Destination - TOLEDO: Family Staycation
Jessica Wagner
Mini Spring Break Adventures Around Toledo
Who else could use a break?! Even a mini one! This year instead of going somewhere for spring break we decided to enjoy a weekend family staycation, right here in our hometown of Toledo, Ohio.
Destination Toledo graciously prepared a fun-filled weekend in the 419 with a little something for everyone to enjoy. You can check them out at VisitToleod.org to plan your visit!
We are a family of 4, my husband Rob, my son Noah 11, and my daughter Coco 7. The kids don’t always agree on what’s a fun time, but Destination Toledo pulled through and had all of us raving about our new discoveries by the end of the weekend.
We raced cars at the new video arcade, flexed our creative muscles making glass art, dipped our own European-style chocolates, enjoyed 5-star dining, and ventured downtown to enjoy the scenic river views, metro parks, and historic sights.
If you are looking to try something new in Toledo, or are planning a visit, here is a snapshot of our activity-filled weekend in the Glass City highlighting some of the best Toledo has to offer.
ART: Copper Moon Studios
We started off with an afternoon of arts and crafts creating our own glass artwork at Copper Moon Studios. This amazing art studio not only accommodates small groups but has multiple options for hosting glass-making celebrations. Noah and Coco loved getting to choose their base and creating their fused glass masterpeice with chips and pieces of mosaic-like glass. The process was relaxing and got us all to use our left brain.
It’s take a week before you can pick up the final product, as each piece needs to be fired in the kiln. The experience, the memory-making, plus walking away artwork we will treasure for years to come made this experience a 10/10! Coco is our artist, and while we all love to create she was already asking when we can go back. Coco made a baby Yoda wall hanging, Noah made a taco food plate, and Rob and I did a rainbow moon flower for our backyard garden
HOTEL: Hilton Garden Inn (Toledo / Perrysburg)
After getting crafty it was time to check into our hotel. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Levis Commons and enjoyed a quick snack of complimentary fruit and cheese (and someone had a tall, lovely, glass of wine…)
While Rob and I have many years of travel under our belts, the kids have only stayed in hotels a small handful of times, so this experience felt new and exciting. Coco kept calling our room “the apartment.” Haha, so cute. The hotel staff was wonderfully accommodating and our room was spacious and impeccably clean.
The hotel is located in The Town Center at Levis Commons, full of restaurants, salons, shops, and a scenic fountain green area to run around full of twinkle lights at night.
SWEET TREATS: Taste of Heaven Chocolates
Our first stop was to the sweet shop Taste of Heaven Chocolates to make our own chocolate confections and dip fresh strawberries. This female owned business is a great option for unique and gourmet treats or gifts! Plus they have ice cream - we are always on the look out for ice cream in our family. The chocolate making experience was a big hit with both of our kids!
VIDEO GAMES / BAR: Draftcade Toledo
Across from the Hilton hotel is the new Draftcade Toledo, a retro video arcade sports bar and restaurant. With a wristband, you get unlimited game play. The kids loved the Pin-Ball Machines and I kicked ass, as I had a PinBall machine growing up. It really was fun and full of nostalgia - these were all games us 80s babies remember. Noah is a big gamer, and loved getting try all the old arcade classics. We found a 4-player spider man game for all of us to play at once. This was Noah’s favorite activity! Rob and I enjoyed a drink, and I proceeded to play PACMAN to my hearts delights. Kids are only allowed in before 7pm, but this is seriously a great option for all ages. We can’t wait to go back with friends.
ITALIAN FOOD: Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano
Dinner reservations at Biaggi’s were for 6pm, and we ate like kings! It’s been a long pandemic over here folks. This was only our second time eating out at a restaurant and it felt wonderful to sit back and be taken care of. The service was supreme and the food was even better. Highly recommend for a place to celebrate, even if you are celebrating nothing special. As for the menu, if you like Italian you can’t go wrong. I loved my shrimp and the kids and Rob all ate every last bite. This was also a highlight for our 11 year old who is such a foodie and ordered off the seafood menu!
SHOPS: The Town Center at Levis Commons
After dinner we had enough time to explore the shops and made a stop at Books-a-Million. We let each of the kids pick out a new book to read back at the hotel and grabbed a quick after dinner latte.
We did get a bit of rain, and shops close at 8, so to the “apartment” :) we went, to snack on our handmade treats, snuggle up with our new books, and to watch some cable tv - lol - a novelty to the kids!
HOTEL EATS / POOL: Hilton Garden Inn
The next morning, we headed to the main floor for an amazing Hilton breakfast. The menu had all you classic breakfast options and we ate up fast to squeeze in a refreshing morning swim in the hotel pool. Breakfast was delicious and the service was quick. With the kids up a 7am, this gave us the copious amount of coffee and the nutrients we would need to keep up. The hotel pool being open was a stroke of luck! This was the first weekend it was available for use again. We swam until check out, packed up and headed to Downtown Perrysburg.
DOWNTOWN PERRYSBURG / COFFEE: Maddie & Bella
We still had some rain, so we did a quick walk through Downtown Perrysburg and stopped for a second round of coffee for mom and dad. The kids were honesty on their best behavior - or just excited to all be out doing something, so we allowed a little treat. My go-to spot is Maddie and Bella and I love the iced honeybee - just sweet enough to feel like a real treat! The kids each got a pastry before we went to see the sights in Downtown Toledo.
BRUNCH WITH A VIEW: The Heights
The kids have never seen the birds-eye-view of Toledo, so off to The Heights restaurant on the 12 floor of the Renaissance Hotel, perfect for a late day rooftop brunch. We made reservations and kids are now allowed in the restaurant. Overlooking the city and the Maumee river, The Heights has a modern relaxed vibe. The kids asked for dessert - and it being a special “yes” weekend - we allowed it. Chocolate lava cake it was! But don’t be fooled, they also ate half of mine and Robs plates. We did eggs Benedict and Bloody Marys. The atmosphere was great and although we had some drizzles and clouds, the excitement of the view and yummy eats was not lost. With full happy bellies we headed towards the river for a little museum visit next.
PARKS / MUSEUM: National Museum of The Great Lakes
We had panned to spend some time outside around the Glass City Metropark, but a rainstorm blew in, so we went inside the National Museum of the Great Lakes for a little history. This place was so cool! Lost of interactive exhibits, and historic displays full of fascinating facts and history to be learned. We have spent our whole lives in, on, and around the lakes, and never knew what a rich history our Toledo area specifically played in shaping our current world. I loved seeing the shipwrecks, the “vintage” memorabilia, the works of art, old photographs, and stories about our own magical freshwater part of the word. We can’t wait to bring our families back with us for another visit.
The entire Destination Toledo weekend had activities that the whole family loved, fun every age can enjoy!
I have a video highlight from our stay on my Instagram, you can check it out HERE. I am also happy to answer any questions or make recommendations if you are thinking about planning a weekend staycation or are visiting the ever charming city of Toledo.
Make Toledo your next destination!