The Black Swamp Arts Festival is usually held every Labor Day Weekend in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio, which is just twenty miles south of Toledo. This is a celebration of many forms of art as well as the people who create it. The underlying purpose of this multifaceted event is to ultimately connect these talented artisans and creators with other artists as well as the public who are given the chance to purchase many of the paintings, sculptures and other pieces on display over the course of this three-day event. There is also live music, food and plenty of family-friendly activities that practically guarantee a splendid time for all.
The whole family will go wild for the wildlife that you will encounter at the Toledo Zoo. The attraction has the distinction of being the country's most complete zoo, meaning that the animals that are kept here in their natural habitats most represent the many species found in the natural environment. See favorites like hippos, giraffes, polar bears, tigers, lions, monkeys and many more. There are also various seasonal events held here as well as an impressive summer concert series.
The Toledo Botanical Garden is a benchmark against which similar gardens are measured throughout the country, and with good reason. This is considered to be one of the pioneering gardens because of its dramatically beautiful visual and natural presentation. Fragrant meadows of sunflowers and wildflowers, rose gardens, herb gardens and sharply manicured walkways make spending time here something special for the entire family. Also, the kids will especially love visiting the recreated pioneer garden which many consider to be one of the site's main attractions.
Your sweet tooth won't have to wait too long to be satisfied when you pay a visit to Boyd's Retro Candy. Relive the thrill of what it was like to marvel at all the sweets in a candy shop, much like the ones you may remember from your childhood. Boyd's specializes in carrying sweet treats that you thought didn't exist anymore. Some of the popular retro varieties here include Flying Saucers and Curly Wurlies, just to name a couple. There are the old reliable ones like Good & Plenty and Juicy Fruits. This is one of those places where no matter what your age, you will feel like a kid again!