Weekend Getaway to Fort Wayne

Are you thinking about a weekend getaway and need an idea? How about a weekend in Fort Wayne, Indiana! 

We were recently invited and hosted by VISIT FORT WAYNE so that we could tell Louisville families all the fun things you can do.

We got in the car and drove 3.5 hours north to Fort Wayne, Indiana for a weekend trip filled with adventures, history and great food.

We arrived late in the morning and got our day started right away. 

Friday-Day 1:

We had brunch at Próximo. A Latin inspired cuisine with a fusion of Mexican and South American food. It was delicious! The kids ordered pancakes (3) and it came with bacon and scrambled eggs for $6. 

I got chilaquiles topped with carnitas and a fried egg for ($14) and my husband ordered a Seafood Saltado (Shrimp, scallops, avocado, peppers on top of white rice) ($22).

We then checked into our hotel. We were hosted to stay at The Bradley, a chic and dainty boutique hotel nestled in downtown Fort Wayne perfect for your weekend getaway to Fort Wayne. As soon as you open the doors, the smell of lavender awakens your senses and smiling faces greet you at the lobby. Navy blue and gold are the prominent colors with a restaurant/bar in the lower level and an art display as you walk towards the elevator. The rooftop bar/restaurant ‘Birdies’ has a chill vibe and it matches the hotel perfectly.

It wasn’t until day 2 when I realized that the co-founder of Vera Bradley – Barbara Bradley Baekgaard – is the co-owner of the hotel. No wonder it is spunky and colorful!

We changed into our water clothes and headed to Promenade Park, a one-of-a-kind park with Tree Canopy Trail, Kids’ Canal, splash pad, and accessible playground sitting right next to the St. Mary’s River.

 

We had kayak rentals booked with Fort Wayne Outfitters and Bike Depot at 1pm and they were waiting for us for our 2-hr trip. We got 2 kayaks (one adult and a child in both) and we paddled our kayaks down the river. We got to see geese, turtles, birds, ducks and several bridges-from those built in the 1700s to the newer ones. It was a breezy afternoon, so going upstream provided a great upper body workout. Hehe.

 

We returned our rentals and then the kids played at the playground and kids’ canal for another 2 hours. They enjoyed jumping on the rocks and getting wet in the process. We met families who drove in from Utica, NY and Dallas, TX! 

A fun stat is that Promenade Park celebrates 6 years this August, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to plan a trip before school begins to enjoy the festivities. 

After spending 5 hours under the sun, we walked to The Landing – a one block neighborhood featuring dining and entertainment. We decided on eating at Mercado, a California-Mexican restaurant with a delicious dip trio (salsa, queso and guacamole) plus amazing margaritas. 

After dinner, we stumbled upon 3 artists who were doing free caricatures on the plaza. The girls had fun getting their picture drawn, though they were skeptical about the outcome.

On our walk back to The Bradley Hotel, we got ice cream at Kilwins, an upper Midwest staple treat for your weekend getaway to Fort Wayne.

Day 2:

We woke up before 8am and started to get ready for a jam-packed Saturday. 

We made our way to the YLNI Farmers Market (voted the #1 Farmers Market in Indiana) where we bought coffee and smoothies at Lil K’s food truck. We bought bread and croissants from The Bread Guy and Thai food from a stand.

We also purchased Maple Syrup, lip balm and kitchen towels from different vendors. Next time, I’ll make sure to pack a cooler with ice packs so we can bring back steaks, chicken and more! 

Before it got too hot, we drove to the Fort Wayne Zoo-Top 3 zoo we’ve ever been to! 

From lemurs to an African Grey parrot to an ostrich, so many different and unique animals. We stumbled upon a peacock who was walking around the zoo and was quite friendly too. The zoo was built well and it’s easy to navigate because the exhibits are condensed and the animals are very close. If you’re the adventurous kind, you can pay $2 to feed the stingrays and/or giraffes.

The zoo has an aquarium with sharks and you can pet stingrays. 

There is a barn with chickens, sheep and goats. You also have the option to pay and feed the farm animals.  

Right across from the barn, we spotted swan paddle boats which you have to pay extra for.

If you want to give your legs a break, they even have rides (not included with general admission). $10 for 30 minutes or $10 unlimited ride pass.

If you have a group, $25 for 10 rides.

There’s so much to do and we all enjoyed the Fort Wayne Zoo experience. 

