Hello everyone,

My wife and I just booked our flights from Boston to Detroit for the UNH vs. Toledo football game on Sep. 1. We are flying in early on Sep. 1 and leaving on the afternoon of Sep. 2, so we need to really make the best of our time in Toledo. We are leaving our two (under two) kids at home so we want to have a really fun day/night in Toledo.

A few questions for the Rocket faithful:

1. What is the best place to stay downtown. We want to be within walking distance of nighttime activities.

2. What are the "must see's" in Toledo in terms of sightseeing and activities?

3. What are the "must eats" in Toledo

4. What is the tailgating situation like? Any rules, regulations, (i.e. start time, finish time, glass prohibited etc.) that we should be aware of?

5. What are the best places to go out after the game on Thursday night. We are in our late 20's and are looking to enjoy our time without the kiddos.

Thanks in advance for any info you may provide.

(04-07-2011 01:17 PM)UNHWildcats05 Wrote:  Hello everyone,

My wife and I just booked our flights from Boston to Detroit for the UNH vs. Toledo football game on Sep. 1. We are flying in early on Sep. 1 and leaving on the afternoon of Sep. 2, so we need to really make the best of our time in Toledo. We are leaving our two (under two) kids at home so we want to have a really fun day/night in Toledo.

A few questions for the Rocket faithful:

1. What is the best place to stay downtown. We want to be within walking distance of nighttime activities.

2. What are the "must see's" in Toledo in terms of sightseeing and activities?

3. What are the "must eats" in Toledo

4. What is the tailgating situation like? Any rules, regulations, (i.e. start time, finish time, glass prohibited etc.) that we should be aware of?

5. What are the best places to go out after the game on Thursday night. We are in our late 20's and are looking to enjoy our time without the kiddos.

Thanks in advance for any info you may provide.

1) Don't stay in Toledo so I don't know- night life isn't the greatest but I'm out of that scene so maybe others can speak to it.

2) Zoo is great, Toledo Museum of Art is one of the nation's best if you're into the culture thing. The University is pretty spectacular in its own right- for an urban setting college it is a stunner.

3) Well, the Original Tony PAcko's is a must if only for the tradition. Toledo is a big eating out town and there are a lot of solid choices. Beirut or Byblo's if you like Middle Eastern. Lots of Mexican places that are basically excuses to drink margies.

4) Check out Lot 10 for Rocket tailgates. You gotta see the JAmbulance-google it -one of the all-time great tailgate vehicles. Most visitors tailgate in the lots on the West side of campus (dorr Street). If you are driving you'll find Toledo is easy to get around in. The Glass Bowl is a beautiful old stadium with stone towers and walls and an updated look inside. Seats about 25,00 and visitors are usually in the northeast side.

5) I don't remember my late twenties so I'll let others respond here. Great to have you on and we welcome visitors. Hope your trip is fun and you get some nice respite from the little ones!

The best place to stay in town and not far from campus would be the Ramada (if it's still called that) on Secor Road near I-475.
As far as "night life" Arnie's (Secor), Chuck's (Monroe St.), Nick & Jimmy's (Monroe St.), & The Beer Stube (Monroe St.) are only a couple blocks away from the hotel. I would also suggest Mulvany's Bunker on Door Street. You will have to drive to all these places. There really isn't a nightclub type area in Toledo, except 2 or 3 places east of campus on Bancroft and the Dorr & Byrne intersection. But those are the college scene.

(04-07-2011 01:54 PM)Terry Wrote:  The best place to stay in town and not far from campus would be the Ramada (if it's still called that) on Secor Road near I-475.
As far as "night life" Arnie's (Secor), Chuck's (Monroe St.), Nick & Jimmy's (Monroe St.), & The Beer Stube (Monroe St.) are only a couple blocks away from the hotel. I would also suggest Mulvany's Bunker on Door Street. You will have to drive to all these places. There really isn't a nightclub type area in Toledo, except 2 or 3 places east of campus on Bancroft and the Dorr & Byrne intersection. But those are the college scene.

Has the East side dried up? Frankie's and those places? I don't get out much.

As we have mentioned before, maybe we should pin a permanent item on the message board for visiting fans.
Seems like a good idea.

(04-07-2011 02:11 PM)owen Wrote:  As we have mentioned before, maybe we should pin a permanent item on the message board for visiting fans.
Seems like a good idea.

That would be too easy. But its a great idea.

I always found the Docks on the Eastside to be a nice Date night type of area for couples when I lived in Toledo during my late 20's and out without the kids. Haven't been to Toledo in a few years, so not sure now if it is still the case.

Hey,

A couple ideas on what you like to do helps us give advice. Otherwise, we tell you what we like to do. You can actually do me a return. I'll be a spit from your this summer (Exeter) and could use some tips. Running parks/camping/ sea food, would be of some interest.

Toledo City Paper has a good overview of nightlife, which will be timely.

Our Downtown isn't so big that anywhere is far from anywhere else. It's not near campus though. If you'll be staying downtown, the place for jazz would be Murphy's. There are a few others around town will give good measure.

