# Toledo, OH area- need ideas



## Jeni (Jun 4, 2008)

Hi all-

I always get such great advice from TUG folks, so I hope you can assist with our vacation planning for 2009. Our son will be the ringbearer in a wedding at the end of July 2009. We are considering making a road trip and vacation out of this. We'll be in the Toledo, OH area for 3 or 4 days, but since we've never been to Michigan/the Great Lakes region, we thought we'd look into a lake vacation, that isn't too far from Toledo.

What suggestions to do have for possible trades, or hotels, resorts, rentals? We'd be looking to swim, enjoy the beach, etc. Thanks!

Jeni


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## jerseygirl (Jun 4, 2008)

Short drive:

Put-in-bay is a lot of fun.  There are a lot of websites if you google it, but here's one that lists many of the attractions:

http://www.put-in-bay.com/attractions.html

If you like amusement parks, you'll *love * Cedar Point.  There are several onsite hotels to choose from:

http://www.cedarpoint.com/

Long drive:

Michigan's Upper Pennisula is great in the summer.


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## Pit (Jun 4, 2008)

Educational, but very worthwhile, is a day at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.

http://www.thehenryford.org/

Also noteworthy, the Henry Ford Estate...
http://www.henryfordestate.org/


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## freewheelin01 (Jun 5, 2008)

There's also a great waterpark in Sandusky near Cedar Point (less than an hour from Toledo) - Kalahari Resort - they have a website: kalahariresort.com. Lots of fun for kids and adults!


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## Twinkstarr (Jun 5, 2008)

I'm a native of the area and don't miss the Toledo Zoo. Very well funded and continues to grow and add updated areas for the animals. Highlights include our 5 yr old elephant who was born to one of the Zoo's females(talks of trying for #2). New areas include a savannah for the African animals and a great areas for viewing the polar bears. Very reasonable admission prices.

Also if the Mud Hens are in town, go down to Fifth Third field and see the baseball team made famous by Jamie Farr in MASH. Along those lines head over to Tony Packo's for Hungarian food, especially the hot dogs and pickes/peppers.

The Toledo Metro Parks are great too!


As Jerseygirl mentioned if you have the time head up to Northern Michigan. Sleeping Bear Dunes in Leelanau(sp?) county is one of our favorites. Glen Arbor is the main city. We've stayed up at the Homestead(which trades in RCI), but you can rent by the day.


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## nodge (Jun 5, 2008)

*I vote for Greenfield Village and Mackinac Island*

I grew up in Michigan, and we vacation there regularly.  

Just about every year in grade school, they would drag us to "Greenfield Village" outside of Detroit (which is very close to Toledo):

All I remember about it now is that they (use to - don't know if they still do) have these cool bent miniature railroad spike rings for sale that they would make for you on the spot in the blacksmith shop, and that the pews in the old church are really small “because people were smaller back then.”

Basically, in Henry Ford’s day super rich people didn’t buy sports teams to show everyone how rich they were.  Instead, they bought quasi-famous buildings (like Noah Webster’s house where he wrote his first dictionary, the Wright brother’s original bicycle shop, and Thomas Edison’s laboratory where he invented the lightbulb), and moved them from their various places throughout the US to the rich guy’s back yard in Michigan.  Henry Ford was really into it, and he collected a ton of quasi-famous buildings to show off to his friends.  They are now all on display in “Greenfield Village.”

It is a pretty cool place, but to a grade-schooler like me, I missed the memo on the fact that all of these buildings were shipped in from someplace else.  So I spent a good portion of my childhood actually thinking that Noah Webster, Thomas Edison, The Wright Brothers, and Henry Ford all lived in that little neighborhood while they were doing their thing.  

Thomas Edison:  “How was your day at work today Henry?”

Henry Ford:  “Well, I perfected the assembly line thereby making automobiles cheap enough for the common folk.  How about you Thomas?” 

Thomas Edison:   “Well, I’ve almost perfected my lightbulb, and I filed 3 more patent applications today.”

Henry Ford: “Hey great!  What’dya say we grab Orville and Wilbur and all go over to the concession stand for a couple of hot dogs?”

Ah, life was much more simple back then.  

If you have the time, Greenfield Village is worth seeing, and you can also check out Henry Ford’s car collection next door at "The Henry Ford Museum." (FWIW, I only remember that the car that JFK was riding in when he was assassinated is on display, and that they added a hard-top to it since the assassination.)

