To-Do In Toledo

Photos by OHventures

It's not often that I make it to the Northwest portion of our great state of Ohio. This is due to the fact that I have a fulltime job that divides my time between Northeast and Central Ohio. But, any true OHventurer will find time out of his or her busy work schedule to take road trips from time to time! This past weekend, I was invited to attend the wedding of my dear friends Richard and Christina, whom I met while living in Columbus. Christina is from Northwest Ohio, so that ended up being the setting for their beautiful nuptials. 

In perfect OHventures fashion, I took full advantage of the time I spent during my rare visit to the area. 

The ceremony itself took place at the Historic Church of Saint Patrick in Toledo, which was absolutely stunning! I am not Catholic, but I can appreciate a good Catholic church! This one has been around since the city's beginnings, the first version of the church having been built in 1862! The second (and current) version of the church was completed in 1901. The Gothic architechture is romantic and beautiful - ideal for my pals to tie the knot!

From there, we traveled to Perrysburg where the ceremony was to take place. What was nice was that this part of the festivities was taking place at our hotel's ballroom, which was the Hilton Garden Inn. The Hilton was part of the Town Center at Levis Commons, a collection of shops and restaurants that is a must-see if you are ever in the area! 

What made my plan to have an adventurous weekend that much easier was that my friends had specially-made sugar cookies as party favors (pictured above) that were decorated to look like a piece of looseleaf paper with "Toledo To Do List" written on it!

The cookie's "To-Do" List consisted of 5 items:

1. Toledo Zoo: Ohio is rich with zoos, and a great one can be found in Toledo! The address of the zoo - 2 Hippo Way - is already an indication of it being a cool place to go. If you can't make it to the zoo itself, you are in luck, because they offer live web cams for their hippos, seals, polar bears, and elephants (my favorite)!
2. Mud Hens Game: During the baseball season, a great way to spend time in Toledo is to attend a Mud Hens baseball game. The Mud Hens are a minor league triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are a beloved Toledo team, and people of lal ages can enjoy spending an evening at a game. The stadium has become a part of the downtown scene since being built in 2002.
3. Toledo Art Museum: Considered one of the best art museums in the nation, the Toledo Museum of Art is where to go if you want to know the history of how "The Glass City" moniker came to be. The Glass Pavilion at the museum is breathtaking, as is the rest of the museum. 
4. Marco's Pizza: While there are hundreds of Marco's Pizza locations across the country, the family of the bride has a special connection to the company, which is headquartered in Toledo. It is only fitting that they served delicious Marco's Pizza to the wedding guests at the end of the night (pictured below).
5. The Wedding: This goes without saying! My friends' special day was one of the best things I've ever done in Toledo, hands down! It's just too bad not everyone can experience the magic of all of us friends dancing and celebrating!

The day after the wedding, I met up with an old friend at Blue Pacific Grill, a really unique stir fry restaurant located at the Levis Commons. I would highly suggest this place for anyone looking for a cool place to eat in Perrysburg. You should also check out Fort Meigs, a battlefield fortification along the Maunee River during the war of 1812.

With the groom, my longtime friend!