Things to do with kids in Bowling Green

13 family-friendly places in Bowling Green: zoos, aquariums, playgrounds and more.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Do
Art Walk
Stroll through the historic downtown and visit the many galleries and exhibitions featuring visual and performing arts from all ages. Artists' demonstrations, family activities and performances continue throughout the day. Has a raffle with prizes.
Annual event held the last Sat in AprilFree
Do
Black Swamp Arts Festival
BSAF
Bowling Green's local artists come and share their work with the community to help celebrate the arts. Fine arts and crafts throughout the Downtown area. Children's activities, live music, demonstrations, and various art events all weekend.
Annually in early September - Fri 5PM-midnight, Sat 10AM-midnight, Sun 11AM-5PMFree. Parking shuttle may require cash, but it is possible to park and walk for free
Do
City Park
City Park features the city pool and waterpark, skate park, rollerskating rink, the historic Needle Hall, and golf course at the adjacent country club. The waterpark includes a waterslide, lazy river, diving boards, and splash playground.
Free
Do
Dance Marathon
DM / Ziggython
A charity dancing event in support of the Children's Miracle Network. The largest student-run event on the BGSU campus.
Annual 24-hour-long event in April
See
National Construction Equipment Museum
NCEM
Showcases historic construction machinery including trucks, excavators, paving equipment, drills, scrapers, rollers, graders, cranes, excavators, and tractors.
By appointment only$7 adult, free for kids 12 or under
Eat
Pagliai's
Pollyeyes
A pizzeria that offers an all-you-can-eat family pizza buffet, where they will make a pizza off the menu with each order. This allows you choice in what you eat with access to a buffet which includes pizza and salad. Allows for regular non-buffet orders too. Locals call it "Polly-eyes", not "Pag-Lee-ais".
11AM-10PM$7-15
Do
STEM in the Park
Wood County Air Fair
Annual event to promote science, technology, engineering, and math to youth. Exhibits include robotics, food science, digital media, water science, and demos from Toledo institutions such as the Toledo Zoo and Imagination Station. Features live music with local bands. Operates jointly with the Wood County Air Fair, which showcases and flies current and historical aircraft, helicopters, hot air balloons, and rockets.
late SeptemberFree
Do
Simpson Sensory and Children's Garden Park
Simpson Garden Park
A park with a variety of plants and artistic structures. The park includes a healing garden, a children's park, and a Japanese garden. Golf cart tours are available.
Free
Do
Slater Family Ice Arena
BGSU Ice Arena
BGSU's dual rink ice arena. The ice area includes a pro shop, and a lounge area. Hosts hockey games, figure skating, skating lessons, and public skating. The Falcons, Local High Schools, and the Black Swamp Ice Frogs play hockey here. The lobby has a small section with memorabilia of Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton, who used to skate here as a student.
50 minutes $10, 80 minutes $15
See
Snook's Dream Cars
Classic car museum features a recreated 1940s-era Texaco gas station with authentic antique signage, a showroom of extensive automobile memorabilia, coin operated antique machines and classic cars that are all in excellent working order and are even driven on a regular basis. Within the museum painted murals and background scenes recreate the looks of a 1930s general store to a racetrack from the 1960s. The car collection features models from the 1930s to the 1960s. The facility also houses a complete four-bay shop for maintaining collector cars and a special area for events.
Mon-Fri 8AM-Noon & 1PM-5PM, Sat Sun by appointmentAdults $8, seniors $6, children $5
See
Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway and Museum
TLEW
The museum is re-opening soon after renovations but they offer motorcar train rides that overlook that Maumee River Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 5 pm which can be found here. Check website for availability.
June-October: the first and 3rd Sat of the month noon-4PMFree (donations appreciated), train rides: $6/adults, $4/kids 3-12
Do
Wood County Fair
The fair typically includes concerts, a car show, a demolition derby, tractor, truck and semi pulls, championship horse and pony pulls, dances, a cheerleading competition, live music, food, games, rides, industrial arts, woodworking and carving demonstrations, cookie decorating, balloon artists, livestock, flower show, quilts, needlework, karaoke, 4H projects, baked and canned goods, ice cream, wine competition and a parade of floats.
Annual event held the last weekend in July until the end of the first week in August$7, children under 9 are free
Eat
Kermit's
Local mom & pop family diner with large portions.
Mon-Fri 6AM-7PM, Sat Sun 7AM-3PM

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Bowling Green (CC BY-SA 4.0).