Experience Toledo's Heritage Through Tours, Trails, and Historical Experiences

Fun Guide  |  04/21/2023 4:00 pm

Explore Toledo’s History 

Looking to learn more about the Toledo you call home, or passing through and curious about Northwest Ohio’s history? Experience our area's heritage through the many opportunities that surround you - including tours, trails, and other informative experiences. Work your way through the list and you’ll be able to answer…

Why is Toledo called The Glass City?

Where in Northwest Ohio can I explore the Underground Railroad?

Can you dig for fossils near Toledo, Ohio?

And more! Hop right into Toledo history through these opportunities…

Explore an Underground Railroad Site in Sylvania

Affectionately nicknamed Tree City, Sylvania is a well-kept, tree lined suburbof Toledo dating back to the mid-1800s, and you can learn all about it’s early days through the eyes of historical non-profit organization Heritage Sylvania.

The group has a multi-site historical center located along Sylvania’s charming main street, and their buildings include the only Underground Railroad site open to the public in all of Northwest Ohio. That home - the circa 1850s Lathrop House - is joined by the Cooke-Kuhlman home, which houses Dr. Uriah Cooke’s restored doctor’s office and exam room, originally founded in 1897. This Cooke-Kuhlman building also houses the group’s artifact-filled Village Museum. 

Self-Guided Audio Tours by a Helpful Local Historian

Get out and about in Toledo with ten self-guided audio tours to choose from, curated by local historian Tedd Long using the GPS-powered VoiceMap app. These tours are great for those looking to get a walk in; while three are driving tours, seven can be completed entirely on foot!  Favorites include…

Downtown Toledo Architectural Guide: On this mile long circular stroll, learn about the creation and creators of some of downtown’s most iconic buildings, such as the Main Library, the Spitzer, and the Valentine Theatre.

Cathedral Neighborhood Stroll: Toledo is home to several absolutely stunning houses of worship, and on this 90-minute walking tour you’ll learn about one of the most intricate – the Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral. 

The Port of Toledo: If you’ve ever been downtown at Middlegrounds Metropark and wondered what our area looked like decades before, this tour explains how canals helped to make our city what it is in the present day.

Unholy Toledo: If you like a bit of drama in your local history, the Unholy Toledo tour is the one to pick. This tour is full of frightening facts about a 1930s gang-led crime spree and covers other unsavory actors who passed through our city between World War 1, Prohibition, and WWII.

See a Mansion, Schoolhouse, and Train Depot All at Once in Maumee

Conveniently situated between River Road and the Anthony Wayne Trail, the Maumee Valley Historical Society offers six acres to explore. Adults will marvel at the Wolcott House, which grew over time from just a two-room cabin into a 14 room mansion! This 1800s Federal/Classic Revival home overlooks the Maumee River where the homestead’s founder monitored his steamship fleet and operated a warehouse on the wharves below. 

Bring the whole family when you tour the Maumee Valley complex; the kids can imagine themselves learning in their one room Box Schoolhouse. Young visitors will likely next choo-choo-choose to visit the reconstructed Maumee Clover Leaf Depot, an 1880s train depot complete with a stationmaster’s office and telegraph room, plus a freight car and caboose. 

Also on the property is a simple yet elegant country church. Built in 1901 in Gothic Revival style, the historic chapel can be rented for weddings and accommodates up to 100 people. 

Help Preserve Black History in Toledo Ohio

This year, the African American Legacy Project will launch a mapping project where community members can drop a pin on a location they would like recognized - perhaps a first family home, or historical Black-owned business. The goal of the project is to show future generations what was along the Dorr St. Corridor and what could be; a vibrant hub by and for Toledo’s African American community.

Want to learn more? Set up a tour of the existing African American Legacy Project collection, available by contacting the organization here. 

Visit Fort Meigs and Fort Miamis for Fascinating Area Military History 

The Toledo area has two historically significant forts within easy distance of visiting in a single day; on opposite sides of the Maumee River, you’ll find Fort Miamis in Maumee and Fort Meigs in Perrysburg.

Built during the War of 1812 as a reaction to British attacks on American forts, Fort Meigs protected troops under siege on two separate occasions in 1813. The fort you see today is an early 2000s reconstruction, serving to educate visitors about the 1812 conflict. The educational center is extremely active nowadays; in addition to regular tours, you can partake in miniature historic gaming gatherings, embark on lantern tours, learn blacksmithing and hearthside cooking, sign up for ghost walks, and observe reenactments. 

