The holiday season is finally here, and winter break is just around the corner. If you’re not sure how to keep the kids entertained while off from school, look no further because we’ve rounded up some fun winter break activities the whole family will love!
Toledo Metroparks
Enjoy the beauty of winter at one of Toledo’s Metroparks. The Metroparks offer a variety of fun winter activities for the whole family.
Interested in trying cross country skiing? Oak Openings and Secor both offer cross country skiing trails that are maintained throughout the winter months. Additionally, the park system says that skiing is permitted on all Metroparks’ unpaved trails and open playfield areas.
Winter is also the perfect time for ice skating, and one of the newest additions to The Toledo Metroparks is the Glass City Metropark’s The Ribbon. The Ribbon is a unique 1,000 foot ice trail that saw more than 50,000 visitors last year when it first opened. It is recommended to make advanced reservations for your visit to The Ribbon. And while reserving a space in advance, you might want to consider reserving one of the beautiful and comfortable cabanas for your visit.
If you’re ok with a little spur of the moment fun, the Toledo Metroparks offers snowshoeing adventures when the conditions are right. Just keep an eye out for these short notice excursions to try out snowshoeing.
And of course no winter fun can be complete without a great day on the hill sledding. Side Cut, Pearson, and Glass City all offer lit sledding hills that stay open even after dark. And for one of the area’s tallest hills check out Blue Creek which is open 7am until dark. No matter where you live in the Toledo area, there’s a Metropark nearby where you can enjoy all the winter fun.
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Toledo Zoo
The Toledo Zoo has one of the best light displays in the country with their Lights Before Christmas. The Lights Before Christmas, while the name indicates does happen prior to Christmas, it also continues until the end of December, making it a perfect visit during winter break. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and stroll among the over one million beautiful lights and illuminated animal images. Enjoy a ride down the ice slide, visit the Reindeer Encounter, watch the ice carvings happening every Thursday, and check out the model train railroad club display. There’s so much to do at the Toledo Zoo in the winter, but don’t forget to stop by and say “hi” to the animals too.
Huntington Center
The Huntington Center always has something going on for all ages. This winter break the whole family can enjoy a visit from The Harlem Globetrotters who will be performing in their world tour on December 30 in Toledo. Additionally, the Toledo Walleye will be playing a number of home games during winter break with various themes such as superhero night, prince/princess night and Peanuts night.
BGSU Ice Skating
If you’re willing to drive just a little further south, Bowling Green State University’s Slater Family Ice Arena offers open skates for the public. As their public skate is a popular activity, registering online in advance is highly recommended.
Toledo Public Library
Toledo Public Libraries offer a variety of activities throughout the year for kids (and adults!) of all ages. From movies, to games, to crafts, to STEM activities and more, there’s always something going on at the libraries in the Toledo-area including during winter break.
Imagination Station
Just because school is out for winter break doesn’t mean the education has to stop. The Imagination Station is a great winter break trip where kids can discover the world of STEAM – science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. In addition to the awesome interactive exhibits, around the holidays the Imagination Station is planning a movie showing of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and gingerbread house engineering workshops.
