and space flight.
The Detroit Historical Museum chronicles the history of the Detroit area from cobblestone streets, 19th century stores, the auto assembly line, toy trains, fur trading from the 18th century, and much more.
Visit the Aviation Museum to learn about the aircraft used in WW2. Take a lunch break at the retro-themed diner and watch planes take off and land.
Kid Friendly Activities
The Toledo Zoo has over 10,000 animals to visit on their grounds. Travel around the world from the tropics to Greenland, ocean to sky, and desert to the rainforest in one Zoo visit.
Get up close to the Zoo animals and feed them carrots! This zoo experience is one of a kind and really fun for kids that love animals.
This farm is perfect for kids! Duke Farm offers pony rides, a small playground and easy access to various farm animals. Our kids love feeding lettuce to the bunnies and grains to the llama and goats.
Walk through flower fields and pick your own bouquet! Start your kiddos early by letting them pick and arrange their own flower bouquet.
Enjoy a Mud Hens game at Fifth Third Field in downtown Toledo.
Toledo’s Science Center, is dedicated to making science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fun and accessible
Visit the Huntington Center to watch a Walleye game! Check out other events held at the Huntington Center throughout the year.
Step back in time to the pioneer days at Sauder’s Village. Visit the historic village, restaurants and museum.
Become archeologists for the day and dig for fossils at Fossil Park!
Visit the local farmers market to find fresh produce and flowers for your home.
Walk through the Historic West End neighborhood to see beautiful, historic homes in Toledo.
Drive through the wildlife park and feed the animals from your car.
Visit Ohio’s largest indoor water park and splash around with your family. The park includes kids areas and lots of waterslides!
Visit Put-In-Bay on Lake Erie for kid-friendly activities and historic sites to visit. Visit the large carousel in the downtown area, make a stop at the playground, and enjoy the exploration activities at Perry’s Cave.
Spend the day at Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital of the world.
The Watering Hole at Monsoon Lagoon
Indoor/outdoor family fun center with waterslides, a go-kart track, an arcade & a mini-golf course.
Watch movies from your car at the Sundance Drive-In. I loved going to the drive-in with my family and know my kiddos are going to love it too!
Sylvania Playland is the one and only indoor bounce house and playground in the Toledo area! Come in and play on our five inflatables, four swing sets and the toddler area.
Visit Playzone to enjoy arcade games, bumper cars and a full laser tag arena!
Get out some energy at this indoor trampoline park.
Create Perrysburg offer fun art classes for kids and families! This fun shop also offers to take-home art kits that your kids can work on at home.
Walk among thousands of tropical butterflies in a glass conservatory.
Head to Detroit for a baseball game or any of the other major league sporting events.
Twin Oast is one of our favorite places to visit in Port Clinton. This brewery is located on a 60-acre farm and offers sprawling grounds for kids to run around.
Plan a day trip to Kelleys Island located on Lake Erie. Rent a golf cart and visit all of the kid-friendly attractions. Including the winery/farm, miniature golf, and the glacial grooves.
The Put-in-Bay Perry’s Monument is among the tallest monuments in the United States (the Gateway Arch, San Jacinto Monument, and the Washington Monument are taller). The monument is located on Put-in-Bay island in Lake Erie.
Perry’s Cave, registered as an Ohio Natural Landmark, is a natural limestone cave steeped in historical tradition. Visit the Butterfly house, go gemstone mining and walk through the antique car museum in the same family fun center.
Glacial Grooves Geological Preserve
A National Natural Landmark, the Glacial Grooves on the north side of Kelleys Island are the largest easily accessible such grooves in the world.
The Eastern Market area is named for the 19th-century market operating here, with vendors selling everything from tacos to colorful produce every Saturday.
Pick your own apples in the Fall at the beautiful MacQueen’s Apple Orchard. This kid-friendly activity is a favorite every year!
Pick your own pumpkin, cut beautiful fresh flowers and visit the barn animals at the Gust Brothers Farm! This activity is a family favorite in the Fall.
Take a tour of Ohio’s largest caverns with over two miles of passageways to explore.
I hope this list helps some local parents who are struggling to find activities for their little ones! If there are any places that should be on this list, please share in the comments below!
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