Back in May, i won tickets for myself and family thru my work to go to the 2021 United Way Fiesta…read moreFun Friday. It was a local charity event thrown by the local United Way and a good amount of corporate sponsors including the company I work for. My family had just gotten all their covid shots, so we were excited to finally go out and have some fun! The event had entertainment, several food trucks, and a large amount of giveaways and raffles. Our tickets covered one entry into the grand prize raffle (which we did not win) but we won other raffles/prizes we did put in for. I won about $60, a Murano Crystal Vase and a Dooney & Burke Purse. This happened right before Mothers Day, so mom got an extra gift out of it when i gave her the purse. I ate at a food truck called Fat Pig, my family ate at Pullup & Grill... food was delicious! It was just fun to eat, spend a few hours talking and enjoying the night...and of course winning some prizes! The event was a success, raising $14000! Awesome! Truly a great night out!

What beautiful place! This place delivers masterpieces and much needed message for people. My kids…read moreloved climbing and looking for bowling balls. A whimsical sanctuary in the middle of Wapakoneta.

This is a place I have been frequenting since my youth. It's a sanctuary for many kids who just…read moreneed a place to hang out and it's a great place for all ages to just check out. It costs you nothing to check it out and if you happen to stumble across the awesome owner, Jim, then you are in for an even bigger treat. Jim is such a great guy and such a good storyteller! If his yard doesn't tell you enough then he will. I've known Jim for a while and he's such an eccentric, animated, and all-around nice guy. My advice...don't just stop at the Temple of Tolerance once, make many visits, or heck become a regular here. It's hard to believe this is in Wapakoneta, Ohio but I'm glad it is. The Memorial to Ohio War Dead is a memorial he created to show how many Ohioans have been killed in battle since the War of 1812 and it was moving to me to see his dedication to such a memorial. If you ever get a chance to hear Jim speak (if you can't find him in the Temple you can sometimes find him giving speeches elsewhere) you must go. I've been to a couple of his talks at the library in his town and he just sucks you in with his words. He gives you a lot to think about and I wish more people were like Jim! There is a donation box on his front porch so be sure to leave a little if you stop by and have a look at the Temple. The money helps with upkeep and such for it all.

If you are a flea market/ yard sale lover you gotta take a drive up 33 and check this place out…read more If time had been more on my side I could have stayed indefinitely but as it is I'm always in a rush (some might say that I don't adequately plan for these spur of the moment outings, but...). Anyway, this is SO cool and I cannot tell you how many fun things I've found here. My most current find was a 3 foot tall/wide big metal rustic looking star that now hangs above my mantel and cost a whopping $12. Don't hate me because I'm a brilliant bargain finder. ;) Seriously- you have to go here.

Not a bad flea market at all. Very clean. I'll be back. 4 pole barns all paved with about 40…read morevendors in each one. I purchased some corn hole bags while we were there 8 bags for $20.00.

One of my favorite parts of Fort Wayne. Beautiful at night to check out the 77 steps and during the…read moreday you can appreciate all the wall art and beautiful paintings. Very Instagrammable spot and lots of cool areas to take photos.

If you travel down the alley by the 100 block of West Berry Street, you'll see a public art piece…read moretitled 77 Steps, a sculpture that features hundreds of programmable lights (around 300, to be exact) that are suspended above a pathway. It's named after the 77 steps it takes to get from one end of the art piece to the other. 77 Steps was created by Kelty Tappy, a Fort Wayne architecture firm. I love this sculpture because it looks like a bunch of chandeliers hanging out in an alley. (Be sure to smash that "like" button to get more insightful art criticism like that from me.) It's actually really neat to just walk through the alley and look up at multiple lights suspended above your head. When I visited, it was daytime and the lights weren't on. But I've seen picture of 77 Steps during the nighttime, and I think that's when you should visit, because then you'll see it in all its lit-up glory. 77 Steps is in an alley that also houses some other street art, so you are basically surrounded by beautiful artwork in this area, which is awesome.

This mural is located along the south-facing side of the building that houses Pint & Slice, a pizza…read morejoint that also sells beer (hence the name). Nosego is the artist who created the mural, and the mural stretches across the brick wall along the alley. Nosego is from Philadelphia, and apparently he was commissioned by Pint & Slice and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art to create the artwork in 2014. This is the first commissioned street art in Fort Wayne! It is a special mural, and you should definitely check it out.

It's a nice little touristy town in northern Ohio where the river runs fast and wide. established…read morein 1833 as Gilead but it's Grand Rapids since 1868 it used to was a bustling business community on the canal system running up the Maumee River from Toledo and parts east. the town's fortunes were tied to transportation and logistics which eventually left us an interesting and storied river/canal/railway town. visitors can enjoy shopping and dining and wandering about on the restored main street and the conservated riverfront areas near the tidied-up side cut or across the river in the Providence Metropark. rumor has it there's a short-run scenic railway and museum hereabouts as well but that would be another review... historical pioneer-day type re-enactments and other such activities are part of the annual Applebutter Festival on the second Sunday of October rain or shine (plague not withstanding.)

Another great mural in downtown Fort Wayne! This one is located in the Visit Fort Wayne alley, off…read moreof Harrison Street between W. Wayne Street and W. Washington Blvd. This mural is titled The Blue Birds, and I think you can see why. It's a 60-foot mural full of cyclops birds (18 birds, if I counted correctly) looking at you disinterestedly. But the viewer (you) can't help but be interested looking at this bright, blue wall of apathetic birds. It's a wonderful surprise to come upon it in this alley in downtown Fort Wayne. The mural was created by Bryan Ballinger, an artist who works in the Midwest, I believe. He has a lot of other murals around Indiana and the Midwest, so I'm going to have to check them out sometime soon.

This is a hidden gem of local art flair for any mural seeker! I couldn't find anything about these…read moremurals online, but spotted them while visiting Decatur. The "Decatur" mural caught my eye first, and there was a painted arrow pointing towards more murals down the alley. It's best to park in the lot next to the ABCinema and walk down the alley to see them all. You can get a glimpse of some of the Decatur Sculptures within walking distance from here too.

I mean, how are you not going to love a mural that features a cute panda trying to lick a green ice…read morecream cone off of its head? Come on! This is an adorable mural in downtown Fort Wayne, and you need to see it. This mural is titled "Panda Oops," and it is located on a wall that houses the STAR Financial Group on west Berry Street. It was created by Tammy Davis in 2018. I don't know much about this mural beyond those facts, but it's one of the many street art pieces that you need to see in the alleys of downtown Fort Wayne.