Beautiful park, well kept with nice walking paths. Wonderful views too! Give the park a try.read more

Side Cut is absolutely beautiful. It sits right along the river, and the scenery alone makes it…read moreworth the visit. There's plenty of parking and easy access throughout the park, which makes getting in and out a breeze. The playground is large and great for kids of all ages, and the paved walking paths along the river are peaceful, clean, and perfect for a relaxing stroll. Whether you're meeting up with family, getting some steps in, or just wanting a quiet spot to unwind, this park delivers. Highly recommend stopping by.

5+ One heads up -…read morethe Google maps address is incorrect for the park. I've submitted a location change request, but be aware that if you go to the Google maps location (as of 17 September 2020), you'll be beside the park rather than at the parking entrance. This is a beautiful farm park we happened upon while driving through Ohio on I-80. We highly recommend a stop and walk. There's Hügelkultur gardening! Nigerian goats! Beautiful trails! A stream! There are even bees! The bees are kept in a delightfully colorful apiary. So cute. I posted a photo. The bees were happily buzzing away on the chilly Fall day at happened in. We also took a trail to walk to the creek bank. It's a small, easy stream. The view of it from the balcony near the restrooms was relaxing and peaceful. As a bonus, if you're traveling through on the Interstate, it's a short detour and the bathrooms are impeccably clean. The nature center wasn't open (not sure why), but we didn't care. It was such a delight to find such a beautifully kept park that we didn't need to go inside a building.

Pros: -------- Free…read more Good For Photos Six miles of trail for hiking, including A 1,300-foot--about a quarter mile--boardwalk. (Bicycles are not permitted) More than six miles of permanent, deep-water channel for kayaking on the three marsh units. Restrooms Available. Fishing permitted. State licensing requirements apply.

Maumee Bay Kayak is a small business that will bring kayaks to you (look them up!). There's also a…read morelocker where you can download an app to rent a kayak from Toledo Metro Parks. We saw a few folks walking dogs, on their own, and birding. One boat out for fishing. Metro Parks vehicle drove by, too. Really pleasant June morning. Recommended if you are in the area and need a dose of nature.

Love Wildlife Refuges and Ottawa NWR is a prime example of why. Super nice Visitor Center with…read morefriendly Staff. Nice gift shop with a nice selection of items. Very clean restrooms and plenty of parking. Nice displays and things to see, especially one room that I would love to have. A Wildlife drive is available. This will be a stop everytime I am in the area.

I highly recommend the Eagle Tours; free you just need to make a reservation…read more A great refuge with ample walking trails. So much nature to see, any and every type of wildlife in out short time we saw 7 Eagles, possum, trumpet swans and numerous other water fowl. During the tour the mini bus takes you on roads normally only for foot traffic. There are two large beaver damns. Such a treat!

Pretty lil place to stop and watch the Canadian geese . Play ground for kids . Beach access . Nice…read morerestrooms.

My great grandma's house is the last one on the road before you get to the park so I came here a…read morelot as a child. It's a good place to come and look at the water and eat your ice cream from tofts when you're in the area. Has a little jungle gym and stuff for the kids to play on, grills and shelter houses to have a picnic. Your basic park set up.

Maumee Bay State Park is arguably the Crown Jewell of Ohio State Parks…read more What might be more delightful than lunch at Water's Edge. We observed years ago that the restaurant should have been developed as a second floor property to properly view Lake Erie. Let's hope that renovations are in order... Soon. Meanwhile a first rate decorator may do wonders with this restaurant. The Lodge and State Park merit multiple visits. Caveat: Lodge is recommended over cabins - Actual Lake Erie views. Several years ago, our Scottish Terrier accompanied us to a cabin, and found mice is walls - she kept us up all night. Maumee Bay State Park is in a well- developed area, and there are numerous attractions. Lots to like....