Along the same lines, if you do go to northern Michigan, I highly recommend a day on Mackinac Island (Pronounced -  MACK-IN-NAW; which I think when translated means roughly "Smells of fudge, waffle cones and horse manure").  It is a small island between the upper and lower peninsula’s of Michigan where cars are prohibited.  So mail is delivered by horse-drawn carriage, and the taxis are all horse drawn carriages, etc.  

You can rent bikes and ride around the island.  Buy fudge. Eat a “white fish” sandwich (and wonder what exactly is a "white fish" anyway).  Tour a fort built to protect Michigan from French Canadians or maybe the Spanish or possibly the metric system (no one really seems to know or care -- but shhh don't tell anyone . . . it was actually built by the British during the American Revolution to defend against the rebels (a/k/a us Americans).  Sit in a rocking chair on the "Grand Hotel's" massive front porch (but not go inside because you’re not dressed appropriately because you've been hoofing it around the island all day for heaven's sake, and who is going to bring their Church clothes just to get a looksee inside a hotel lobby anyway?) and look at the pool built specifically for Esther Williams (who filmed a movie there in 1946, but I recall being told that she never actually swam in it).  The works!

Enjoy!

-nodge

Toledo fun fact:

Remember to impress the people you are visiting in Toledo with this fun fact.  

Ohio and Michigan both pressed for statehood around the same time (around mid 1830's or so).  Because of conflicting “official” maps and varying interpretations of the geography of the region, both Michigan and Ohio claimed the same small area that included Toledo.  

A dispute broke-out in Congress that required President Andrew Jackson to intervene.  Ohio, which had already been admitted to the Union, held-up Michigan's admittance because of this dispute.  Hurting financially by being excluded from joining the Union, Michigan eventually gave up its claim to Toledo.  In consolation, Congress threw Michigan a bone.  That bone?   The Upper Peninsula!   Now THAT’s trading power.  -n


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## jerseygirl (Jun 5, 2008)

I drove through Toledo today -- can we give it back?


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## nodge (Jun 6, 2008)

jerseygirl said:


> I drove through Toledo today -- can we give it back?



:rofl: 

I don't know what you're talking about.  John Denver liked Toledo so much that he "spent a week there one day."

-nodge


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## MULTIZ321 (Jun 6, 2008)

Nodge,

Thanks for that bit of interesting history about Toledo and the Upper Penninsula of Michigan.

Amazing what one can learn on Tug!


Richard


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## Jeni (Jun 9, 2008)

jerseygirl said:


> Short drive:
> 
> Put-in-bay is a lot of fun.  There are a lot of websites if you google it, but here's one that lists many of the attractions:
> 
> ...



Are there swimming beaches in Put-in-Bay, or is it too cold?


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## MULTIZ321 (Jun 9, 2008)

Jeni,

There are two public beaches on Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island). One is in the village next to Perry's International Peace Memorial and Monument. The other is a pebble-rock beach at South Bass Island State Park.

Depends on time of year you're there whether you'll want to try to swim in Lake Erie.

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

South Bass Island State Park


Richard


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## nodge (Jun 15, 2008)

*A little more fun Ohio history*



MULTIZ321 said:


> Thanks for that bit of interesting history about Toledo and the Upper Penninsula of Michigan.



A little more Ohio history

I’ll bet that most folks from Ohio already know that Michigan traded it’s claim to Toledo for the upper peninsula, but ask them this question to truly test their knowledge of their state:

When was Ohio admitted to the Union?

A.  April 30, 1802 (The date US Congress approved the State Enabling Act which allowed Ohio to seek admission to the Union upon providing Congress with a state constitution)

B.  Nov. 29, 1802 (the date Ohio’s Constitutional Convention completed its work on that state constitution.)

C.	February 19, 1803 (the date Congress extended federal laws to Ohio)

D.  March 1, 1803 (the date Congress’ first general assembly convened after Ohio submitted its constitution in compliance with the State Enabling Act); or

E.  August 7, 1953 (The date Congress figured out that despite doing this for all other states admitted since the original 13 colonies, it had never actually issued a formal declaration of statehood for Ohio, so it finally issued Ohio’s declaration of Statehood.) 

Who cares you ask?  

