Your Romantic Getaway in Toledo

By Katharine Stevens

Wild Side Brewing Company, all photos by Megan Leigh Barnard unless otherwise noted

What’s your date night style? Whether you and your partner prefer Broadway shows or casino wins, rooftop bars or chef-crafted dinners, you’ll find plenty of options for a couples weekend in Toledo.

Let Us Entertain You

Your center for gaming, betting and entertainment, Hollywood Casino Toledo is also a great place to elevate your couples outing with a delicious meal. Savor a perfectly cooked steak filet or ribeye at Final Cut Steakhouse, or enjoy both the atmosphere and the traditional sushi dishes at Shobu by Kengo. The newly opened Barstool Sportsbook has over 40 televisions to watch your favorite sports while sharing plates of game day favorites.

Each season, the Stranahan Theater brings a stellar lineup of Broadway shows to Toledo, as well as concerts, comedians or kids entertainment. Make your evening an upscale night to remember at Valentine Theatre, where you’re sure to be moved by Toledo’s own symphony, opera and ballet productions. If your partner loves a good laugh, enjoy dinner and a comedy show at Funny Bone, or take part in open mic night to try your hand at the craft!

Sometimes the best dates are also the most social. Take your date to join the buzz at Huntington Center at a concert with your favorite artists or don your blue, gold and white to cheer on the Toledo Walleye. Or plan your trip to Toledo around what’s happening at Glass City Center: The expo hall regularly hosts competitions, exhibits and shows. Conclude your day with a stay at a historic bed-and-breakfast, The Federal Inn. The female-owned B&B in Maumee has a story behind each room’s décor and layout.

Get to Know Your Partner

Whether the relationship is new or you just want to spend quality time with your partner, these locations are great to connect – or reconnect. Bring another couple along to have fun as a group.

Work together to create glass art at Gathered Glass. Their Date Night programs guide couples in creating bowls, vases or pitchers. Get inspired at the Toledo Museum of Art, where you can watch glass-blowing demonstrations in their Glass Pavilion and see their world-renowned collection of ancient to contemporary glass art.

If you’re a gaming couple, you’ll love Reset Arcade Rossford, where you can play nostalgic arcade games like Ms. Pacman and Galaga, or enjoy some friendly competition with a game of duckpin bowling. You can even hit the beach here — Spike’s Beach Bar, that is. Five beach volleyball courts offer the chance to team up and play a pickup game against friends. When you get hungry, order up a pizza crafted by Cameo Pizza.

In the evenings, learn something new together while also enjoying a refreshing drink. Registry Bistro hosts craft cocktail workshops once a month, and Toledo Spirits Company and its cocktail bar, Bellwether, also regularly host—cocktail demos, tastings and tours.


Cheers to Time Together

Taste your way around Northwest Ohio on the 419 Ale Trail, a digital passbook leading you to incredible breweries around the region. Earn prizes when you check in at breweries like Wild Side Brewing Company in Hensville, a nano brewery focused on using locally sourced ingredients to make handcrafted brews. Tune in to live music performances while you sip. No matter how far away you live, feel like locals at Barr’s Public House. The cozy atmosphere, pub fare and ever-rotating draft list make this place ideal.

If you prefer to sip wines, expand your palate with the award-winning wines from Cooper’s Hawk Winery. The Napa-style tasting room makes for an ideal setting to start your evening off right. When you’re ready to tuck in for the evening, choose accommodations as unique as your partner. Cannaley Treehouse Village rents private treehouses (with electricity, heat and air conditioning!) for a special stay out in nature, perfect for outdoorsy couples.

See the Sights

Spend your getaway immersing yourselves in the city sights. Soon to be completed, the Glass City Riverwalk will connect 300 acres of greenspace on both sides of the Maumee River in a massive project that will transform downtown Toledo. Brand new and adjacent to the Riverwalk, The Ribbon at Glass City Metroparks offers skating and beautiful scenery. This 1,000-foot loop trail, featuring hills and curves, is unlike any other in the state and great for couples who love unique experiences. Roller skate here in summer, or ice skate in the winter months.

A romantic evening begins with the perfect setting. Enjoy a sunset cruise aboard the Sandpiper with J&M Cruise Lines for a picture-perfect view of the skyline and the best way to view the Glass City River Wall, the largest mural in the country. If you and your significant other are kids at heart, you’ll love Science After Dark events at the Imagination Station. Only open to grown-ups, the science center grants full access to activities and features science demonstrations.

Make your date a home run at a Toledo Mud Hens game. This Minor League baseball team takes on challengers at Fifth Third Field . After the game, pop over to the Hilton Garden Inn, where you can rest your head in a room with a view of the Maumee River.


Special Dining Spots

They say the way to the heart is through the stomach, which makes Toledo’s sophisticated restaurant scene perfect for classy date nights or a night out with another couple.

Benchmark Restaurant is chef-owned with a menu covering signature steaks and seafood, as well as seasonal dishes packed with flavor. Described as casual-elegant dining, Registry Bistro is housed in a historic building and offers elevated dishes like Moroccan braised lamb shank and Tuscan-style elk Bolognese.

Make date night extra special with a seasonally themed chef’s table meal. Chef/owner Moussa Salloukh at Souk Mediterranean Kitchen & Bar serves up an ethnically diverse menu of Mediterranean cuisines, while Chef Michael Rigot at Brim House in the Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel crafts impressive seafood, chop house and vegan dishes.

For more chef-inspired options, try Executive Chef Aaron Lawson’s special seasonal menus at Fowl & Fodder. The “brunch anytime” menu has revolutionized the brunch scene in Toledo and Lawson focuses on farm-to-table dishes and vegan meals whenever possible. Lawson is also the mind behind Toledo Spirits Company’s Bellwether menu, where he brings more unique flavor combinations and inventive cocktails to the table.