Imagination Kingdom

20 Kid Approved Ohio Destinations

April 16, 2016October 23, 2017momonthegoinholytoledo

The kiddos put together a list of their favorite Ohio destinations we have visited. The following destinations are fun family friendly destinations that were of particular interest to children ages 2-11 years of age & us kids at heart too! (Tip: When purchasing tickets for admission inquire about discounts, AAA, reciprocity, etc. We were able to get admission FREE at some of these thanks to our local memberships)

Campbell’s Sweets Factory Tour (Cleveland…pair this one with #16 for an awesome day trip)
Spangler Factory and Museum (Bryan…pair this one with #4 for an awesome day trip)
Imagination Station (Toledo…pair this one with #18 for an awesome day trip) )
Imagination Kingdom (Wauseon…pair this one with #2 for an awesome day trip)
Sauder’s Village (Archbold)
Castle (Loveland)
Newport Aquarium (technically it’s in Kentucky but it is so close to Cincinnati)
COSI (Columbus)
Maumee Bay State Park & Lodge (Oregon Ohio)
Armstrong Air & Space Museum (Wapakoneta)
Young’s Jersey Dairy (Dayton…pair this one with #20 and/or #12 for an awesome day trip)
National Museum of the U. S. Air Force (Dayton…pair this one with #11 and/or #20 for an awesome day trip)
African Safari Wildlife Park (Port Clinton)
Cedar Point (Sandusky)
Kalahari (Sandusky)
Christmas Story House Tour (Cleveland…pair this one with #1 for an awesome day trip)
Kings Island (Cincinnati)
Toledo Museum of Art’s Family Center (Toledo…pair this one with #3 for an awesome day trip)
Toledo Zoo Aquarium (Toledo)
Boonshoft Museum (Dayton…pair this one with #11 and/or #12 for an awesome day trip)

Have some great memories of visiting an Ohio destination with your family? Do own/work at a must visit Ohio destination? Please share! As stated, we are currently working on our summer bucket list; we would love to hear your recommendations.

Wauseon’s Homecoming: An Affair to Remember

August 2, 2015August 2, 2015momonthegoinholytoledo

Our love affair with Wauseon began a few weeks ago when we took a day trip and stumbled upon Imagination Kingdom, where my little princesses and prince had an absolute blast!! (Read all about it HERE). Thanks to that post I have had the pure delight and pleasure of meeting some remarkable people including the Co-coordinator for the Imagination Kingdom, Bonnie Grisier, a mother and grandmother to 9 grandchildren who saw a need & made it happen, talk about a determined soul! And thanks to all you AWESOME loyal followers & readers that post really took off and I received an official invitation to Wauseon’s Homecoming from Mayor Kathy Huner and you don’t say no to the Mayor! Haha! But seriously, there would be a parade, kids’ tent, music, and more….we were totally attending!! And attend we did!!

Goodbye City, Hello Country…..

We love a parade! And what a parade! An hour and 15 minutes worth of parade, NO JOKE! Wauseon knows how to parade!!

Now this is something you don’t see in a typical “city” parade……

How do you know when the parade is over? The Sterling Cow arrives….kinda like Santa in the Thanksgiving parade.

After the parade we had the pleasure of officially meeting Mayor Kathy Huner and Bonnie Grisier…and they are even sweeter in person! It was nice to finally put a beautiful face with each of their names and chat for a little while…FYI-turns out the next BIG event on the agenda is Fulton County Fair…you’re gonna wanna mark that on your calendars folks!! Did you know they let out school in Fulton county for the fair (you better believe my kiddos were wishing they didn’t reside in Lucas county when they heard that, haha!), it is a HUGE to do!! And the Mayor had some goodies for us including these SWEET t-shirts!! I LOVE these!!

We so enjoyed our visit with Mayor Huner and Bonnie!! The people of Wauseon are SO NICE! There must be something in the water. Haha! Seriously though, every volunteer, waitress, Red Rambler baristas, even the guy emptying the trash, ALL had smiles on their faces. And they are so kind. We totally forgot to bring a bag for candy at the parade (mom fail) and this kind woman came up and had extra, one for each of my children!! How could you not fall in love with this town? After the parade we enjoy all the rest of the festivities Wauseon Homecoming had to offer including…..

Kids Tent!! This is so cool! For $5 each kiddo receives a card worth 10 activities/visits to anything in the kids tent and/or inflatables. At the end, once they have completed 10 activities they can select a prize! Talk about a GREAT deal!! And SO MUCH FUN! The activities included sand art, photo booth, duck game, face painting, inflatables, etc. It was so nice having the kids contained to one tent….not all up and down the main street….thus, us parents could actually sit for a minute and chill. SO NICE!! Thank you Wauseon!

And we took a horse drawn ride around town for only $2! The experience alone was worth the $2….but in addition to that we received a small tour. We went past the Wauseon Depot (too cute!…there is even a caboose out front!) and some cool houses…one of which was apparently part of the Underground Railroad…so I suppose we could even add history lesson to the cost….thus a tour, history lesson, and experience for only $2, SOLD!!

And the kiddos rode rides….

We had an absolute blast! Thank you so much for the magnificent memories Wauseon! We cant wait for next year’s Homecoming!!

July 2, 2015July 2, 2015momonthegoinholytoledo

I don’t know what is more fascinating, the Imagination Kingdom or all the amazing people who made Imagination Kingdom possible! This project is a true example of what is possible when we all come together. We could all learn something from the community of Wauseon, Ohio.

Imagination Kingdom is a handicapped accessible playground located in Reighard Park, in Wauseon, OH. It is the first ever 100% plastic playground in Ohio. (Why plastic? Maintenance isn’t as much, it doesn’t require staining & sealing every year like wooden playgrounds, and as an added bonus parents don’t have to worry about kiddos getting splinters). The playground project was funded, all $250,000, by a committee who solicited area businesses, organizations, and individuals. They also sold engraved pavers & fence pickets which can be seen as you walk up and around the playground. And get this, the playground was no only built by the community, but was entirely staffed by volunteers!! Ah-mazing!!

As we pulled up to Imagination Kingdom all I could hear was oohhs & aahhs coming from the back seats. “It’s a CASTLE!” screamed the 4 year old. The car had barely come to a complete stop and they were unbuckling and jumping out in pure elation and anticipation of the fun to be had! “I am going to be Rapunzel “, yelled out the 4 year old as she ran up to the castle. Meanwhile my 8 & 9 year olds ran off to explore. Mind you, there is no running off; the entire Kingdom is fenced in, a mother’s dream come true!! But it is large enough that they felt like they were exploring on their own.

We enjoyed a brief interlude from exploration to enjoy some jams!! How cool are these? They are by Sound Play.

From a parents perspective I like the fact that the Kingdom was separated. Far too often little ones get trampled on by the big kids. It was nice that the little ones have their own space. I also like the fact that the big kid space and little kid space were right next to each other; it was easy for me to keep an eye on all 3 kiddos.

Imagination Kingdom is definitely a destination. You will want to linger for a little longer than most playgrounds, which is why I advise stopping by The Red Rambler on your way there and grabbing yourself a refreshment.

The iced coffee was delicious!! Or perhaps stopping in at Sullivan’s before or after you play. Or better yet, pack a picnic! But don’t forget your bug repellent, the mosquitos are bad this year. Your little princes and princesses are certain to enjoy all that the Imagination Kingdom has to offer, happy playing!!! Now of a sweet playground within a 60 mile radius of Toledo? Please share!! I was thinking it might be nice to have a list of all the clean, mom approved, and fun playground in the area.