Discover Cuyahoga County: Nature, Culture and Trails

Cuyahoga County offers you a varied trip among extensive hiking trails, lakeshores, museums, markets and unique nature experiences. Anyone looking for a vacation rental for a diverse stay can make their preferred mix of activity, culture and family-friendly discoveries the starting point for planning their trip.

Hiking Trails, Water and Special Natural Areas

Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers more than 125 miles of hiking trails. The park is open every day of the year, making it easy to incorporate into different travel plans. Hundreds of miles of hiking trails also run through the more than 25,000-acre Cleveland Metroparks. It is worth making a specific selection depending on whether you want to plan a day with longer trails, wildlife observation or individual viewpoints.

At Beaver Marsh, the Towpath Trail is one of the notable sections: There, it runs as a boardwalk over the wetland, which is considered one of the most diverse natural communities in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Brandywine Falls is a 60-foot waterfall. The Brandywine Gorge Loop is 1.4 miles long; it is wheelchair accessible as far as the first viewpoint on the boardwalk. The boardwalk at Brandywine Falls is partially accessible.

Water also shapes the choice of excursions. The Lake Erie Water Trail – Cuyahoga County extends for more than 20 miles along the lakeshore and connects with the Cuyahoga River Water Trail, the Rocky River and Euclid Creek. Thirteen access points have safety signs and mile-marker markings. The 147-acre Edgewater Park offers 9,000 feet of shoreline, beaches for dogs and swimming, boat ramps, a fishing pier, picnic areas and barbecue facilities. At Edgewater Beach, you can enjoy walks along the shore, picnics and beach volleyball.

Museums, Market and History

For culture enthusiasts, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame offers several different exhibition areas: These include the Signature Gallery, honoring all inducted members by induction year, the New Inductee Exhibit, In Memoriam and the Power of Rock Experience. The Cleveland Museum of Art contains more than 66,500 works of art spanning 6,000 years of art history. General admission to the galleries with the permanent collection is always free. Transformer Station presents works by emerging artists, time-based media, live music and dynamic social experiences.

The Great Lakes Science Center is located between the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Huntington Bank Field and houses one of only 11 NASA visitor centers in the United States. An attached parking garage has 500 spaces. For a culinary-focused excursion, West Side Market offers more than 70 vendors selling meat, fresh vegetables, seafood, baked goods, dairy and cheese products, and other goods. The market is open year-round on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Rocky River Nature Center and Brecksville Nature Center offer further insights into the landscape and the past. At the Rocky River Nature Center, you can learn about Ohio’s wildlife today, ancient species such as Dunkleosteus, as well as prehistoric and pioneer cultures. The trails lead to the riverbank, through a swamp forest, to ponds and hills, and to ancient earthworks built by Native Americans. Brecksville Nature Center opened on June 11, 1939, as a WPA-era Trailside Museum and provides access to deeply carved, wooded gorges, a restored Ohio prairie and glacial river valleys.

Plan Excursions at Your Own Pace

Cuyahoga County offers families and other travel groups various ways to alternate active and more relaxed days. North Chagrin Nature Center combines exhibits with live native animals, a children’s play area, wildlife-viewing areas and programs led by naturalists. At Lake Abram Marsh, children can explore a prehistoric play pit and a mastodon excavation site. Lake Abram is the largest remaining glacial wetland in Cuyahoga County; the Lake to Lake Trail is 2.4 miles long and connects Lake Abram with Lake Isaac.

Other notable destinations include Squire’s Castle, a gatehouse from the 1890s modeled on German and English Baroque castles. The open areas in front are suitable for games and picnics. At 48 feet, Mill Creek Falls is the highest waterfall in Cuyahoga County; The Yard offers a small viewpoint overlooking the waterfall. The historic steamship William G. Mather is a restored 618-foot-long ship that can be toured. Visitors can explore the cargo holds, wheelhouse, guest cabins and the four-story engine room.

When searching for a vacation rental, you can use your planned priorities as a decision-making aid: Hiking trails and waterways favor an activity-oriented stay, while museums and the market are ideal for varied cultural days. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers cyclists, hikers and runners on the Towpath Trail a one-way shuttle service. The Canal Exploration Center is located on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. If you choose your accommodation according to your preferred daily rhythm, you can flexibly shape your trip around nature, culture and shared discoveries.

More Local Pages for Your Selection

Other locations to consider include Cleveland, Beachwood, North Olmsted, Brook Park, Warrensville Heights, Richmond Heights, Independence, Mayfield Heights, Strongsville, Lakewood, Fairview Park, Solon, Westlake, Brecksville, Valley View and Bay Village.

For the higher-level travel overview: Ohio.