10 Things to Do when You're Stuck in Akron, Ohio
Yes, You Can Enjoy Yourself
Akron, OH 44310
United States of America
1. Inventure Place: Spend a day at the Inventors' Hall of Fame. It's great for kids or adults with a kid's curiosity. Their hands-on exhibits include displays on fiber optics, magnetics, microsopics, and animation. Phone: 330-849-6929 Location: Downtown Akron. Open year round. Tickets are $8.75.
2. Stan Hywet: The former home of Goodyear's founder, F.A. Seiberling was completed in 1915. Now you can step inside and learn what luxury was like 100 years ago. What would Bill Gates or Howard Branson's homes be like if it was 1920? Stan Hywet. My favorite parts are the bowling alley and the house-wide vacuum system. Really interesting, fun tour for adults. They also have spectacular gardens and occasional special events. Phone: 888-836-5533 Location: Akron. Open from spring-fall. Tours from $12.
3. Akron Art Museum: They'll have the finishing touches wrapped up in summer 07. The wonderful little art museum is a hop, skip, and a jump from the library and Inventure place and hosts many fantastic exhibitions. It usually takes me 2-3 hours to tour the exhibits, but I'm not a connoisseur. Phone: 330-376-9186. Location: downtown. Open year round from July 2007. Admission is free.
4. Harry London Chocolate Factory: In 1922, Harry London left his factory job to make chocolate in the European tradition. Save your ticket, it's worth $2 at the store. Phone: 800-321-0444. Location: North Canton, 20 minutes South of Akron. Open year round. Reservations required. Adult tour tickets are $3.
5. West Point Market: If you've been searching for a hard to find ingredient or imported food product, you'll probably find it here. Founded in 1936 when three Akron men purchased a regular grocery, West Point Market evolved into specialists in all things spectacular. Their cheese shop houses over 300 different cheeses. Phone: 800-838-2156 Location: Akron. Open year round.
6. Akron Zoo: Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! This small but well designed zoo is an excellent day's outing. The zoo is located on 50 acres and holds 700 animals. A visit will normally take 3-5 hours. Stop at the West Point Market and bring a picnic to eat in one of their many outdoor picnic areas. Phone: 330-375-2550. Location: Akron. Open year round except major holidays. Admission is $0-$8, depending on age and season. Parking is $1.50.
7. Aeros Games: Canal park is a beautiful little ballpark designed by the same people who did Jacob's Field. No matter where your seat is, you can see what's happening. Its easy to get to, and more importantly, easy to get away from. Even if you don't love baseball, you'll have a great time. Phone: 800-97-AEROS. Location: Canal Park, Downtown. Tickets from $7-$10.
8. Skiing Brandywine/Boston Mills: Have a free day or night? If you're in Akron in the winter, why not spend some time on the slopes? Phone: 800-875-4241. Location: Peninsula, 20 minutes from Akron. Lift tickets from $23-$39, Ski package rentals from $26.
9. Main Library: Akron's very modern public library is enormous and centrally located. A reading enthusiast could spend his entire visit to Akron browsing the collection. In fact, the massive magazine selection would take at least a week. Phone: 330-643-9030. Location: Downtown Admission is free.
10. Kent State's Museum of Decorative Arts: A unique museum of textile and fashion's history unexpectedly located in NE Ohio. Even if you're not interested in the latest trends, the massive historical collection of textiles and costumes from around the world is interesting. Phone: 330-672-3450. Location: Kent, about 20 minutes from Akron. Open year round Weds-Sun, except major holidays. Admission is $5.
Published by Sydney Ellis
Sydney is a former training specialist who now spends her time in HR consulting, traveling, and writing more words than are necessary. View profile
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5 Comments
Post a CommentI'm just going to say that Inventure Place is no more and there are way better things to do....especially since some of these things aren't even IN Akron.
Check out Highland Square for good eats, cool shops, and a different side of Akron.
Downtown has some good bars, music venues, and great restaurants.
Also, the Akron Film Society pretty much ALWAYS has something going on. You can get their information through the Akron Art Museum, I believe.
Good luck....Akron can be way better than people make it out to be.
Yes, and their malteds are fabulous too. Thanks for reminding me!
A must do.... Swenson's hamberger shop. Best Cheese Burger in the world. Yum.
This information has helped me so much, with my school project I hope that you keep on wrighting things like this!
Great job!!!!!
Pretty good article. I grew up in Akron, haven't lived there since the early 90s. Stan Hywet is actually someone's house though, a very, very rich Frank Seiberling who founded Goodyear. It's probably one of the oldest surviving historical landmarks in Akron; the inscription translated "not for us alone" suggests that the contribution of Stan Hywet to the public at that time reflected the mentality behind such popular landmarks as Central Park in New York. Funny though, you never know who you are going to run into in Akron, some people are doing hard time there getting themselves back together to move back to New York, Chicago wherever. Others like the slower pace and just stay and retire there.