To Do in Downtown Toledo: Destinations
Welcome to downtown Toledo, where there’s always something to do. We provide many opportunities for visiting famous institutions, as well as enjoying first class entertainment and education. Whether a first time visitor or a resident, there is something for everyone!
Toledo’s Science Center, Imagination Station, is the region’s resource in interactive Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. “When you enter the doors of Imagination Station, you will experience hundreds of interactive exhibits, activities and demonstrations that teach vital science concepts.” Exhibits coming in 2022: Beyond Human Limits and Game Changers
“The Valentine Theatre is a nearly 125-year-old 901-seat facility operated by the Toledo Cultural Arts Center, Inc.” The theatre showcases a variety of performances from various groups such as the Toledo Opera, Toledo Ballet, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, touring Broadway shows, silver screen classics and so much more. Upcoming 2022 shows include: Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, Beautiful the Carole King Musical, Jersey Boys, The Choir of man, Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience! A Parody, The British Invasion, Ten Tenors Love is in the Air, Black Violin and more.
The Toledo Repertoire Theatre offers several programs for the arts community. In addition to running a mainstage season, as well as an annual holiday performance of A Christmas Carol, the Toledo Rep also offers a wide variety of programming for children with three sessions of Saturday morning theatre classes throughout the year as well as three weeks of summer camp. Upcoming 2022 shows include: The Legend of Georgia McBride, Our Town/Middletown, American Son and In the Heights.
“Since our founding in 1901, the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) has earned a global reputation for the quality of our collection, our innovative and extensive education programs, and our architecturally significant campus. More than 30,000 works of art represent American and European painting, the history of art in glass, ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works, Asian and African art, medieval art, sculpture, decorative arts, graphic arts, and modern and contemporary art.” In addition to the main building, the TMA campus includes the Peristyle Theatre and the Glass Pavilion. The Peristyle, a 1,750-seat concert hall, is the principal concert space for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, as well as many special concerts and events.
Located right on the banks of the Maumee River, the National Museum of the Great Lakes preserves and makes known the history of the Great Lakes with photographs, artifacts, interactive exhibits, a 617-foot iron ore freighter and a historic tug. In addition to permanent displays, the museum also has a speaker series and plenty of family oriented activities like Boo on the Boat (trick or treating on the museum ships) and the Christmas Tree Ship (Christmas trees delivered on a tug, led by Santa).
“The Toledo History Museum (THM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of the Toledo, Ohio area. THM collaborates in this ongoing effort with other historical organizations to operate a museum to display archival documents and artifacts in permanent and rotating exhibits, and present public programming focused on our area's rich history.” The Toledo History Museum is conveniently located inside the Valentine Theatre.
Fast-paced, high energy action is what you’ll get when you attend a Toledo Walleye hockey game. The Walleye play in the ECHL, a mid-level professional ice hockey league, with an affiliation with the Detroit Red Wings. Walleye fans are in a for a treat, of the 36 home games this season, 35 will be played on Fridays (11), Saturdays (11) and Sundays (13).
Batter up! The world-famous Toledo Mud Hens are stepping up to the plate to show you a great time. The Triple-A team with an affiliation with the Detroit Tigers have played in downtown since 2002 at Fifth Third Field. While once named the Toledo Blue Stockings, the first African American man to play major league baseball, Moses Fleetwood Walker, played 42 games with the team in 1884. Opening Day is April 5, 2022.
If there’s one place any Toledoan will tell a visitor to eat, it’s Tony Packo’s. Tony Packo's has been serving authentic Hungarian food since 1932. You can get their Sweet Hot Pickles and signature Packo's Chili Hot Dog at Packo’s at the Park or take the quick drive across the river to the original Tony Packo’s location. Many people know of Tony Packo’s from Corporal Maxwell Klinger’s character, played by Toledo-native Jamie Farr, on the TV show M*A*S*H.
We love spending our summers outside! Every Thursday, Levis Square Park activates into a lunch-time concert. With live music in the park, food trucks lining the street, and plenty of restaurants open nearby for take-out, all are invited to come out for some summer fun.
Concerts in Levis Square Park aren’t just for lunch time. Levis Under the Lights is a pop-up concert series that takes place whenever the weather allows or ahead of events at the Huntington Center or Promenade Park. Grab a friend, dinner and drinks and join us for a concert in the park.
Movie Nights
During the summers, ProMedica sponsors free Movie Nights in Promenade Park. These movies alternate between family movie nights aimed at young children, and throwback movie nights aimed at adults.
Friday nights are for jamming! In addition to the Movie Nights, ProMedica also hosts the Promenade Summer Concert Series. Past concerts include artists, OAR, Bret Michaels and Diana Ross.
Take in views of downtown, Toledo and Lake Erie on the Maumee River from aboard the Sandpiper. The Sandpiper is a 100-passenger cruise vessel that is available for public and private cruises from May through October. Some of the most popular cruises include, Picnic Lunch Cruise, Sunset Cruise and City Lights, 4th of July Fireworks Cruise, Fall Color Cruise and Halloween Boo! Cruise.
The Art Deco Main Library building reopened after a renovation in 2019. The café and gift shop were moved and updated, and other additions include a community room, recording and editing studio, gaming station, and teaching spaces. There has also been a major expansion to the children’s library, including a Nancy Drew collection, a school readiness room, and a mystery wall. The Creativity Lab: The Susan M. Savage Family Place includes a full kitchen with video screen displays and ample room to work on crafts, science projects, and other activities. There are a variety of events and classes available for all ages and interests.
Downtown Toledo is ready to welcome you. Join the 3 million annual visitors who know: Toledo is a destination!