After being in the hot sun for over 4 hours, we are hungry and decide to visit Fort Wayne’s Famous Coney Island, an old-school diner with classic Coney dogs and chili soup. We ordered 3 coneys, a plain dog and soda- our bill was less than $20! Not only do they have the 1914 vibe but their prices are very reasonable, I could almost say their menu has a 1990s price tag with it.

We also found out that they own one of only 3 working Pepsi ice boxes in the world!

With a full belly, we drove over to Science Central, in order to take the fun indoors because of the Heat Advisory in place. 

We’re greeted by Jim, who kindly tells us that a show has just begun at the 3D Foundation Theater- Science on a sphere. The scientist taught us about hurricanes and areas of high and low pressure. 

Once the presentation was over, we walked over to the diamond exhibit to learn the difference between a zirconia and a diamond. They also had a display about planets and a cool slide where kids could go from the second floor to the first. 

Science Central is a neat spot for your weekend getaway to Fort Wayne with several hands-on exhibits and activities that promote learning while having fun. 

I can honestly say that the second floor is mainly for kids 8 years and older, as my 4 year old didn’t find much to do on that floor but she enjoyed playing with the water table on the first floor. 

Science Central celebrates 30 years this November – add it to your weekend getaway to Fort Wayne itinerary. 

It’s time for dinner. We walked to Ducky’s, one of Fort Wayne’s newest family-friendly restaurants, and it didn’t disappoint. The atmosphere is great for kids. We were able to have them eat their food in less than 20 minutes because they wanted to go bowling in their mini lanes (right across from our table). 

 

One kid ordered chicken tenders with fries($8), the other got a salad ($18). My husband got a pasta dish ($20) while I got a cheeseburger ($15). One hour of bowling is $32 but we only had time for 30 minutes, because we had a tour at 6.45pm, so we paid $16.

The kids really had a blast bowling and I was able to rest my feet under the A/C before having to go back out in the heat. 

We finished our meal and then proceeded to walk over to Promenade Park where the Sweet Breeze was waiting for us to board. The Sweet Breeze Canal 45-minute Boat Tour was a nice way to cap off an amazing day.

We cruised down three rivers: the St. Mary’s, St. John’s and Maumee. We learned about the history of all three rivers and about the city of Fort Wayne, also known as the Summit City. The narrator talked about Chief LittleTurtle, the first major league baseball game played in the city in which the Yankees and Babe Ruth gave locals a thrilling baseball game. The kids got bingo cards (they had to put a sticker on the item they had spotted) to stay busy and engaged. They saw ducks, cottonwood trees, boats, paddleboards, and statues. By the end of the cruise, if they had a BINGO, they got a prize from the treasure box. Unique opportunity for fun on a weekend getaway to Fort Wayne!

On our walk back to the hotel, the kids had to jump one last time on the rocks at the Kid’s Canal. This was definitely a favorite amongst my girls. 

Day 3: 

Breakfast at Cosmos. A 2nd generation family friendly restaurant with homemade soups and Melinda’s pancakes $6.29 (chocolate chip Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes with whipped cream) yums! 

We ordered a kids egg/bacon and hash browns for $5.99, a breaded pork tenderloin with fries sandwich for $10.99, and an avocado toast with eggs for $9.99. Deciding to eat at Cosmos was the perfect way to end our trip to Fort Wayne. Tasty food at an affordable price and there was no wait time on a Sunday morning. 

 

Just in case you’re wondering what the kids thought about it: my 7 year old daughter said “she wants to Kayak again because seeing the animals up close and paddling was fun”

While my 4 year old won’t stop talking about “how the giraffe was right next to her and that she’s never seeing anything like it”.

 

My main takeaways of this weekend getaway to Fort Wayne:

–The Bradley is the perfect location to stay because it’s in the middle of everything. The one downside with this hotel is that there isn’t a pool but my kids didn’t seem to mind because of the splash pad nearby. You can walk to Promenade Park, to The Landing, to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday and there are so many options of dining and entertainment. 

-You MUST include a day on the river whether it is on a kayak, paddleboard or on a boat.

You shouldn’t visit Fort Wayne without a trip to the Zoo. I highly recommended it!

Fort Wayne in the summer is full of activities and the list of things to do on a weekend are endless. While we were in town, the GreekFest was in full force, the Covington Art Fair, the Allen county fair, SolFest and a Freedom Fest were also happening. 

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