Now that the next phase of Responsible RestartOhio has been announced and we know that our favorite museums and attractions will soon be safely reopening, it is easy to get excited about what fun is going to look like in this very weird summer.
Part of my kindergartner’s last week of school homework was making a summer bucket list and after 2 months of being at home I know he wasn’t the only one that listed all the local spots he couldn’t wait to visit. As these locations are safely reopening we (very excitedly!) made a wish list of the locations we are looking forward to visiting soon!
The Playground
When I asked my 7 and 4 year old sons where they wanted to go when all the germs were gone they both said The Playground. “Which playground?” you may be wondering (I was!), “All of them” they replied, and Findlay and Hancock County has a lot! Fort Findlay Playground is always a favorite, and kids can spend hours using their imaginations while playing. Whether they’re pioneers or knights, this playground located at Emory Adams is a great spot to visit. Our other favorites are at Riverside Park (extra fun when paired with the StoryWalk), Riverbend Park, and the Miracle Playground and All-Star Playground at Marathon Diamonds and Miracle Field. Playgrounds are reopening June 10.
Riverbend Park’s playground is one of the many that are on our Wish List!
Mazza Museum
Quickly following the playgrounds were each of the boys’ favorite Findlay places. My (almost) 7 year old’s birthday is this weekend and it has been a tradition that we end the day at Mazza Museum. Between the artwork, books, and, of course, the slide, the Mazza Museum has truly been missed. While we’ve tried to recreate some of the Mazza magic at home, we can’t wait to experience it in-person! Mazza Museum will be reopening soon! Until then, take a virtual tour of the museum with the Mazza’s app (Download the app in the App Store or in the Google Play Store), enjoy storytime from some familiar Mazza faces, and tune in to Author Mondays!
We miss all that the Mazza has to offer – upstairs and downstairs!
Children’s Museum of Findlay
My youngest son’s favorite Findlay spot is definitely the Children’s Museum of Findlay, and we have really missed our trips! The Children’s Museum is especially great for our family because it is one of the few places both of my kids are fully entertained for a very long period of time. Whether it is jumping (and jumping, and jumping, and jumping) in the foam pit, pretending to be a firefighter or veterinarian, going camping or to school, or even riding in an ambulance, the Children’s Museum of Findlay is a great place to exercise your child’s mind. The Children’s Museum of Findlay will be reopening July 7. In the meantime, order a Play at Home box! This box will be full of items picked by museum staff for your child (best for ages 4 – 8) to play with at home. Boxes can be picked up or shipped for an additional fee.
It won’t be too much longer before the xylophone will be played again!
Marathon Center for the Performing Arts
The Marathon Center for the Performing Arts put together a great season, full of family-friendly shows that we were looking forward to, and we are already looking forward to the next time we can take a seat in the auditorium and be entertained. Luckily, we don’t have to wait too long before MCPA brings the entertainment….just in the parking lot, rather than the auditorium. June 13, 20, and 27 MCPA will be hosting Drive-In Concert Series! We will be able to park our car, tune the radio to a special station, and enjoy a live concert by local favorites being projected onto an outdoor screen. We’ve already got our tickets – get yours here! MCPA Box Office is open Monday – Friday, Noon – 4 p.m., as is the Fisher/Wall Art Gallery. MCPA is also bringing the fun home with Virtual Youtheatre Academy and Mini-Camps in June and July. Make sure to also check out the Digital Stage, which can be enjoyed any time by all ages!
It might be a little while before these seats are filled, however the show will go on – in the parking lot! The Drive-In Concert Series will take place June 13, 20, and 27!
Hancock Historical Museum
A favorite quarantine TV show has been PBS Kids’ “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum” where three kids go back in time and solve their modern-day problems with lessons learned from historical figures. It has really made my oldest interested in history – so a trip to the Hancock Historical Museum is in order! While there may not be any actual time travel involved, we definitely will use our imaginations to take us back in time and learn from the people who lived the moments and used the items immortalized in the museum. Moments like the Women’s Suffrage Movement, the Underground Railroad, transportation through the years, our community’s farming history, and more. The Hancock Historical Museum is now open, see the guidelines here!
What can a samurai teach us? We will find out on our next trip to the Hancock Historical Museum!
Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation
Our youngest is obsessed with trains, so we are really missing our trips to Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation! Train rides are really affordable and are the perfect length of time for antsy kids who need to get the wiggles out. There are two trains to choose from, so multiple rides are necessary around the track and it is fun to look out the window and wait for the horn to blow. Of course the train rides are the highlight of a trip to NWORRP, but going into the museum and seeing the model trains is always extra fun! NWORRP will be reopening June 20.
Train ride time can’t come soon enough – plan your upcoming trip to NWORRP!
Visiting our Downtown Friends
This one was hard for me – because I miss it too! I am not original in saying the thing I love most about Findlay and Hancock County is the people, which is something that has been passed on to my kids. They love taking “a walk in town” and into our favorite shops in Downtown Findlay. They’re already looking forward to getting coffee (hot chocolate – I promise!) and lunch at our favorite spots, popping in to shops to say hello to the familiar faces waiting to greet us, and window shopping. See your favorite shops’ current hours and policies here, and restaurants’ hours and policies here.
We’re looking forward to visiting our favorite places and seeing our favorite places around Findlay and Hancock County soon! What is on your Post-Quarantine Wish List?
This blog post is written by Visit Findlay Community Relations and Development Manager Danielle Wilkin. Danielle is a reality TV aficionado, frequent Downtown diner, and a busy mom! That isn’t much, is it?