By Chris Watson
Oh, those winter blues. Fifty-degree temperature changes, wet-cold-snow-ice-melt-REPEAT. This is the pattern of late winter in Northwest Ohio. And don’t rely on that rodent Pennsylvania for good information. According to Livescience.com that scruffy little mammal is only accurate 39% of the time.
So, what are we to do when we have cabin fever? Fortunately, our local businesses offer a wide variety of indoor “escapes” to get us through the winter blues. Below is a sampling of places offering mid-winter distractions.
Trapped Toledo: Part board game, part puzzle, part improve theatre, all fun. Trapped Toledo is a group interactive experience specializing in escape rooms. Join up with friends or meet new people and worked together to escape one of their rooms. Nothing gets us over the mid-February blues a good mystery or brain teaser. While you are at it, you are right at Colonial village, which includes Sean’s Irish Tavern and Monarch Comics and Cards. All good places to chase away the cabin fever.
Maumee Indoor Theater (Paramount Theater, Freemont).The Great Eastern Theaters
has been bringing old school moving going back to the area for several years. Along with their sister venue, Sundance Drive-in, both Maumee and Paramount are a great throwback
movie experience. Sure, the mega-plex’s have some technical advantages, if you like sterile and chrome. But to truly get out of the blues, visit one of these amazing local venues and turn a movie night into a movie experience.
Playzone, Toledo: For most of us of a certain age, Playzone is the mall arcade we WISHED we had. Lasor tag, bumper cars, video games galore plus virtual reality and capture the flag. Nothing will banish the winter blues like bashing a friend in a bumper car.
Nickle World: Nickle World is the arcade that most of us of a certain age actually had as kids…which is why we love it. It is hard to believe that arcade games can now be classified as “retro” but there you have it. Defender, Packman, Centipede, Galaxia and oh so much more. Many of the games are free or cost a nickel. There is a basic cover charge but we did say the games cost a nickel. If you are a gaming curmudgeon take along a third grader and introduce them to “real” gaming.
Reset: Completing the trifecta of video gaming is Reset, brought to you by the folks of Bar 145. Here you get all of the noise and neon of a video arcade with pub grub, TV sports, and over 30 beers on tap. Two locations include Toledo and Perrysburg.
Toledo Museum of Art: Our art museum is free…FREE! That is practically unheard of in the museum world and we don’t take enough advantage of it. This is more than just a great place to look at art. TMA offers a wide variety of programs, music, classes, and children’s’ activities with a schedule that is crammed full. Check their calendar for all of the great activities then consider a family membership. TMA is more than just located in the center of our city, it sits at the epicenter of our community.
Toledo Lucas County Library—Wood County Library—Way Public Library: Yes, libraries are about books. However, they are also about adventure. All three of these libraries and library systems are amazing sources of curing the winter blues. Classes, programs, kids’ activities galore, plus movies are all available at your local library. And, if you are really desperate, you can always check out books on your favorite summer activities from gardening to golfing.
Honorable Mention: Schools and Universities. We have two major universities and several amazing smaller institutions right in our back yard. Both hockey and basketball season is in full swing and seeing the Lady Rockets or the BGSU Falcons hockey team play is an affordable day out of the house. Add to that a variety of music and theater performances, public lectures, and other programing and these places of learning are amazing ways to chase away the winter blues. Check out University of Toledo, BGSU, and Lourdes University for calendars and information.
Don’t see your favorite place to beat the winter blues? Give your favorite a shout out on our social media and join the discussion at #livinglocalnwoh!
