I was born and raised in south Toledo. When I was younger I always thought this area was boring and had nothing to do but as I have gotten older and now having kids I have found so many things that makes me want to stay in this area.
Schools
When we were looking into preschools for my oldest we didn’t want to spend too much money but we knew we needed one that had options to help with her speech delay. We found Crossgates Preschool which is a Toledo Public schools, TPS for short, ran preschool. It offers half day programs for age 3-5 years of age and also at 4 offers a full day program, both Monday-Thursday. The classes are mixed with students who need extra help with things like speech, occupational therapy and physical therapy along with peers. They helped my oldest learn to use her words while still being around others who did not need that extra help and I believe the mix of the two helped her tremendously.
As for elementary schools, TPS has 2 in south Toledo. Beverly Elementary and Byrnedale Elementary. My oldest went to Byrnedale up to 4th grade and my youngest through 1st. Again, Byrnedale had great therapists to help my oldest with her speech and she “graduated” out of therapy in the 4th grade.We decided we wanted something a little different that we could keep them in throughout all their school years to graduation of highschool so we switched to Northwest Ohio Classical Academy which is a charter school that offers grades kindergarten-12th grade. We love the different way of learning and the emphasis on math and reading and we also love that they offer extracurriculars that the public schools don’t seem to offer anymore like soccer, drama clubs, basketball and much more.
Parks and Rec
We also have amazing parks in the area. Swan Creek Metropark has awesome trails and the kids love the two playgrounds: one on the Glendale Avenue side and one on the Airport Highway side. There’s also a few city parks like Copland park at 4727 Copland Blvd. It has a circular path you can walk, a baseball field, a tennis court, basketball court and of course a playground. There is also Walbridge park at 2761 Broadway street which also has a walking path and a playground. This one is really unique as back in the 1920-1930s it once was an Amusement Park, but everything but a couple out buildings are long gone.
EATS
We have great locally owned restaurants in the area too! Glendale Garden Cafe and Reynolds Garden Cafe are both delicious. If you want Indian food, Star of India, which is in an old diner building on Reynolds road has great Indian home style cooking and they area family run and when you go in they talk to you like you are friends even if it’s your first time. If you want a delicious chili dog or chili Mac there is Rudy’s Hot dog or Ideal hot dog. If you want true Italian food and not a franchise experience Sabastiano’s is a great one to try. They do book up when there’s a show across the street at The Stranahan Theater so make sure you reserve a table. Also, my kids favorite thing to check out is the awesome ice cream shops we have. They count down the days when they can go to Shiver’s Ice cream or Lickity Split. Lastly, if you are a coffee drinker like me we have Plate 21 on Rugby that has delicious lattes and teas. If you are looking for a delicious pastry or cake: Wixey’s bakery is the go-to!
Entertainment
Speaking of the Stranahan theater, this is the place to go for a touring musical or concert, they do just as good of a job with a show as Chicago or New York would do.
If you are looking for a hometown feel grocery store there is Monette’s Market on Glendale Ave. that has fresh produce and great deli selections along with a greenhouse in the spring and summer months with great prices.
Neighborhoods
Lastly. When I see people looking for a great neighbor hood to move into I always recommend the beautiful neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Crossgates, or Beverly. The neighborhoods are filled with families of all ages and all 3 feel like the neighborhoods from my childhood where you can see kids outside playing with friends and riding bikes. It’s amazing to see that this is still around.
I am so glad I decided to stay in South Toledo and do my research on why this is such an amazing place to raise a family.