Dance Clubs downtown, I don't know much about.

If you're a bit harder, someone mentioned Frankie's on the Eastside, just across the bridge. Very organic, in the neighborhood kind of place. They bring in local and traveling bands. Hip Hop, Rock, whatever...

"Must Eats" Eastside again. I'm not biased, really I'm not. Tony Packos, the original. Again, organic and original. Visitors like the place so it's not just a local legend. There is one downtown but next time your watching M*A*S*H and they mention Tony Packos, you won't really be able to say you've been there. The one downtown, it's the food without the atmosphere.


If museum or local art is your thing, you might be extremely surprised at what we got. We just stole Dartmouth's Director because the Walmart Walton's stole ours for a new museum they're planning, just to give you a measure of how influenctial our museum is.

If you're downtown, there might also be a ball game. Mud Hens stadium, rated one of the best in the minor leagues is in the center of town. Fun place. Huntington Center/arena, is also downtown. Keep an eye on The City Paper for what might be playing.

Another place downtown that has Broadway and Symphony type shows is the Valentine Theatre.

No baseball.... Mud Hens will be on the road.....

How about the Hilton Garden Inn@Levis Commons or the Staybridge@Fallen Timbers? Close to food, beverages, and stuff to do.
Too bad the Casino won't be finished then.

(04-07-2011 11:23 PM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  How about the Hilton Garden Inn@Levis Commons or the Staybridge@Fallen Timbers? Close to food, beverages, and stuff to do.
Too bad the Casino won't be finished then.

Those are pretty far away. I know they have Burger King out there but what is there to do?

Actually, there a a number of good restaurants at Levis, not to mention that you are only 10 minutes from Bowling Green, if they wanted to vist a very nice college town with some good nightlife and restaurants!

(04-08-2011 09:20 AM)factman Wrote:  Actually, there a a number of good restaurants at Levis, not to mention that you are only 10 minutes from Bowling Green, if they wanted to vist a very nice college town with some good nightlife and restaurants!

Findlay?

Levis does have several good restaurants including Poco Piatis, Biaggio's (sp?) and the Japanese place along with the Cajun restaurant that has the comedy club attached. Good food there and we've seen some good acts at the comedy club. Can't think of the name right now-maybe Catfish Blue? There's also a number of good restaurants in Perrysburg downtown, a great Farmer's market there on Thursday that is sort of an event in itself, some nice historical sites like Fort Meig's and Perry's Landing (not where I'd go if I were 29 and on a trip with my wife but still...) and you are still only twenty minutes from the Glass Bowl.

(04-08-2011 09:38 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(04-08-2011 09:20 AM)factman Wrote:  Actually, there a a number of good restaurants at Levis, not to mention that you are only 10 minutes from Bowling Green, if they wanted to vist a very nice college town with some good nightlife and restaurants!

Findlay?

Levis does have several good restaurants including Poco Piatis, Biaggio's (sp?) and the Japanese place along with the Cajun restaurant that has the comedy club attached. Good food there and we've seen some good acts at the comedy club. Can't think of the name right now-maybe Catfish Blue? There's also a number of good restaurants in Perrysburg downtown, a great Farmer's market there on Thursday that is sort of an event in itself, some nice historical sites like Fort Meig's and Perry's Landing (not where I'd go if I were 29 and on a trip with my wife but still...) and you are still only twenty minutes from the Glass Bowl.

The hilton garden inn at Levis Commons would probably be one of the "nicer" areas to stay. It's about 20-25 minutes away from the stadium. Good restaurants, and Fat Fish Blue is there which has a good comedy club and live music. Shopping at Levis Commons is okay, better shopping at Fallen Timbers about 10 minutes away. Not much other than that though to do.

The hotel on Secor will get you much closer to the true Toledo experience. You've got Arnie's, Uncle John's Pancake house, campus is very close. I'm also a fan of The Bunker if you want a nice local bar and normally pretty good live music.

Just a general question...

Will "Gradkowski's" be good to go by the fall?

GO ROCKETS.

(04-08-2011 12:11 PM)Toledo Football 1st Wrote:  I would think if flying in/out of Detroit and being here a pretty short time they probably would want to hang out more toward the campus/downtown area. There are plenty of good places to eat at that end of town, and there are some great spots downtown as well. Does John Wesley still have a place downtown? I haven't been down there in a while, so I don't know.

UNHWildcats05, maybe tell us what kinds of places you would be interested in and we can focus our suggestions a little better for you.

Thank you everyone for your input! Seeing as how we are in Toledo for such a short amount of time, we would like to focus on near campus and downtown. Actually, but for the game and seeing the campus pre/post game, we will probably spend most of our time downtown.

For food, we would like to try any of the local specialties or establishments that are special to the people of Toledo. We are game for trying any type of food. It looks like Tony Packo's and the Beirut are favorites as they were mentioned by multiple people. Also the Docks on the East side looked interesting; however, are they still open? I came across an article about them being sold??

