How Glass City Riverwalk Connects Visitors with Toledo’s Waterfront

Following the first significant snowfall at Toledo’s Glass City Metropark in 2020, organizers expected maybe 50 kids to show up to enjoy the sledding hill, walking trails and enclosed pavilion. Instead, nearly 1,200 joyful youngsters arrived to sled at the city’s newest park.

Similarly, Glass City Metropark’s ice-skating course, The Ribbon — which accommodates roller skaters and scooters in the warmer months — has been packed since it opened in June 2023 and welcomed its 100,000th ice skater in early 2025. In addition to sledding and skating, The Ribbon offers rentable cabanas with fire pits and heaters and provides an opportunity to order food and seasonal drinks from the on-site restaurant, The Garden by Poco Piatti. The cabanas book up quickly and are regularly full.

“We thought that it would be popular. We didn’t know it would be this popular,” Matt Killam, Metroparks Toledo’s chief outreach officer, says of the park. “People need stuff to do 365 days a year and want access to outdoor recreation and activities. These things are examples that people are starving for it. People are traveling to visit downtown Toledo during the winter, which has been unheard of.”

Glass City Metropark is just one piece of the blossoming Glass City Riverwalk, a $250 million investment to create a total of 5.5 miles of all-purpose trails along the east and west sides of the Maumee River, connecting those opposite sides while simultaneously revitalizing downtown Toledo. The project has taken underused spaces and turned them into thriving areas, from commercial development to recreational spots to public art spaces. Glass City Metropark, for example, sits on land that once housed a power plant. 

“Although it’s the river that made us a city, we had sort of turned our backs on it,” Killam says. 

Not anymore. The Glass City Riverwalk is filled with opportunities for recreation and entertainment. Visitors to downtown Toledo can take a walk that offers unique riverfront views of the city, grab a bite to eat, explore museums or enjoy a sporting event or concert. A water taxi run by J&M Cruise Lines connects the two sides of the river. 

When completed, the project will span 300 acres that offer public fishing, boating, birding and more. Kayak Cove at Glass City Metropark provides an opportunity to rent a kayak or launch your own and paddle in an area sheltered by the Adventure Boardwalk or venture out onto the Maumee River. The Adventure Boardwalk has several bridges spanning the water and is a great spot for photo ops and catching a stunning sunset. 

Along the waterfront on the other side of the Maumee River, public art abounds. Murals of cardinals and scenes of Toledo’s past, including Promenade Park’s “Echo” (a walk-through sculpture of metal rings built from a smokestack at a former Toledo steam plant) and the iconic “Blue Lupine” (a metal sculpture of Lucas County’s official wildflower), located at the Glass City Center are just a few of these beloved works. 

In the same area, the science-themed museum Imagination Station offers an array of hands-on exhibits ripe for discovery and learning. The Huntington Center, home of the Toledo Walleye (minor league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings) and a prime concert venue, and Fifth-Third Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens (minor league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers), are just steps away from the waterfront.

Restaurants ranging from pubs to fine dining, breweries and lofts have popped up along the riverwalk and throughout downtown in recent years. Live music, such as concerts at Promenade Park and Hensville, takes place throughout the warmer months. 

One of the latest areas of emphasis is part of the Glass City Riverwalk’s third phase: the rejuvenation of Toledo’s oldest neighborhood, the Vistula Historic District on the west side of the river. A big part of that is Toledo Pickle Co., which opened in early 2025. This new event center allows pickleball players of all skill levels to enjoy the ever-popular game, as well as get active with rock-climbing walls, shuffleboard and cornhole. The on-site Stay Out of the Kitchen Grill serves up affordable and delicious fare, craft beers and signature cocktails to enjoy after playing. 

The city of Toledo had been using the building as a staging area for its road salt and utility vehicles, which wasn’t the best use of a waterfront building, Killam says. Toledo Pickle Co. is an example of how the Glass City Riverwalk reimagines underutilized spaces and how to best maximize their potential. 

Ostrich Towne, a private development in the Vistula neighborhood, is another. Named for the alley that runs through it, Ostrich Towne was mostly abandoned warehouse space that has now been repurposed into lofts and offices, as well as retail and restaurant space.

“There’s a saying from a movie that [goes] ‘If you build it, they will come.’ That’s not really true,” Killam says. “If you build it based on what people said they wanted and invite them over and over again, they will come.”

