Since 1830 Canal Exploration Center at Lock 39 has had several functions: a tavern, a general store and a residence. Today it's the northernmost of Cuyahoga Valley National Park's visitor centers and houses artifacts and exhibits showcasing 12,000 years of local history.
At the circa 1836 Boston Store Visitor Center, interactive canal boatbuilding exhibits occupy the space that has served at different times as a canal warehouse, a post office, a residence and the Boston Land and Manufacturing Co. Store. Also a park visitor center, the building features canal maps, building diagrams and a cross-section of a vessel made by a Hale Farm woodworker. A great photo opportunity is next door at M.D. Garage, a restored 1940s gas station.
The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad runs along the 1880 Valley Railway tracks that carried passengers and freight between Canton and Cleveland. Now you can enjoy a nostalgic train experience as you journey through the valley in railroad cars built between 1939 and 1955. Choose from several types of excursions and special events, all showcasing the valley's nature and history.
During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to provide jobs for many struggling Americans. The CCC built a variety of structures in the Cuyahoga Valley, including Happy Days camp for children. Made of sandstone and chestnut, the 1939 camp lodge is now a park special events venue called Happy Days Lodge where you can enjoy concerts, plays, lectures and other special events.
Grazing livestock and traditional crops revive the scenes of 19th-century life at Hale Farm and Village, a AAA GEM attraction. Here you can wander through nearly two dozen buildings—a mix of original, relocated and reproduced structures—including the 1827 three-story brick house that sheltered three generations of the Hale family. Costumed interpreters and craftspeople go about the daily activities that occupied Northeast Ohioans at the onset of the Civil War. Hale Farm's annual Civil War re-enactment in August—one of the largest in the state—highlights a full schedule of year-round events.
Heritage Farms preserves a parcel of land in Peninsula that has been farmed since the mid-19th century. October on the farm is a festive time. Hours are expanded to Wednesday through Sunday so you can celebrate autumn in Ohio. Pick out a pumpkin and walk through the tree farm to reserve a Christmas tree for the approaching season. Enjoy other fall classics: a cornstalk maze, weekend hay rides and jumping in leaves.
The Brecksville home of Squire Charles Rich, furnished as it might have been during his residency, is occasionally open for guided tours. The circa 1835 saltbox was built from local black walnut trees. Museum exhibits at the house feature personal belongings of early settlers, including the squire's journal. Outdoors are an herb garden and a bridge leading to the grave of Revolutionary War soldier Benjamin Waite.
Blossom Music Center promises an exciting concert lineup each summer. This outdoor amphitheater in the middle of an 800-acre woodland is an unforgettable venue in which to see a show, either from the 6,000-seat pavilion or the sloping lawn—which is wide enough for more than 13,000 ticket-holders and their blankets. The Cleveland Orchestra and popular entertainers perform regularly throughout the season.
The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail runs along the waterway that used to transport passengers and goods between Cleveland and Southern Ohio. These days joggers, hikers and bikers use the path once trod by mules. Interpretive signs along the crushed limestone trail describe the locks and other historic features from the canal's heyday. Maps are available at any of the park visitor centers. As you travel, watch out for white-tailed deer and other wildlife, especially in early morning.
On the Towpath Trail just southeast of Hale Farm you'll come to Beaver Marsh, a highlight for nature lovers and wildlife seekers. Beavers were nearly trapped to extinction in the early 19th century, but they returned in the early 1980s, building a dam along the old canal. The marsh they created became a wetlands haven for plants, insects, muskrats, otters, wood ducks, frogs, turtles, fish and waterfowl. Spend some time on the expansive wooden boardwalk and you may see the beavers; gnawed tree stumps and stripped logs reveal their presence.
Driving a wagon across the creek at Furnace Run was always dangerous because there was only a ford, not a bridge. Not long after a local resident drowned while trying to cross the river in 1877, the Everett Covered Bridge was built. The structure survived nearly a century, one that even included a flood, but finally collapsed in 1975. Many valley residents fought its modern replacement for a decade and celebrated a victory in 1986 when the red wooden re-creation of the original Smith Truss bridge was completed. Park-goers visit the site to get a glimpse of what the valley used to look like. It's also a recreational destination, with hiking and horseback riding trails nearby.
The rushing Cuyahoga River and its tributaries create many dramatic features in the valley. Brandywine Falls claims the title of the park's largest waterfall, and at 65 feet, this cascade is a stunning sight in all seasons. The water flows down tiered rocks, cutting through a series of geologic layers—Berea sandstone, Bedford shale and Cleveland shale—dating to 400 million years. Park your car in the lot to reach the viewing area and the Brandywine Gorge Trail, complete with a footbridge. Trailheads at the Ledges, Octagon and Kendall Lake picnic areas lead to another dramatic formation, the Ritchie Ledges. A trail loops around the base of the sandstone formations to a scenic overlook in Virginia Kendall Park.
Tinkers Creek Gorge Overlook, perched above the canyon, offers an ideal vantage point of the impressive geologic feature carved from the creek's 220-foot descent in only a 2-mile course. Trees, plants and flowers add a stunning backdrop. The overlook is on Gorge Parkway in the Bedford Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks.
See all the AAA recommended attractions for this destination.