Destination Toledo: Family Weekend Adventure

When considering family friendly weekend get-away destinations it was hard for me to think of Toledo, however after a recent media tour that included our visiting the Toledo Zoo, the Imagination Station and the Toledo Museum of Art, I now know why Toledo would make a perfect weekend get-away for the whole family!

Toledo, approximately 50 minutes from downtown Ann Arbor, is a beautiful river city. It struck me as being exceedingly clean and well maintained, and very safe. While on our visit, we stayed at the Park Inn Radisson (101 North Summit St., Toledo) with a picturesque view of the river, central location and reasonable costs ($80/night) it seems like a great option for a family hotel. Before checking in, consider spending the day at either the Toledo Zoo (2 Hippo Way, Toledo) or Fossil Park (5675 Centennial Rd, Sylvania), where families can experience a very unique fossil dig for Devonian Era fossils – And the best part is, kids can dig for FREE and keep their found treasures!

A meal at Tony Packo's means families will leave fully satisfied!

After checking in at the hotel, experience one of Toledo’s culinary landmarks, Tony Packo’s (1902 Front Street, Toledo). Made famous by Jamie Farr’s character Max Klinger on M*A*S*H, Tony Packo’s has a comfortable family-friendly atmosphere, and hearty delicious Hungarian food that is faintly reminiscent of our Detroit Coney dogs. It is a filling, very reasonably priced meal among the stars. Or should I say their buns? Tony Packo’s, walls are decorated by signed hotdog buns, from politicians, television personalities, and other famous folk - We ate dinner with Kiss AND Jamie Farr!

After a quick bite, it’s back to park the car at the hotel followed by a quick walk to Fifth Third Park (406 Washington Street, Toledo) where the Toledo Mudhen’s play.

The Toledo Mudhen’s, a Detroit Tigers Triple-A minor league affiliate, provides the perfect backdrop for family fun. Expect to find inexpensive seats ranging from $9-12 that are close to the action and fan fun. Kids can meet Muddy and Muddonna, vie for t-shirts launched with large air-compressor guns, or watch the games and races on the field. The field even has a playground dedicate to the tiniest of visitors tucked behind the outfield!

Hit the town running Saturday morning with a visit to Toledo’s Imagination Station (1 Discovery Way, Toledo). Being only a scant .3 miles away, it would make a nice after-breakfast walk if your family wanted to leave the car at the hotel. I LOVED the various displays at the Imagination Station from the high-wire bike (yes I rode it), the green-screen room, the gravity room and even the wind tunnel. We even conned the staff into putting the wind tunnel on hurricane speed to see the lovely distortion it made to our faces.

After a day learning about science, head back to the hotel for the car to explore the natural world with a family picnic at the Toledo Botanical Gardens (5403 Elmer Dr., Toledo). Pick up food at a local sandwich shop or bring your own picnic basket! The gardens, which are open year round and are free to the public, provide a lush environment where the kids get a breath of fresh air running while mom and dad become enveloped in peace and tranquility. There are even art sculptures located throughout the grounds providing added beauty to the natural surroundings.

The tranquil beauty and colorful backgrounds are sure to please mom,
dad and the kids when visiting the Toledo Botanical Gardens.

On Sunday after check out, pack up your brood to head to the Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe St., Toledo) less than 10 minutes away. The reason to wait until Sunday to visit the museum is for the free family programming on Sunday’s from 12:00-5:30 p.m. Kids ages 10 and under can create their own masterpieces with the plentiful art supplies after experiencing the art and culture, and it’s all free. That’s right, find free museum tours, free family fun and across the street at the Glass Pavilion, find free glassblowing demonstrations! There are even opportunities for your family, teens and older, to create their own blown glass pieces later on Sunday early evening.

Families will find Sunday's at the Toledo Museum of Art the perfect outing
with free tours, free kids programs and free fun!

I'll admit I've never thought of Toledo as a place to visit. It's always been somewhere driven by on I-75. After experiencing Toledo with the Destination Toledo Media Tour though, I know that the area has man affordable gems worth exploring further. Toledo is a great place for families, so many sure you consider it for your next family adventure even if it is only for a brief stay!

Weekend Events Round-Up: August 13-15

Make your weekend eventful by attending one (or more) of the great events happening around Ann Arbor. Here is a quick events round up!
Friday, August 12:

• Kids ages 4+ can create their own Sunflower Paintings at Tree Town Toys (2611 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor) 2:00-5:00 p.m. for only $2.
• Check out a Waterloo Area Farm Museum (2611 Plymouth Rd., Grass Lake) Weekend Tour running throughout the weekend 1:00-5:00 p.m. Museum tour fees are $5 for adults and $2 for children aged 5-12. Guided tours of the ten-room farmhouse, log cabin, barns, blacksmith and woodworking workshop, bake house, ice house, milk cellar, and windmill.
• The Wayne County Fair (10871 Quirk Rd., Belleville) is happening through tomorrow. Find rides, fair food, animals, music, exhibits and more to explore.

Saturday, August 13:

• Teens (Grades 6-12) should plan on attending a free workshop at the Ann Arbor District Library (343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor) called Geek Academy III - Game Programming with Scratch at 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 2:00-5:00 p.m. Teens will discover a way to get started making their own digital games.
• The circus is in town! The Kelly Miller Circus will have shows at the Lake Shore Apartments (2117 Lakeview Dr., Ypsilanti) at 2:00 and 5:30 p.m. Advance ticket prices are $10.00 per adult, Kid tickets (11 and under) $6.00 On show day (at the door) tickets are $15.00 per adult and $7.00 per kid (11 and under). Advance tickets can be purchased at Aachen Auto at 2280 E. Michigan Ave. or Keybank west Michigan Ave. branch. Come over at 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. to see the elephants help raise the Circus Big Top for FREE.
• Create your own Aboriginal Dot Painting at Tree Town Toys 3:30–4:30 p.m. for only $2. This project is geared for kids at least 6 years old.

