Did you know dogs are welcomed here?!…read more I'm not really a history person but this was enjoyable. I went on the tour which was small and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. Please note the guide also demonstrate the rifle shooting. So if you're in the neighborhood, go support them.

My husband wanted to come here for his birthday so my daughters and I reluctantly obliged and…read moregranted him his birthday wish. It was a beautiful fall day and the weather was perfect. To my surprise, my teens enjoyed walking around the grounds as well as the "wheel of fate". I enjoyed the scenic views while capturing the joy our visit to Fort Meigs brought my family. Definitely worth the trip!

Had a great tour,don't miss this one right i your back yard. The Museum is done very well .read more

I have always loved ships. I've toured a handful of historic ships over the years. U.S.S…read more Constitution? Check. WWII submarine? Check. Mid-19th-century schooner? Check. Early 20th-century Great Lakes freighter? Hmm... So perhaps this ship does not have the romanticism or historical significance of the others. It is an impressive sight, quite long and stolid. In operation from 1911 to 1980, it was the largest freighter in the world when launched and set some cargo records during its first few years before being eclipsed by ever-advancing technology. It was also well known for luxury which supposedly rivalled the famous trans-Atlantic liners. Up to the modern day it is recognized as a relic of the so-called Golden Age of Great Lakes shipping, but although I respected its achievements, I couldn't quite conjure up the reverence and awe that it seemed to be asking for. Obviously the ship has seen better days, but it could be spiffier. Many spots need a buff with Rust-Away and a new paint job. In any case, this would be a fun place to take the kids, and frankly it's one of the few things worth doing or seeing in Toledo.

Bright walls organized another colorful festival this year between Sep 16-18. Bright Walls Mural…read morefestival event include live mural painting, concerts, food trucks, dancing, magic show and even a dog-themed event. While they were unable to host international artists this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the Bright Walls team planned some pop-up art installations until finale in 2022. The festival is a free event open to all ages, and it is held on several streets in Jackson. All the art is free to be viewed and photographed. Along with the mural projects, there were a variety of street vendors and food trucks that cater to the public. I was thrilled to attend my first ever mural event. I mainly went to meet the famous artist couple Lisa and Victor, who create iconic post card murals. I am a huge fan of their art work. The amount of detail in their mural is amazing. I like their artwork which captures the town and display local points of pride. It was such a pleasure to meet this cool couple. Their mission is to paint in every state and to create a collection of timeless landmarks for locals and travelers to interact with across the country. They have created nation wide mural projects and this is their 52nd post card mural across America. This couple came all the way from California to help create a special Jackson greeting. This year "Greetings from Jackson" mural is the highlight of the festival. Each letter features some of the most iconic buildings and a Jackson landmark within it. With the new addition, there are now 41 murals to see in downtown Jackson since the inception of Bright Walls.

Prior to three years ago I didn't know much about Jackson, MI beyond there being a prison there…read more Around here going to Jackson is usually taken to mean going to jail for a long time. Three years ago I stopped for food on a road trip and discovered Jackson had two competing Coney Islands on the same block that had been open since around the time of World War I, a situation uncannily similar to Lafayette and American Coney Islands in Detroit. That was about all I took away from that short visit. Well, last month I was on another road trip and figured I'd stop to fill my belly at Jackson Coney Island since I'd already tried Virginia Coney Island and Jackson is the bizarro Virginia. I'm not ready to review either yet. They're just Coneys and I'm not ready to wade into the wearisome partisan debate. It's boring enough with American and Lafayette back home. But here, in the third paragraph, I will venture to review Bright Walls because it was such a pleasant surprise and unexpected hour long sightseeing tour. (It's nice traveling on a not so rigid schedule and to be taken away on a tangent like this.) Bold, colorful murals with all kinds of themes and plastered larger than life all around downtown Jackson and they are awesome. I wasn't good about reading all of the placards and you won't get any informative name checking or discussion about specific pieces here like I usually do with art museums but Bright Walls was a beautiful diversion, a definite departure from the drab and dreary Prisontown USA people around here usually picture when they think of Jackson. I can't speak on what goes on when the mural painting actually takes place, watching live painting or if there's special events, but the one other review didn't elaborate on that either. Suffice it to say I like what was left behind. Maybe some year I'll head out this way during the brightening of the walls and be able to provide a more comprehensive update.

This is a lovely building located on the north side of downtown. It is more or less the iconic…read morestructure for Adrian. The building is still used for County functions so the real attraction is the view from the outside. But it does make a nice picture.