Well if (E) is the answer, plenty of people.  You see the U.S. Constitution requires that all U.S. Presidents be "natural-born" U.S. citizens.  Ohio is known at the “Mother of Presidents” with 8 US presidents (William H. Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft and Warren G. Harding) all born in the land that is “HI” in the middle and round on both ends: O-HI-O.

If OHIO wasn’t admitted to the Union until 1953, then none of these 8 presidents were "natural-born" US citizens at the time of their presidencies.  Therefore, their service as US presidents was in violation of our US Constitution.  

To attempt to solve this Constitutional crisis, Congress made its 1953 declaration retroactive back to 1803.  But some legal scholars, with pretty much nothing better to do anyway, challenge the legitimacy of this retroactive attempt to fix things by Congress.  

So where does all of this leave our US Constitution and the legitimacy of the US Presidency?   If Ohio’s presidents were all deemed legitimate, than Ohio has paved the way to the only logical conclusion . . .

"Ahh-nold" 2012!

-nodge 

(Yes, I’m joking.  Here is a link to the Ohio admission date controversy issue.  There is also an article about it in this month’s Southwest Airlines in-flight magazine.)


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## Jeni (Jun 16, 2008)

nodge said:


> ...Along the same lines, if you do go to northern Michigan, I highly recommend a day on Mackinac Island (Pronounced -  MACK-IN-NAW; which I think when translated means roughly "Smells of fudge, waffle cones and horse manure").  It is a small island between the upper and lower peninsula’s of Michigan where cars are prohibited.  So mail is delivered by horse-drawn carriage, and the taxis are all horse drawn carriages, etc.
> 
> You can rent bikes and ride around the island.  Buy fudge. Eat a “white fish” sandwich (and wonder what exactly is a "white fish" anyway).  Tour a fort built to protect Michigan from French Canadians or maybe the Spanish or possibly the metric system (no one really seems to know or care -- but shhh don't tell anyone . . . it was actually built by the British during the American Revolution to defend against the rebels (a/k/a us Americans).  Sit in a rocking chair on the "Grand Hotel's" massive front porch (but not go inside because you’re not dressed appropriately because you've been hoofing it around the island all day for heaven's sake, and who is going to bring their Church clothes just to get a looksee inside a hotel lobby anyway?) and look at the pool built specifically for Esther Williams (who filmed a movie there in 1946, but I recall being told that she never actually swam in it).  The works!
> 
> ...




Hey Nodge-

Thanks for all of the information. We figure the ferry to Mackinac Island is about a 5 hour drive from Toledo. We are now considering spending a week on the island for vacation, but have some questions, since we've never visited this part of the country...

1. Where do you leave your car while vacationing on the island? Is there a secured/partolled area? Cost?

2. Where can one stay that is nice, family friendly, and clean (like Marriott or Hilton brands), but will not break the bank. The Grand Hotel is definitely out for us!

3. When disembarking the ferry, how does one get all of the luggage to the where he/she is lodging?

4. How does one get around the island? Are golf carts rented?

Thanks for the advice-

Jeni


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## Twinkstarr (Jun 16, 2008)

Jeni said:


> Hey Nodge-
> 
> Thanks for all of the information. We figure the ferry to Mackinac Island is about a 5 hour drive from Toledo. We are now considering spending a week on the island for vacation, but have some questions, since we've never visited this part of the country...
> 
> ...



There are not any name brand hotels on the island, if you don't want to break the bank stay in Mackinac City. I had a friend get married at the Grand about 10 yrs ago we just stayed the night of the wedding at the Grand and the rest of the time in MC. Even with the group discount it was pricey. It was during a heat wave, record temps and the Grand doesn't have AC. 

 The hotels on the island send a valet with a cart to get your luggage to the hotel. 

As for getting around, bikes. I don't remember seeing any golf carts. Bikes, walking and getting on a horse carriage seem to be the main ways of getting around. 

We've done split stays up north, few days in Mackinac City then over to Glen Arbor. I love Glen Arbor but about 4 days and I need to move on, same could be said about Mackinac IMHO.


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## nodge (Jun 16, 2008)

Jeni said:


> We are now considering spending a week on the island for vacation,  . . . Jeni



Hi Jeni,

Please, please, please spend some money in Michigan!  

I was visiting my parents in Lansing a couple of weeks ago, and the only thing letting you know that it use to have one of the largest General Motors car assembly plants in the world is the name of the freeway (“Olds Freeway”) running through town.  The actual plant site is now completely leveled, cleared, vacant and waiting for something new that will likely never come its way.  Very sad.