Once the Vistula project is complete, Glass City Riverwalk plans call for the revitalization of International Park near The Docks area (home to several restaurants and a Metroparks-owned boathouse) on the east side of the river, Killam says. He adds that the entire Riverwalk is expected to be completed in 2030. For more information about Toledo’s Glass City Riverwalk, visit glasscityriverwalk.com.

Explore the National Museum of the Great Lakes

Travelers should visit the thriving and growing National Museum of the Great Lakes, which is located right beside Glass City Metropark and provides both context for Toledo’s role in Great Lakes history and a unique view of the city. Exhibits detail the Great Lakes and how navigating them has changed through the decades, while intricate models show how ship building has evolved over time. 

A simulator lets visitors make a virtual dive around the sunken freighter Edmund Fitzgerald, which wrecked in Lake Superior during a gale on Nov. 10, 1975. A life raft and oars from the Edmund Fitzgerald, whose captain and a majority of its crew were from Toledo, are among the artifacts on display. They join others from historic ships that are prominently showcased throughout the museum and tell a broader story of the lakes. 

“The Edmund Fitzgerald was commonly referred to as the Toledo Express,” says Kate Fineske, the museum’s executive director. “We’re really trying to have Toledo be that space where people remember that tragedy that happened within our lifetime.” 

From May through October, the retired cargo freighter Col. James M. Schoonmaker and tugboat Ohio, both built in the early 1900s and now moored on the river, offer close-up looks at life aboard these crafts when they were in service, as well as the enormity of the boats.

“You go in there and you think about the talent of these individuals to steer these huge things through the water,” Fineske says of the Schoonmaker. “It has one of the single best views of downtown Toledo. It’s just an incredible overview of the city.”

Meanwhile, the museum is in the process of a $5.5 million expansion that is expected to be finished by the end of June. It will add 5,000 square feet of exhibit space, including a more permanent exhibit area and space for rotating special exhibits. The cornerstone will be the pilot house of the St. Marys Challenger, a fleet mate of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker, which will be accessible from inside the museum to look out over the river. It will give a similar view to the Schoonmaker but will be open to museum visitors year-round.

A permanent gallery will feature roughly a dozen boat models of Great Lakes ships that tell stories, including those of integration and salvage in the shipping industry. 

“History happens every day,” Fineske says. “We’re definitely taking the history that’s been happening and taking it into the future in our new permanent exhibit space. There are so many stories that we haven’t been able to tell.” 1701 Front St., Toledo 43605, 419/214-5000, nmgl.org

Take a River Cruise

Departing from a dock along the Glass City Riverwalk, the Sandpiper and Glass City Pearl offer opportunities to see Toledo from a unique perspective.

“We have a multitude of people every year that come on the boat who tell us they live here and have grown up here … and have never been on [an excursion],” says Paul Lis, owner of  J&M Cruise Lines, which owns the boats. “It’s a completely different way to see Toledo.”

When the Sandpiper, which leisurely travels up the river and is built to look like a historic canal boat, cruises up alongside the city’s famous Glass City River Wall, those aboard hold up their phones, ready to snap pictures. They’re wowed by the magnitude of the mural, which is the largest in America and one of Toledo’s most recognizable pieces of public art. They snap picture after picture of the row of giant grain silos painted with brilliant yellow sunflowers and portraits of Native Americans, who once lived on this land and grew sunflowers here. 

The Sandpiper offers a closeup view of the mural that few get to see. It also passes the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium, the Toledo Yacht Club and stunning waterfront homes and natural areas. Eagles fly past now and then, and deer are sometimes spotted swimming near the shore. 

“It’s a nice, calming, slow ride” Lis says. “People love the mural. They love being able to get up and see the other boats. They absolutely love looking at all the gorgeous homes.” 

The Glass City Pearl, a yacht-like boat that is built to handle the waves of Lake Erie, offers another perspective with sunset cruises, fishing charters on Lake Erie and event rentals, as well as Sunday brunch and Taco Tuesday cruises. J&M Cruise Lines is planning special events for both boats, including a series of historical cruises, karaoke nights, live music and special themed nights. For more information about J&M Cruise Lines excursions, call 419/537-1212 or visit jmcruiselines.com.  

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