Sunday, August 14:

• Create a cute Plant Pal at Tree Town Toys 2:00-4:30 p.m. with a homemade type Chia Pet. kids older than 3 can have fun creating their own creature from just a sprinkling of seeds, a bit of sun, and a few drops of patience. Cost $1.

Cedar Point: For the Big Kid in You!

I mentioned a few days ago the media tour of Northwest Ohio I participated in, what I hadn't gotten to yet though, was mentioning the third day of our tour - a day at Cedar Point!

Even as a Cedar Point alumni
the park never gets old. There is
something special about a perfect
summer day in the park!

As Michael and I are both Cedar Point alumni, we knew about the many great aspects of the point. Sadly though we haven't visited since we got married 10 years ago. So this was an excellent opportunity to catch up with the best of Cedar Point with it's 17 roller coasters and thrill rides!

I'll have to admit, I'll never experience a day at Cedar Point like this again, and I am now officially spoiled. When we arrived at the park, we were greeted by a marketing intern Ainsley, who spent the day walking the park with us, taking us from ride to ride. She took us to the front of the line for any ride we wanted to experience. That's right, first row baby!

I suppose some might say we began the day rather gently, warming up on Cedar Point's newest ride, Windseeker. It provided a great view of the entire park though, and made is seem as though we were flying. After a gentle warm up though, we hit the blacktop hard, walking over 5 miles hitting Blue Streak, Corkscrew,  Mantis, Top Thrill Dragster, Millennium Force, Gemini, Maverick, Mean Streak, Raptor, Magnum XL-200, Iron Dragon and Disaster Transport. Riding the rides as a 40-something is a much different experience and one that I highly recommend to any "big kid" at heart.

Cedar Point still has classic coasters and for
speed deamons, they have the tallest and
fastest out there too! (photo courtesy
of Cedar Point)

We did take a short lunch break, at Pink’s too (as in the legendary Los Angeles Pink's Hot Dogs). Cedar Point has the first Pink's franchise East of Las Vegas. It was nice allowing our dogs to stop barking for a brief moment before hitting the pavement, and most importantly it was air conditioned!  I'm just glad we rode the Top Thrill Dragster BEFORE lunch!

It was kind of odd in some ways walking the park. I found myself saying "Hey isn't that where ____ ride used to be?" And of course the theatre I performed in was torn down years ago to make way for a large water ride. Not seeing the theatre remains a bittersweet experience. I was however pleasantly surprised at the changes we were experiencing as well as the way that Cedar Point has maintained so much of the park. It's amazing at what growth they can experience in such a tight space!

The park has an amazing assortment of rides, shows and a large kids area that includes pint-size rides just for them. The kids attractions were actually more prevelant than I remembered, or maybe it was just that I had never taken kids before.. My mom actually meet us down there in the morning, bringing the kids to experience the day with us. They did enjoy the day, and my son got to ride his first big coaster (7 actually) however, (and this is the part I would like to keep quiet) I think I might have enjoyed the day more without them. I will admit though, I think I enjoyed karaoke with the Peanuts gang at the Camp Snoopy Theatre more than they did.

My daughter's wee stature of less than 46" means she was more limited by ride selection; it was pretty warm and muggy that day and there is a lot of walking for one with such short legs. We did however allow the kids full-reign of the park for their own experience after departing the media tour. An experience they fully enjoyed!

A new Cedar Point fan is born!

After walking the park with the kids, I would recommend that families with small children spend more than a single day at the park. This might cost a bit more, but would save volumes in sanity. Stay the night on property in Camper Village, at Lighthouse Point (I'd like to check THAT out for our next adventure) or in an of the resort property hotels. This would allow the children to refresh and enjoy the beach, Soak City, or Challenge Park as well as gain early entry into the park and all that Cedar Point has to offer pint size clientele.

Our day spent exploring Cedar Point was one of those perfect summer days, one we're hoping to repeat many times in seasons to come. A day that I would highly recommend for kids of all ages and sizes. Don't be ashamed if you leave the kids at home and enjoy the day at Cedar Point alone with your significant other - I'm not sure the kids wouldn't be able to read the excitement on your faces though!

D.I.Ypsi Indie Art Fair This Weekend

Newsflash:

Get the kid's creative juices flowing before the school year begins by taking them to the D.I.Ypsi art fair (36 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti) this Saturday, August 13 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. in Depot Town. Check out unique local artists with a flair for a "Do it yourself" attitude or shop for early holiday gifts.

Cirque Amongus at Ann Arbor District Library

This one sounded like an interesting kids event. Today at the Ann Arbor District Library (343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor) is a free event titled "Comedy And Feats Of Skill: Cirque Amongus" at 10:00 a.m. and at the AADL Pittsfield branch (2359 Oak Valley Dr., Ann Arbor) at 2:00 p.m.

Find some high-flying circus fun with Cirque Amongus
at the AADL today!

The program, geared for children in Kindergarten through 5th grades, looks to be a fun exploration of circus skills, however I also like that their website indicates that their hands-on programs are designed to build self-esteem, develop motor skills, and promote teamwork.

Sounds like a good plan to me!