So, this whole recession thing has put a kibosh on you plans to escape all of this January snow by jetting off to a sunny shore? I feel your pain. Luckily, I have come up with Heather’s handy-dandy list of nearly free things to do to make it through the winter months.

1) Caves. I’m sure I have you scratching you head by now, however, hear me out. Ohio is home to six of these natural wonders. AND, no matter what to temperature is above ground, it is always a constant temperature underground. If my memory serves me correct, it is around 54 degree. That sounds a whole lot better than the below freezing temps we have experienced for the last month.

Two of the caves are on South Bass Island. So, I don’t recommend visiting them until at least May. However, the others are all are within a couple hours of driving distance. And, since gas is no longer $4.00 per gallon, you can actually afford to go there. The closest cave is Seneca Caverns in Belleview. However, the Ohio history nerd in me strongly recommends Ohio Caverns in West Liberty.

2) The Toledo Art Museum. In my humble opinion, this is one of the most over-looked

gems in the Glass City. Folks, we have a world class museum here. And admission is always FREE!

According to the museums website, its collection includes 30,000 works or art in 35 galleries. Now, I can’t paint a lick, but I can appreciate the work of the masters and TMA has them all. Degas, van Gogh, Monet, Picasso and all of the other you were forced to learn about in elementary school art class are represented. There are also some extremely impressive Egyptian artifacts. I have to stop wiring about the Toledo Museum of Art now though for fear of sounding like a TMA promotion piece. But the bottom line is, I love the museum and you should, too. The downside though, it is closed on Mondays.

3) Frozentozen at the Toledo Zoo. This is for those of you who actually don’t mind bone-chilling temperatures and snow crunching under your feet. The Toledo Zoo’s annual Frozentozen really is a lot of fun, no matter how old you are.

There are ice carving on Saturdays, and animal feeding demonstrations and Saturdays and Sunday. Don’t worry, there are inside activities, too. These include puppet shows, musical performances, and one of those blow up things to jump in. Plus, the polar bears are in rare form. This is there kind of weather after all. Best of all, admission right now is half price. There is also a free admission weekend coming up for Lucas County residents Saturday, February 14th through Monday, February 16th.

4) Hibernate. This is actually my favorite suggestion. And it is probably the most cost effective. You don’t even need to leave your house. If you have no idea what I am talking about, I’ll give you a quick rundown. First, throw on your biggest, baggiest sweatshirt. Next, plop yourself down on the couch. Then, order a pizza, or wings, or some Chinese take-out (whatever can be delivered and prevent your from actually leaving your house.) Finally, order some movies on Pay-Per-View. Yes, this will actually save you money once you factor in the rental fee along with all of the late fees you will accrue because you don’t want to go out in the snow. Now, just say there until spring. This, depending on what the groundhog says Monday, could be right around the corner.

Heather Miller is a reporter for FOX Toledo.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Opinion, Without A Prompter.
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