Bowling Green
Bowling Green is a small college town in Northwest Ohio about 30 mi south of the Michigan border. Surrounded by miles of flat farmland, Bowling Green is best known for its public university, Bowling Green State University (BGSU), and its national tractor pull event. Locals often shorten Bowling Green to BG - pronounced "Bee Gee".
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41 places match
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Animarathon
Anime Marathon
Animarathon is an annual two-day student-run spring Japanese anime convention. Animarathon has taiko, cosplay competitions, a maid cafe, special guests, and panels related to anime and Japanese popular culture. The Student Union ballroom is used to host artists and vendors of Anime merchandise.
Sat 9AM-midnight, Sun 9AM-6PM$20 at door, $15 pre-registration
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Apple Butter Festival of Grand Rapids
Located in the riverside city of Grand Rapids, the Apple Butter Festival is a celebration of all things apple.
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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
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ArtsX
BGSU's annual winter art talent show. Includes performance art, music, theater, fine art, and art sales.
Early DecemberFree
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Beaver Creek Preserve
A preserve with meadows and brush. Offers stargazing sessions.
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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
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Black Swamp Preserve
A nature preserve connected to the Slippery Elm Trail. Has restrooms, a water fountain, resting areas, a bike repair stand, gardens, and descriptions of local wildlife on an educational board.
8AM-duskFree
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Bowling Green Bobcats
Bowling Green High School has an athletics program with a variety of sports, including football, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, tennis, track, wrestling, bowling, hockey, golf, and lacrosse.
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Carter Park
Has a baseball complex, softball complex, volleyball courts, Disk Golf, picnic shelters, and a natural area. One of the largest parks in Bowling Green by size.
Free
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Cherry Blossom Festival
O-hanami
The Cherry Blossom Festival is held annually in April by the Japanese Club at BGSU. The Cherry Blossom festival hosts Japanese cultural programming, origami and shodo brush writing workshops, a Taiko drum performance, Martial Arts demonstrations, a bon-odori dance, kimono try ons, Japanese game tables, and free Japanese snacks including sushi and green tea. The event started as a small gathering of 75 people in 2001 to thank the support of Tokyo Alumni, and hosts over 800 people as of 2018.
Free
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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
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Cochrane Stadium
BGSU's soccer stadium. The Stadium has bleachers, a modern design and hosts both men and women soccer games.
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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
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Doyt L. Perry Stadium
The Doyt
BGSU's football stadium. The layout of the stadium is like a horseshoe, with the south end open. The north building is the Sebo Athletic center, where BGSU's collegiate athletes train. The stadium interior contains sports faculties, offices, and lounges. On years ending with an odd number, this stadium hosts the Battle of I-75 with BGSU Falcons' arch rival the Toledo Rockets. While it's not part of the stadium, the University of Toledo's Glass Bowl keeps a Cold War era US Army Nike Ajax rocket aimed at the Doyt's 50-yard line.
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Falcon BEST Robotics Competition
Annual robotics competition at BGSU featuring teams from Ohio and Indiana middle schools and high schools.
Early November
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Firefly Nights
Mini summer festivals held downtown featuring live music, local crafts, and food. Occasionally hosted in the fall as well.
Jun-Aug third Fri of the month in the evening
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Heritage Days
Annual event held the second full weekend in June. Step back in time and get your hands on history with soap making, rope making, fresh butter churning, free blacksmith and farm demonstrations, farm-themed activities, farm animals, historic games, swap meet, kiddie pedal pull, Power of Yesteryear antique tractor show, BBQ and live music. All set amid the rustic historical museum grounds.
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Moore Musical Arts Center
Features a variety of performance halls specifically for the musical arts. Outside of regular rehearsals, practices, competitions, and special events, hosts two major recurring events - the New Music Festival and the Orchard Guitar Festival are in the Fall. It also hosts the Summer Music Institute which builds musical skills.
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National Tractor Pull Championships
Pulltown
One of the three National Tractor Pullers Association Super National Events. This has all kinds of tractor pulling, from two-wheel drive to Super Semis. Part of the fairground is turned into a temporary campground with 2,107 campsites, making it the fourth-largest campsite for motorsport events in the USA, highlighting the sheer size of the tractor pull.
Annual three-day event in late August$20-100
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Oktoberfest
BGSU's German club hosts an annual Oktoberfest celebration featuring polka music, and merryment. There is a buffet as well as a cash bar with beer.
late OctoberFree admission, buffet costs $5 for students, $10 for general public in advance, and $15 for the general public at the door
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Rugby Field
A rugby field that has bleachers and a scoreboard. BGSU has a national championship winning Rugby team (2018).
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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
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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
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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
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Steller Field
Warren E. Steller Field
BGSU's baseball field. Features bleacher seating, natural grass turf, and an electronic scoreboard.
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Stone Ridge Golf Club
A private 18-hole golf course in a quiet residential neighborhood on the edge of town. Has a restaurant at the clubhouse.
6AM-7PM$46 regular, $20 super twilight
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Stroh Center
BGSU's primary basketball arena, replacing Memorial Hall for most events. The Stroh Center also houses the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame, practice courts and the Anderson Club.
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The Hatch
Annual spring entrepreneurship competition at BGSU operated by the College of Business. Each participating student, referred to as Hatchlings, work on a project over the course of several months with local business mentors. This culminates in a gameshow style event held in the basketball stadium where the Hatchlings compete to try to get investors to take a stake in their entrepreneurial projects.
Annually in the SpringFree
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Thurston State Park
Mary Jane Thurston State Park
Offers hiking, hunting, fishing, and boating along the Maumee River.
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Winterfest
Winterfest is the third weekend in February annually and has more than 30 fun winter-themed events for all ages. Visit the sparkling ice chalet, ice skating competition, the ice sculpture exhibits with an interactive photo area and artist-created snowflakes decorating the whole downtown. Be part of the fun with a chili & soup cook-off, BG Parks & Rec Frostbite Run, ice skating, snow games and downtown retail open house Sparkle Night.
Free
39 of 41 places have map locations.