NO MATTER where you live, people never hit up the most interesting things to do in their own communities. Its taken for granted-‘it will be there when I am ready’. Well, now is the time. Drag your kids kicking and screaming to these interesting activities to do in Summit County/Akron, OH.
Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom
After all the name changing, change of ownership, and what seemed like closing down, Geauge Lake still does exist! No longer the whole lake wrap around and roller coaster park, this water park as a lot to offer- with slides and rides that were NOT there when you were a kid.
The entrance is still there, so is a wave pool, liquid lighting funnel ride, and a simple boardwalk on the lake. PLus lots of water slides and kids water attractions too!
Click here to see the map so you can get your baring of what is there from yesteryear, and how big it now is now.
Akron Zoo
How many articles do we have to write to get you to the zoo!!?! The Akron zoo is tucked away on the western side of Akron off of SR 261. It has tigers, bears, a petting zoo, penguins, Komodo dragons, jellyfish, bats, condors, tortoises lemurs, and that’s about 1/4 of what they have.
Click here to see the map of the zoo.
Akron Zoo Website
Hale Farm and Village
Warm up at Hale Farm & Village a living history museum right here in beautiful Bath, OH. Check out their website- Hale Farm & Village provides school children, adults and families a slice of life on the Western Reserve in the backdrop of the 19th century. ALthough parts can be boring for kids, they will LEARN and see how things can get done without the Wii…
See the Map on BING.
Website
West Point Market
Shop like you own the place. The West Point Market is an iconic grocery shopping experience in West Akron. West Point Market offers a wide variety of cheese, specialty foods from around the world, its world famous Killer Brownies, gourmet products. Find items you never knew existed (or didn’t know you could eat!) at Westpoint, and enjoy its legendary customer service, and its knowledgeable staff. (NO Really, they are brainy!) I like to take my kids there because it opens their view to different things, and they ending up asking a lot of questions. Unfortunately, I don’t always have the foody answers, but hey, that’s what a knowledgeable staff is for.. ha ha ha….
Visit the West Point Market website
See where the store is at
Stan Hywet
What would an Akron list of things to do be WITHOUT Stan Hywet Mansion? Stan Hywet is the name of the Mansion (its big enough to have its own name, really) this is also in North West Akron not far from West Point Market, actually. Generally open for tours, this Mansion is left to us by the barons of the Tire industry of Akron’s past. I’m not going to give you a history here, go to the StanHywet website. I will tell you that the inside tours can be a little boring for kids, but the gardens are beautiful and they have enough nooks and crannies for little ones to play in and around. There is separate pricing for garden and house tours.
Akron Art Museum
First off, the museum is free for kids under 12yo. So, that’s a great start. The museum is located downtown, very close to the gigantic Akron Public library (have you been there? you should go!), and constantly rotates its content with new feature exhibitions. Its 7$ for an adult.
Akron Art Museum Floor Plan
Virginia Kendall Park unique rock formations
Virginia Kendall Park is outside of Peninsula, OH and is part of the National Park system. (Cuyahoga Valley National Park). Although there is a lake side park great for cross country skiing, etc, I personally like visiting the LEDGES. The Ledges is unique in all of Summit County- at least in publicly accessible areas!
The Ledges are rock outcroppings that surround the perimeter of the walking trail. You can check them out from on top of the ledge( do NOT bring your daredevil teenagers here!) or from the bottom of the cliffs/ledges. The whole walk is about 1 mile around, and you can shortcut it in a few different places. The top of the park has a great big pavilion, and a rentable indoor area complete with big fireplaces for the wintertime. It also has a HUGE grass field more than large enough for football, baseball, and soccer games.
Two more fabulous parts of the park are the IceBox Cave -brrr, and the thick pine trees that surround the tops of the cliffs-giving an outstandingly fresh scent! Smells make the memories they say….
Map to get to the Ledges.
