Travel, Bowling Green, and Field Trips

Travel Information

By Plane

Gathering shuttles will only serve the Detroit Airport (DTW). Attenders arriving on Sunday should book flights arriving in Detroit before 8 PM. Shuttles will start at Noon. Attenders arriving Saturday (requires early housing) should book flights arriving in Detroit before 7 PM. Shuttles will start at 2 PM. Shuttles will serve flights departing after 9 AM Saturday July 10. See shuttles section below before making your reservations.

By Train

The closest Amtrak station is Toledo, OH. Consult the Gathering website after March 15 to see what trains will be met by Gathering shuttles.

Shuttles

The deadline for ALL shuttle reservations — arrivals and departures — will be June 10. We encourage attenders to reserve shuttle seats when you register for the Gathering starting April 1. If your travel plans do not allow you to make reservations when you register, you can call 215-561-1700 x 2 after April 1 and before June 10 to book a seat. WE WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE OR ON-SITE RESERVATIONS THIS YEAR.

By Car

Bowling Green, OH, is 85 miles south of Detroit and 115 miles west of Cleveland. For overnight hospitality en route to the Gathering, consult the Directory of Traveling Friends, available only from Quaker Books of FGC at www.QuakerBooks.org or 1-800-966-4556. (When using the Directory, please bring a letter of introduction from your Meeting.) See driving directions.

By Carpool

Be green and arrive at the Gathering with a full car! Indicate your interest in carpooling when you register, and FGC will send you more information.

About Bowling Green, Ohio

Bowling Green, Ohio, a town of 30,000, is located in a fertile agricultural region in western Ohio.

It is a day's drive or less of from Chicago (252 miles or 4 hours), Detroit (75 miles or 1 hour 20 minutes), Indianapolis (231 miles or 3 hours 50 minutes), Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis.

Field Trips

Likely afternoon field trips include:

The Islamic Center of Greater Toledo: Mosque in Perrysburg, Ohio
Toledo Museum of Art (works of art representing American and European painting, the history of art in glass, ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works, Asian and African art, medieval art)
Bluebird Passenger Train (15 mile, one hour train ride round trip beginning in Waterville, Ohio)
Providence Metropark Canal Experience (mule-drawn canal boat ride in Providence, Ohio)
C/J Natural Meats and Dairy (family-owned pastured dairy, poultry and beef farm)
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Bowling Green Wind Farm (Ohio's first commercial wind farm)

Attractions in Bowling Green

Attractions within Bowling Green include:

Grounds for Thought: coffee shop and used bookstore
Squeakers Café and Health Food Store: vegan restaurant and natural foods store
Finders: independent record store
Slippery Elm Trail: 13-mile flat, paved rail trail
Walking Tour of Historic Places: self-guided walking tours

There are various attractions within a two-hour drive including:

Sauder Villagetory/default.asp">Sauder Village (historic village and craftsmen) Archbold, Ohio
Greenfield Village (historic village maintaining the buildings and stories of America's past): Dearborn, Michigan
Put-in-Bay (Lake Erie island 45 miles east of Toledo)
Kelly's Island (Lake Erie island twelve miles from Sandusky, Ohio)
Ohio Caverns (caverns filled with crystal stalactites, stalagmites and other formations.): West Liberty, Ohio