The season is just beginning to heat up and there’s plenty to do — and time — to kick-off with some family-friendly adventures. Do a staycation by visiting your local zoo to heading on the nature trails, along with enjoying the museums and centers. This year, make it a priority to spend time enjoying all what the region has to offer. Here are some options from Northeast Ohio Parent’s 2021 Summer Fun Guide enhanced listings.
For more summer fun listings, visit our 2021 Summer Fun Guide here
Adrenaline Monkey
Kick off your child’s summer adventure at Adrenaline Monkey. The facility is equipped with ninja warrior-style obstacle courses, rock climbing walls, an aerial ropes course, outdoor course, arcade, monkey bar, and event space. Take advantage of the 24,000-square foot facility by dropping in to play, hosting a birthday party, participating in summer camp or joining our warrior classes. Learn more by visiting adrenalinemonkeyfun.com.
Akron Zoo
The Akron Zoo connects your life to wildlife with more than 1,000 amazing animals from around the globe. This spring, the Akron Zoo will expand when Wild Asia opens on May 29. The new area will recreate the southeast Asia jungles and Himalayan forests and feature a home for three endangered species: Sumatran tigers, red pandas and white-cheeked gibbons. Uncover the mystery of Wild Asia at the Akron Zoo, akronzoo.org
Camp Hi Canoe & Kayak
Come paddle the State Scenic Cuyahoga River. Celebrating 50 years, Camp Hi has canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddle boards for beginners to experienced boaters. Choose a trip lasting from one to six hours. Paddles, life jackets and transportation are provided. Bring your friends and family to experience this beautiful, unspoiled river. Have an adventure in your own backyard! 12274 Abbott Road, Hiram, 330-569-7621, camphicanoe.com
Cavs Academy Summer Tour
Join the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Cavs Academy Summer Tour, the only official youth basketball program of the Cavaliers. The Summer Tour includes camps, clinics, training and more. Options available for youth ages 3-16, and all skill levels are welcome. Visit cavsyouth.com/summercamps to enroll.
Clay’s Park Resort
Clay’s Park Resort is a destination for outdoor fun in Northeast Ohio. Spend your day swimming at the Adventure Water Park, bouncing high on jumping pillows, or putting around an 18-hole mini golf course. Spend your nights relaxing at your premium campsite or cabin, around a crackling fire. With 500 acres and just a short drive from Cuyahoga Valley National Park and historic Canal Fulton, Clay’s Park offers a breathtaking camping experience for everyone. clayspark.com
Cleveland Botanical Garden
The Cleveland Botanical Garden in University Circle boasts nearly 10 acres of outdoor gardens — such as the Hershey Children’s Garden, which offers fun and engaging nature-play opportunities — and indoor spaces, including the Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse, which features biomes of the Madagascar spiny desert and Costa Rican rainforest. For more information, visit holdenfg.org
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Visit Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and find your wild side. Connect with animals from around the world including giraffes, elephants and rhinos. Meet the new tiger cubs and hand-feed a 17-foot-tall giraffe. Get close with compelling education programs like Keeper for a Day (ages 12 and older) and the Inside Tracks (ages 5 and older) behind-the-scenes tour. Get inspired and help Secure a Future For Wildlife. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open seven days a week. Visit FutureForWildlife.org
Cleveland Public Square
Is it time for your family to enjoy safe, socially-distant summer fun? Summer Splash in the Square, presented by the Cleveland Foundation, offers more than six acres of park and a giant splash pad with plenty of room for kids to enjoy the outdoors. Play in the splash pad, roll down Overlook Hill or enjoy touring the gardens. For daily activities and special character appearances, visit clevelandpublicsquare.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Cleveland Public Library
Summer is just around the corner and that means Summer Lit League at Cleveland Public Library is about to begin. Discover A World of What-Ifs with your neighborhood library, June 7 through July 31, Monday through Thursday at 1 p.m. Summer Lit League features fun activities, including take-and-makes, writing workshops, author visits and more for early learners (ages 0-4) and ages 5-11, and teens. Register at cpl.beanstack.org
Cleveland Orchestra
The 2021 Blossom Music Festival will mark a return to in-person concerts after the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season. The Cleveland Orchestra will present a mix of classical and pops concerts for audiences in its scenic summer home, Blossom Music Center. For health and safety, audience capacity will be limited and a variety of safety measures will be put in place. Check clevelandorchestra.com for the full festival schedule and health and safety protocols.
Goldfish Swim School
Safer summers start at Goldfish. With locations in Fairview Park, Cleveland East Side, Hudson, North Canton and Strongsville, Goldfish Swim School provides swim instruction to children 4 months to age 12 in a family-friendly setting with highly trained instructors, small class sizes and shiver-free 90-degree pools. During the summer months, Goldfish also offers week-long Jump Start Clinics. For more information, visit goldfishswimschool.com
Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Science Center heads outside for summer as they introduce Science Under the Sun! Tents overlooking NorthCoast Harbor will house large-scale tinkering, take-apart, and design challenges with rotating STEM themes. On any given day, guests can put their imaginations and engineering skills to work building structures, create original stop-motion animations, and test out their design solutions to fun challenges. Join them starting in May with Weather and Water Month sponsored by Moen! Visit GreatScience.com
Greater Cleveland Aquarium
Have you seen the suction cups on a poison dart frog’s toes? Ever watched a garden eel stretch to snatch passing prey? When did you last count the suckers on an octopus’ arm? Get up-close views of moon jellyfish, weedy seadragons, flashlight fish, sand tiger sharks and other amazing aquatic life (but not other guests) at Greater Cleveland Aquarium. Timed entry, limited capacity and advance reservations. Learn more at greaterclevelandaquarium.com.
