Situated in the northwest corner of Ohio, almost on the Michigan border and close to the shore of Lake Erie, the city of Toledo sits along the western bank of the Maumee River, with a boardwalk in the center that has been greatly revitalized in recent years and contains a number of restaurants, shops and attractions.
The city has about 280,000 residents (and 600,000 in the surrounding metropolitan region), making it the sixth largest city in Ohio. Relying heavily on manufacturing over the years, the city’s fortunes stumbled a bit, as did other urban areas in the Midwest ‘rust belt’, in the mid to late 20th century, but in In recent times its center has seen a significant rebound, some of which was spurred on by Toledo’s growing LGBT population.
Toledo Pride Events
Toledo Pride is held in late August in downtown Promenade Park, right along the bank of the Maumee River. The festival is made up of several key events over the three-day weekend. The first big day of Pride is when the Toledo Pride Parade features the participation of more than 50 local businesses and organizations. It usually takes place downtown at noon.
The Toledo Pride Festival features entertainment, live music, vendors, food, and more throughout the weekend.
Where to stay
If you are coming to town for a night or two, consider reserving a room at the official host hotel of Toledo Pride, the Park Inn by Radisson (101 N. Summit St.), which is less than a block from the festival site. on Promenade Park and offers special rates – mention Toledo Pride when calling to reserve your room.
The city of Toledo is near the confluence of two major interstate highways, I-75 north-south and I-80 / I-90 east-west. It is within a few hours drive of several large Midwest cities, including Detroit (1 hour), Fort Wayne (1.5 hours), Cleveland (2 hours), Columbus (2.5 hours), Dayton (2.5 hours), Cincinnati ( 3.5 hours), Indianapolis (3.5 hours) and Chicago (4 hours).
Toledo Gay Resources
Toledo residents and visitors can browse some LGBT newspapers in the region for stories from Ohio and the Midwest, including Columbus-based Outlook; Gay People’s Chronicle, which is produced in Cleveland, and Between The Lines, which runs north on the Detroit metro.
The best overall GLBT resource in town is Equality Toledo, which lists events, resources, and more on its handy website. Also, the alternative weekly Toledo City Paper does a great job of local arts and entertainment coverage and is quite progressive, often delving into LGBT issues.