Across the river, Fort Miamis offers a quieter place for reflection. Education here comes by way of signage, and recently built observation decks and a tower allow visitors to observe the earthwork fort’s serpentine peaks and valleys. As you consider the events which happened here from every angle, if you find yourself wondering what it would have looked like to soldiers approaching by boat you can use the kayak access point at the end of Corey Street. While Fort Meigs was an American Fort, Miamis was held by the British and played a role in both the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the War of 1812.

Interested in further area military history? Book a Wabash Cannonball Trail eBike Tour, which encompasses the Fallen Timbers Battlefield National Historic Landmark along guests’ three hour trek.

The Best Historic Canal Experience in the Country

You can find history all along the Maumee River, and just a short drive out to Grand Rapids, Ohio will give you an extensive glimpse into life in 1876.

The Providence Metropark Canal Experience boasts one of the greatest concentrations of canal era features in the entire United States! Check out a reproduction of a mule-drawn canal boat, walk or bike along over a mile of original towpath, see one of the 19th century’s last functioning canal locks, and visit the Isaac Ludwig Mill - a working saw and gristmill powered by water. During seasonal hours of operation you can even catch period characters in costume! Group reservations and field trips are welcome with advance notice. 

The 577 Foundation’s Historic Homes (and Home to Show Horses!)

A beautiful place to be any time of year, we especially like visiting the 577 Foundation in summer and fall for their gorgeous gardens. These provide a beautiful backdrop for a brief historical walking tour of the organization’s buildings, including the 1914 Greenhalgh Cottage ‘hobby farm’ property and Virginia Secor Stranahan’s final home. At 577 you’ll also see several Barn Outbuildings; now housing community resources like the pottery studio, in the 1910s and 20s you would have found these structures used as stables for show and polo horses. Before leaving, be sure to pop into the pristinely preserved Log Cabin. Built around 1803, the cabin is speculated to be the oldest structure in Lucas and Wood counties!

Perfectly Preserved Indoor & Outdoor Scenes at the Manor House

Did you notice the lovely landscaping at the Stranahan Home within 577 Foundation? Now, head across town to see work by the same landscape architect; Ellen Biddle Shipman. Outside of the Manor House, much of what we now know as Wildwood Metropark was then her handiwork – the gardens for R.A. Stranahan’s sprawling mansion.

R.A. Stranahan, a founder of Champion Spark Plug Company, built the 30+ room Manor House in 1938. Today, you can revel in its grandeur through public tours and special events such as bi-monthly teas and intimate lunch concerts. 

Art Meets Architecture: Toledo’s Museum and Surrounding Historic Neighborhood

Over the course of a century, the Toledo Museum of Art has grown from a single building to a sprawling campus encompassing nearly forty acres with six buildings, each of their own architectural significance. Take your time to observe the various building styles - from the iconic Greek facade of the main 1912 museum to the award-winning feat of contemporary architecture that is the Glass Pavilion (where you’ll begin to understand just why Toledo is called the Glass City). Weave between the structures to appreciate the sculpture garden that links them, then waltz over to the adjoining Old West End neighborhood, There, you’ll take in over 20 city blocks of exceptional residential examples of Queen Ann, Dutch Colonial, Colonial, Georgian, Arts and Crafts, Italian Renaissance and French Second Empire and Arts and Crafts architecture.

Step Back in Time at Sauder Village

Sign up for the ‘Walk Through Time’ tour at nearby Sauder Village and experience the life of everyday Ohioans from the turn of the 19th century through to the 1920s. During this tour, you’ll get perspectives from natives, pioneers, rural dwellers and main street residents throughout different periods in time. 

After your initial tour, choose additional ways to explore the Village. From farm and cabinet shops, to a printing office, the harvesting building, and pottery, glass and blacksmith studios, there’s so much to learn out at Sauder Village. 

Fossil Park

If you’re looking to understand what our area looked like way, way far back - far further than any historical experience mentioned above - the Fossil Park in Sylvania is where you need to be! 

Nearly 375 million years ago, the area that is now the Park was an expansive sea teeming with life. Today, the park is one of just two prime Devonian Era sites on the entire planet and you’re invited to visit as a fossil hunter! The Fossil Park offers a digging pit open seasonally, and is ADA-accessible. Find fossilized brachiopods, coral, and more in this place which used to be the aquatic home of over 200 species.

Content Editor: Lindsay Williams