Regarding your questions, a week is way-way-way too long to spend on Mackinac Island.  Most Michiganders make it a day trip.  We did do an overnight there once, which was plenty to time to see and do everything on the island.

If you want to do northern Michigan like a true Michigander, you set-up shop for a week at a nice lakeside cottage or condo somewhere (like on Lake Charlevoix, or in Glen Arbor (“The Homestead”), or that Indian owned fancy-pants resort in Acme next to a casino (Grand Traverse Lodge?), or someplace beach-front in Traverse City, or Houghton Lake or Higgins Lake, or Crystal Lake, etc.)  The place should be beach front and have a “sandy beach” (which you have to specifically ask about when renting less you be surprised with a beach full of weeds, rocks, mud, muck and the like).  If possible, you should have access to jet skis and/or a ski boat and/or a “beer scow” (pontoon boat), and of course one of those “sunfish” sail boats or a row boat.  

From this base of operations, you then take day trips to 1)  Mackinac Island; 2) Sleeping Bear Sand dunes (anyone else remember the "Mack Woods Dune Rides?"; 3) Petoskey (to look for Petoskey Stones); and 4) a “deep sea” fishing trip on Lake Michigan.   

B-List northern Michigan tourist traps include visiting that giant cross that the truly faithful are supposed to walk up the stairs leading to it on their knees, mini-golf, finding places where Earnest Hemmingway is said to have stayed, and the Soo-Locks (I know I may get guff from fellow Michiganders on this last one, but yes, the Soo-Locks have fallen to a B-list item in my book).

While not present when I was growing up, most of northern Michigan now has a ton these nasty biting flies.  I’m not sure how to defend against them.  On the plus side, also not present when I was growing up, but now everywhere in northern Michigan are lightening bugs/fire flies.  Mosquitoes are the unofficial state bird of northern Michigan so bring plenty of repellent.  (TIP:  You can repel mosquitoes just as easily by placing a fresh smelly “BOUNCE” dryer sheet in your pocket at dusk (when the mosquitoes come out).

True Story:  My wife, who had never been to northern Michigan, wanted to drive from the Traverse City airport to our rented cottage on Lake Charlevoix on her first visit.  We arrived at night and shortly after driving she said, and I quote “it is raining pretty hard out there.”  It was a beautiful, cloud free night.  What she thought was the sound of rain hitting our windshield was actually the sound of thousands of bugs splatting against it as she drove.  She learned the truth when she turned on her wipers and smeared ‘em all so we couldn’t see a darned thing.  Welcome to northern Michigan!

Now to your specific questions:

1.  The ferry companies all have secure and unsecure lots to park your car.  I don’t recall the prices, but they were reasonable and maybe even free.  As I recall, if you are staying overnight on the island, you are automatically routed to a secure lot when you enter the ferry parking area..

2.  We have stayed at "Mission Point Resort" on the island.  It has a main hotel and then a few old dormitory buildings next to it.  As I recall, the rooms in the dormitory all have private baths, but are pretty rough and certainly did not have any air conditioning.  We didn’t know it at the time of booking, but we soon learned that we got a dorm room.   It was fine for the night we were there, but certainly not for a whole week.  

3.  All of the hotels include free luggage transport from the ferry terminal and in cases where your hotel isn’t adjacent to the ferry terminal, free horse-drawn taxi service to your hotel.  When you buy your ferry tickets you tell them where you are staying.  The ticket agent will give you luggage tags for your particular hotel, and your luggage will just show up at your hotel on the island complete with a porter holding his hand out.

4.  There are absolutely no self-propelled vehicles permitted on Mackinac Island (expect maybe for construction equipment needed to build a new fudge store, and disabled folks using their electric scooters).  Even UPS makes its daily deliveries via horse drawn carriage.  You can get anywhere on the island by walking.  Bikes can be rented on the island by the hour, day, or week, and there are horse drawn carriage “taxis” available.

One of the first things you’ll notice on an island with so many horse drawn carriages is that it must have really, really stunk in big cities before cars were invented.  Virtually all of the candid photos I have of my kids in the downtown portion of Mackinac Island include them covering their noses from the stench created by the pools of stagnant horse urine flooding the streets.  When you think of olden times, you often forget how badly things must have smelled.  Good, bad, or smelly, Mackinac Island gives you the full picture.

Have Fun!

-nodge


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