Very nice Visitor Center with plenty of parking and the starting point for a well designed &…read moremaintained boardwalk. Inside Visitor Center were displays & hand-on exhibits for young & old alike. Friendly Staff made it a great stop with clean restrooms. I loved the viewing area of feeders in the back of Center with lots of visiting local wildlife. The Boardwalk provides opportunities to view the wild in the wild. Great spot to start your day at a beautiful park.

We drove up for the Martina McBride show Friday night and were able to park for $5 a few blocks…read moreaway. It is an interesting (in a good way) venue for a concert - it's pretty large and there are different levels on which to sit (if you bring chairs or blankets). The stage was set up by the river and there was a large screen on a building at street level so everyone could enjoy the show if you didn't have a prize spot. We actually planted our chairs close to the stage, but were not able to see the acts well. The video screen was in perfect view though. The street level part of the park has extra seating and many people put their chairs and blankets down on the grass there. They weren't close to the stage, but again, the screen provided a great view of the show. There were some minor annoyances that I don't think were the venue's responsibilites (lack of porta potties and too few & underequipped food trucks). The event seemed well-organized at the gates and with beer & alcohol sales. Security was walking around assisting with seating (those who put chairs in walkways were politely told why they couldn't sit there). I would return for a concert. It was a fun time, being a beautiful night in downtown Toledo, with boats on the river.

Beautiful riverfront park, especially with the Christmas lights up. Great for a short walk with the…read moredogs while staying at the Renaissance Hotel nearby.

An amazing preserve that is well taken care of. Wildlife abound! If bringing dogs make sure they…read moreare use to them! Saw 7 deer in the matter of an hour.

St Johns Nature Preserve is one of my favorite hidden gems in Bowling Green, Ohio. You can rent…read moreone of the building spaces for meetings, etc. However, my favorite part of this place is the different trails you can take. Some longer trails have picnic benches and other seating areas along the way. I used to come here with my dog quite a bit. The staff that work here are friendly and even gave my pup doggy treats when they saw her. It's also fantastic here because they have doggy bags at different stations throughout the area to keep this place clean. You'll see birds and deers throughout the nature preserve. I've also seen a lot of people take their graduation pictures because of this place's natural beauty. Over the years, I've seen that this place has done a great job of being educational with a lot of interactive activities (information about snakes, nets for observing fish, etc.). Whenever I'm in the area, this is the one place I always need to visit. Pros: -Free to enter -Free parking -Different trails -Well-maintained -Good for dogs -Educational -Beautiful all seasons Cons: -Depending on the time of the year, the mosquitos can be fierce! So don't forget to bring some repellent!

Things to do along I-75 N/S to and from the Detroit area (2 of 2)…read more I had to slow down the clock and spend a little time here. The real destination was Detroit. That said, I had coffee at one place, ate a meat loaf lunch at another, pawed the car windows and did some test sitting at a few dealerships, drove around the University of Toledo campus (which I didn't know is a very good school for STEM disciplines), and put the cherry on top of these few hours by visiting the Toledo Botanical Garden. I walked the garden and took photos. It was warm and humid, so I didn't really relax and sit a spell. Like many public gardens, the Toledo Botanical Garden, out toward the western end of the city, mixes up formal garden spaces with European cues and more organic spaces, meaning they are natural in affect and display very little rigid planning. I was fairly amazed how, as you moved along, these different vistas came into view. Everything was cohesively put together and you could enjoy the different environments they've curated for you. The Toledo Botanical Garden is part of the city metro park system, which I learned from other reviews. Thus, being under this umbrella might mean that the park is free of charge ... and it is! For this aspect and for delivering more than I had expected, having pulled it from a "top things to do" list, I believe the Toledo Botanical Garden handily earns 5 stars.

A great place to come to get away from city spaces. Plenty of routes to walk around and take in the…read moregardens, sculptures, and art. There are some events that go on here in the evening, so would love to come back and experience one of those. Also, looks like you can take art classes here!