As for nightlife, I think we are going to end up staying right downtown (Crown Plaza or Park Inn), so information on any bars/pubs/micro breweries within walking distance of those hotels would be super. Slightly interested in club type places, but mostly good bars/pubs. We don't really want to get into driving somewhere as once we go out for the night, we don't want to have to think about driving anywhere...

Thanks again for your help!

I prefer Crowne Plaza hotel
Nicer rooms.

Park Inn would be a slightly better bet for proximity to nightlife.
nearby hotspots include

Blarney Irish Pub
Pizza Papalis
Table 44 (pretty popular right now)
these 3 all on same corner and 1 block from Park Inn

Jed's Downtown
Spaghetti Warehouse
Jed's Downtown
Spike and Muddy's
Tony Packo's downtown
Home Slice Pizza
Bronze Boar
these 7 near each other on opposite side of ballpark from the 3 above, all walking distance

Manhattan's is particularly popular these days but not walking distance from hotel
Mano's Greek restaurant (near Manhattan's)
Wesley's (also near manhattan's)

The Docks restaurants. 4 riverfront restaurants. Good option and all should be operating by september - currently some change in the ownership there

(04-08-2011 02:05 PM)UNHWildcats05 Wrote:  

(04-08-2011 12:11 PM)Toledo Football 1st Wrote:  I would think if flying in/out of Detroit and being here a pretty short time they probably would want to hang out more toward the campus/downtown area. There are plenty of good places to eat at that end of town, and there are some great spots downtown as well. Does John Wesley still have a place downtown? I haven't been down there in a while, so I don't know.

UNHWildcats05, maybe tell us what kinds of places you would be interested in and we can focus our suggestions a little better for you.

Thank you everyone for your input! Seeing as how we are in Toledo for such a short amount of time, we would like to focus on near campus and downtown. Actually, but for the game and seeing the campus pre/post game, we will probably spend most of our time downtown.

For food, we would like to try any of the local specialties or establishments that are special to the people of Toledo. We are game for trying any type of food. It looks like Tony Packo's and the Beirut are favorites as they were mentioned by multiple people. Also the Docks on the East side looked interesting; however, are they still open? I came across an article about them being sold??

As for nightlife, I think we are going to end up staying right downtown (Crown Plaza or Park Inn), so information on any bars/pubs/micro breweries within walking distance of those hotels would be super. Slightly interested in club type places, but mostly good bars/pubs. We don't really want to get into driving somewhere as once we go out for the night, we don't want to have to think about driving anywhere...

Thanks again for your help!

The Docks are being sold but some restaurants are still open. If you want to dine on the River the Oliver House complex is another option- several restaraunts/bars in one old restored hotel on the west side of the River, just off Summit Street. Range of food and price options as well-ate their a few weeks back and it was still pretty good.

http://oh-maumeebaybrewingco.com/

http://theoliverhousetoledo.com/

They don't have the al fresco options that the Docks has but the Docks does seem to be in flux so who knows what will happen there. Again if you are downtown the Art Museum is absolutley spectacular- see both the main building and the Glass House (as opposed to the Glass Bowl- you'll see plenty of that during gametime) across Monroe Street. There is truly something for everyone at the Museum.

(04-08-2011 02:43 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  the Oliver House complex is another option- several restaraunts/bars in one old restored hotel on the west side of the River, just off Summit Street. Range of food and price options as well-ate their a few weeks back and it was still pretty good.

http://oh-maumeebaybrewingco.com/

http://theoliverhousetoledo.com/

They don't have the al fresco options that the Docks has but the Docks does seem to be in flux so who knows what will happen there.

Docks should be in full operation by then.

The Maumee Bay Brewery, Rockwells is another decent option as mentioned above.

Oliver House Micro Brew, I like but it is a bit of a hike from those hotels. (ooh ooh, before I forget, since we're in that area High Level Bridge area, San Marcos expanded AND looks like they're putting a place on Galena in the north end.)

The game will most likely be 8pm ish. There's not going to be any clubbing that I can see time for.

Schedule Time:

Early in to De'troit means Toledo about Lunch?

I-275 to I-75S to I-280 Right lane OVER the 280 bridge and take the first exit. Right to get to the ONLY Tony Packos. (shanghaiing the folks before you convince them to go downtown for food, lol)

Head back over the river to the hotel. That will leave late afternoon. Art Museum is only thing I can think of that would be fairly unique. A drive or walk through Old West End to see houses. Largest collection of Victorian Houses between the east coast and St Louis I believe.

gag, I'm thinking like a 50 year old. There has to be something for younger people to do in Toledo on an afternoon? Where do we hide the 20 year olds?

Then to the University? Campus is beautiful and we're not biased at all in the regard.

Any UNH people will probably be in the UT Alumni center tent, right?


The Next morning? Can't think of any MUST do's in the morning. To be honest, if it were me I'd shoot to Ann Arbor in the morning for breakfast and a look around then to the Airport.