Located Northwest of Archbold, Ohio, the Goll Woods State Nature Preserve is one of the last old…read moregrowth forest remnants remaining in the state. The preserve is 321 acres in size, with around 100 acres of virgin forest. The land was purchased as a farmstead by Peter and Catherine Goll when they moved from Grand-Charmont, France to America in 1836. Generations of the Goll family protected the woods from timber operators until their descendent Florence Louys sold it to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) in 1969. At that time the farm fields were reforested, giving the entire preserve its current woodlands characteristics. The preserve features four trails, with two each in the East and West sections of the park, which is bisected by County Road 26. The Bur Oak and Cottonwood trails on the East section are shorter, have a few benches, and tend to be better maintained, with updated paths surfaced with loose limestone screenings. The Toadshade and Tuliptree trails on the West side of the preserve are longer and more rugged in nature, and in rainy weather can be quite muddy. An observation deck overlooking the Tiffin River is located on the Toadshade Trail. There are two parking lots at the preserve: the paved lot centrally located on County Road 26, and a smaller lot in the West section near the Goll Family Cemetery on County Road EF. All four trails may be accessed directly or indirectly from the central lot, while the West lot is located on the Toadshade Trail. Goll Woods has several very large white and bur oak trees which are over 300 years old, with the oldest trees being over 400 years of age. The preserve also sports two Ohio Champion trees, the largest examples of their species known to exist in the state: a 116 ft tall shagbark hickory located on the Tuliptree Trail, and an 88 ft tall rock elm deeper in the preserve. Two important notes for visitors: - Typically there are no restroom at the preserve. Sometimes ODNR puts a port-a-pot at the central parking lot during the summer months. However that is not always the case, so go before you go! - Goll Woods is reminiscent of the Great Black Swamp which used to cover Northwest Ohio. As such, the mosquitoes are legendary in their numbers, size, and persistence. Bring copious amounts of repellant if visiting outside of the late fall to early spring timeframe!

Beautiful walking area, but it's often muddy. I recommend bringing plenty of insect repellant.read more

A very nice Memorial Bridge to Dr. King Jr. located downtown Fort Wayne that crosses over the St…read more Mary's River. There is Headwaters Park and a nice path for biking, walking, running, etc. along the river that brings you by the bridge. On a nice day, you can relax on the nearby benches. Although it is a small bridge, the bridge is a magnificent in the day as it is at night when it is full of colorful lights. It is accessible at Clinton and Fourth Streets and there is an empty lot across from the bridge...it doesn't say whether or not you can it can't park there.

I just walked over the bridge today for the out of darkness walk. I love that Bridge spiritually…read moreit is such peace. The peace is amazing, I read each message and it is the most beautiful Landmark in Fort Wayne. Outstanding

This museum is located in an old factory building and has a rougher, more industrial feel than the…read morepolished automotive museum next door. That is also part of its appeal. The collection is broad and includes cars, trucks, commercial vehicles, prototypes, signs, model cars, gas pumps, and other automotive memorabilia. There is a lot to explore, and the variety makes it interesting even when the displays are not especially refined. The GM Futurliner is the biggest highlight and is worth seeing by itself. Its size and unusual design are impressive, but it is currently parked tightly between two structural beams. That makes it difficult to step back, take photographs, or fully appreciate the vehicle. It should be moved to a more open area where visitors can see it properly. This is a good museum for anyone who enjoys vehicles and automotive history. It is less polished than the Art Deco museum next door, but the wide-ranging collection gives it a very different character.

This museum is massive on two levels with so many years of history with tons of cars and trucks…read more They have plenty of popular cars and trucks from many eras and even some odd balls. They have everything from a drag car, movie cars, everyday cars, military, classic cars, commercial vehicles, Wonder bread truck and the iconic checker cab from the 70s. Overall it's a nice collection of vehicles and a cool walk through.

While the current health pandemic has certainly impacted my social life and ability to try out a…read moreton of new businesses, it's also served to help me work on some projects that have needed my attention. I've had my vision set on establishing a memorial here in Indiana for quite some time, though I'm still exploring locations, acquiring land, and design options. As a result, I've been researching and exploring Indiana's monuments, old and new, and in the process learning about Indiana history. If you know me, you know that I'm a bit of a peacenik. I do a lot of work in the area of non-violence and am pretty much drawn to anything that promotes peace. I was unaware of Decatur, Indiana's Peace Monument until I began doing some research regarding Indiana's memorials. Located at the Adams County Courthouse, the Peace Monument was dedicated on October 30, 1913 and is a cenotaph made of Indiana limestone and metal. As a fun fact, the limestone came from the same quarry as downtown Indy's Soldier's and Sailors Monument. The front of the monument is an allegory for peace represented by a woman. As another fun fact, the model for Peace was a Chicago resident named Margaret McMasters Van Slyke, who'd once been called "the best and most perfectly formed woman." The cenotaph used to house a fountain, though the fountain is no longer in place. There's a metal tablet installed on the cenotaph. As yet another fun fact, the metal came from the USS Maine. There are two urns in front of the cenotaph designed for plantings. In 2014, Boy Scout Troop 70 and Elks Lodge 993 embarked on a project to develop a directory of the names listed on the Veterans Wall of Honor. While the cenotaph is a general war memorial, it emphasizes the importance of peace and the role of women. The memorial was designed to specifically memorialize the Civil War, Spanish-American War, Mexican-American War, and the Revolutionary War. There's a small plaza directly adjacent to the memorial with a tastefully created picnic table that allows you to simply sit there and really take it all in. It's quite beautiful and the memorial has had some renovation and updating done over the past few years. Owned by Adams County Commissioners, the Peace Monument was sculpted by Charles Mulligan and carved by Charles Dodd. This is definitely worth a visit and with Berne, Indiana nearby it's a terrific day trip.