#HEYAKRON

We Keep It Moving

The story of Akron is the story of moving. Sometimes it’s people moving stuff, sometimes it’s stuff moving people, but Akronites are always on the move.

This fascination with movement goes back before there was actually an Akron, when the area’s native people traveled vast distances by canoe using the rivers.

Lake Kim Tam Park

2881 Canton Rd., Uniontown 44685, 330.699.2648, kimtampark.com

Lake Kim Tam is a local swim park opened by Charles William Patton in 1956 for the community of Uniontown. Surrounded by a sandy beach, the spring-water-fed lake has kiddie slides on one end and a dock with diving boards on the other!

Loyal Oak Lake Park

2678 S. Hametown Rd., Norton 44203, 330.825.4343, thelakepark.com

Swim, play, picnic, golf and camp at this well-kept family recreation club, which features a playground area, picnic shelters and grills, a refreshment bar, sun deck, sports equipment and facilities, miniature golf and more.

Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition 47 W. Exchange St., Akron 44308, 330.374.5657, ohioeriecanal.org

Richard Howe House Visitors Center provides information about the Ohio & Erie Canalway and Towpath Trail.

Ohio & Erie Canalway

National Heritage Area

Multiple locations, 330.374.5657, ohioanderiecanalway.com

Experience culture and heritage and find recreation and natural beauty in the Ohio & Erie Canalway. Travel by Towpath, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad or drive the America’s Byway to explore the NHA.

Ohio Veterans’ Memorial Park

8005 Cleveland Massillon Rd., Clinton 44216, 330.773.2385, ovmp.org

Funded solely by private donations, the memorial park is unlike any other with the longest free-standing memorial in the country.

Peninsula peninsulaohio.com

Charmingly trapped in time, this village gets its name from the sharp bend of the Cuyahoga River. With restaurants, unique shops, the Towpath Trail, Century Cycles and a Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train depot, the town is the perfect place for a full day of fun.

Summit Metro Parks

975 Treaty Line Rd., Akron 44313, 330.867.5511, summitmetroparks.org

This 14,300-acre park system features 16 developed parks and several conservation areas, and averages 5 million visits a year. It has more than 125 miles of trails for walking, hiking and biking, including 22.4 miles of the Towpath Trail.

Virginia Kendall Park

15610 Vaughn Rd., Brecksville 44141, 330.657.2752, nps.gov/cuva

A part of the larger Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Virginia Kendall features a series of climbing ledges, including the popular Ritchie Ledges that give visitors a glimpse into the ancient rock history of the area.

In 1825, work began on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Simon Perkins noticed that there was nothing around the high point of the canal. He was sure a town around that part would do a lot of business selling to the travelers — even as they were moving goods. He began to make plans for a city, and Akron was born.

Akron Marathon