Holden Arboretum
Holden Arboretum in Lake County is home to 3,500 acres of cultivated gardens, woodlands, streams and ponds. For an immersive experience of the forest canopy, guests are invited on the Murch Canopy Walk, a 500-foot-long elevated walkway that is built 65 feet above the forest floor, and the Kalberer Family Emergent Tower, which is approximately 12 stories tall and provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding area all the way to Lake Erie. Whether you decide to visit the arboretum or the Cleveland Botanical Garden (or both) this summer, get in touch with adventure and beauty at two of the region’s most treasured outdoor museums. For more information, visit holdenfg.org.
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
Spend your summer at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. Explore the outdoors, meet resident animals, make new friends and discover the night sky in Schuele Planetarium. Lake Erie Nature & Science Center offers free general admission to indoor and outdoor exhibits on Tuesday through Saturday. Nature-based programming including summer camps, wildlife encounters and planetarium shows will be offered for children and families throughout summer. View offerings, read COVID-19 protocols and complete registration at lensc.org/summer-camps.
Lodge at Geneva on the Lake
Lake Erie Canopy Tours is back. It’s go time at Ohio’s most picturesque aerial adventure park. Get ready to plan your summer getaway at Lake Erie Canopy Tours, located at The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake. Get set to experience ziplining tours and courses, and explore the shores of Lake Erie with bikes, kayaks, golf carts and paddle boats. What are you waiting for? Golf cart and kayak rentals are already available, and ziplining opens June 14. Go book your experience at lakeeriecanopytours.com.
Lorain County Metro Parks
The Lorain County Metro Parks offers a large list of public programs including hikes, animal encounters, educational opportunities, and more. Visit loraincountymetroparks.com to see what’s happening and register today.
Moe’s Southwest Grill
Summer days and summer nights are made for Moe’s! At Moe’s they celebrate families and on Sundays, they have fun days with Kids Eat Free with the purchase of an adult entrée. Kids can customize their meal with a kid-sized burrito, taco or quesadilla — cookie and drink included. Available for dine in or takeout. Looking to raise funds for your child’s school, group or troupe? Have a Moe’s taco kit fundraiser and earn 25% of the sales. Email [email protected] to get started or visit Mentor, Mayfield Heights or South Euclid location. Locally owned and operated by the O’Hare family. Moes.com
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
What will you discover when you unplug and reconnect with the outdoors? Step into the outdoor classroom nestled in the heart of the Shaker Parklands on Cleveland’s east side. Unleash your curiosity and explore all that Northeast Ohio native habitats have to offer. The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes is free and open to the public. With over two miles of trails, and connecting trails throughout the Shaker Parklands, adventure and discovery await. shakerlakes.org
Pinstripes
Family fun for everyone. Pinstripes Cleveland, located in Pinecrest, is the perfect choice for a summer activity. The Pinstripes Kid’s club offers weekday specials for kid-friendly dining and gaming. For ages 12 and younger, kid’s meal choices are $5 and bowling and bocce is $5 per person, per hour. Monday through Thursdays, open to close. 111 Park Ave., Beachwood. Reservations are available at 216-415-8010 or pinstripes.com/cleveland
RollHouse
The guarantee at RollHouse is “Fun for Everyone”. They have so many options to choose from. In addition, to state-of- the-art bowling, they offer private suites for your events (finally, plan that meeting with your Zoom team!) Enjoy escape rooms, laser tag, virtual reality games and a brand new amazing menu. Skip the wait and book online. (Birthday Parties, lane reservations, cosmic bowling and so much more…) Visit therollhouse.com
St. Joseph Parish School
Registration now open. A Catholic elementary school serving preschool through eighth grade, St.Joseph Parish School offers classes in traditional subjects and includes X-STREAM learning, which like STEM, integrates content subject areas into cohesive learning projects based on real-world applications. Named both a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a Purple Star School for its dedication to military families, SJS also partners with community neighbors including KSU, University Hospitals, Millapore Sigma, and Snapology to provide hands-on discovery across all grade levels. 1909 Third Street, Cuyahoga Falls, 330-928-2151,
saintjoe.org/school
Stan Hywet
Learn and play at Stan Hywet. Included free with admission are educational programs like Seiberling Explorers, where families experience a guided adventure throughout the estate. Get up close and personal at the Butterfly exhibit. Seek out hidden clues with geocaching. Climb through the Home of Nature installations. The Playgarden includes a splash pad, playhouse and more. Discovery Days is an informal way to explore the grounds. Scout programs available.Visit stanhywet.org for dates and details.
Summit Metro Parks
Join the celebration as Summit Metro Parks marks its centennial anniversary in 2021.Take a virtual journey through time, plant a centennial tree, share your Metro Parks story, or enjoy a naturalist-led program. Explore the Centennial Tour by visiting 20 unique Summit Metro Parks locations to earn a free reward! Visit summitmetroparks100.org for details. Summit Metro Parks — Your Back Yard for 100 Years.
The Wilds – A World-Class Animal Conservation Center
The Wilds, in Cumberland, OH is the unexpected home of rhinos, giraffes, takin, and other rare and endangered animals.We offer incredible safari adventures from ziplining to horseback riding, and much more for guests to see their favorite animals up close. With so many adventures packed into one place, visitors can make the most of their trip by staying overnight at The Wilds. It’s the perfect family getaway. The Wilds, call 740-638-5030 or visit thewilds.org
