I want to start by acknowledging my travel planner extraordinaire, best friend, love of my life, and wife, Jenny who always finds some incredible places to stay. The Sheraton at Cuyahoga Falls was no exception. Situated in the quaint town of Cuyahoga Falls right next to the Cuyahoga River. We could look out our window and see an amazing view of the rapids and waterfalls on this part of the river. The food in both the restaurants was decent, but we definitely enjoyed Beau’s food better. However, The Jetty was cool because it was outside overlooking the river.
Here are some pictures of the hotel (including some of Bitey exploring the room)…
As we ate dinner at The Jetty, we watched this kayaker playing around in the rapids.
Our first night in the area was spent exploring the little town of Cuyahoga Falls. Even though it was raining, it was still a cool place with some interesting sights, including a rainbow provided by nature. While wandering, we stubbled upon an amazing ice cream store called Pav’s Creamery. This place was so good we visited it again on our last night. We tried two of their flavors, salted truffle caramel and chocolate putter butter cup, both were yummy. This particular establishment was unique as they also served “adult” milkshakes, and although Jenny wasn’t tempted to try one, she has come up with a plan to try to create them at home. A little warning, on weekends this place is very popular.
The next day we had bought tickets on the historic railroad that runs the length of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was an interesting way to get an overview of the park and learn about some of the park’s history and features. We splurged and bought tickets for the nicest car, and it was definitely a more relaxing experience than it might have been otherwise as there were only a handful of us in that car while many of the others were much more crowded. If you like trains, or you’re spending a fair bit of time in the area, I would recommend this experience. If you’re just visiting for the day, you might want to explore the park by car, bike, or foot instead. One of the interesting features of the rail line is that you could bike the length of the park and catch the train back. You could also do this with a kayak.
And now pictures of the experience…
After the train ride, we went to explore an area called Tinker Creek and did a few short hikes to some waterfalls. The first was called Bridal Veil Falls and the second was called Great Falls. Both hikes were shady which was nice as the weather had gotten a little warm. It was nice being in nature after visiting cities for the first part of this trip.
Here’s a deer we saw on the first hike…
Bridal Veil Falls…
Great Falls…
After working up an appetite, we decided to visit Szlazay’s Farm and Market which we passed on our railway trip. During the summer, in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, they also have food stands set up that sell local foods. We got some fresh lemonade, roasted sweet corn, and some polish sausage. Finally, we shared a fresh fruit sundae for dessert. All were very good. I recommend a visit to this place if you’re in the area.
Next, we headed to what I considered the coolest hike in the park both literally and figuratively, The Ledges. This hike is a relatively short loop trail where you hike through narrow rock formations and beautiful forest. It is shady, so during hot weather, it keeps you cool. The Ledges themselves are definitely worth exploring. There is a trail that skirts around the ledges, but I highly recommend clambering around the rock formations. It’s a fun experience…
Finally, we visited Beaver Marsh. This is a picturesque area near the Cuyahoga River which as the name implies as been populated by beaver. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any of the beavers, but we did see some other interesting flora and fauna. In fact, we enjoyed the area so much, we visited a few times while we were in the park as the animals can be active at different times of the day. Below are some of the sights we saw along the trail.
Beautiful flowers…
Several species of birds…
Turtles (including a large snapping turtle)…
The highlight for us was this muskrat…
Saturday started with a visit to an awesome breakfast place called The Blue Door Bakery. It’s a cool place run by a retired marine that serves excellent breakfast food. We enjoyed the experience so much that we decided to eat there again on Sunday before we left town.
The rest of our day involved visiting parts of the park we hadn’t seen yet as well as a return to Beaver Marsh and Szlazay’s.
One of our stops included a short walk to a historic covered bridge.
We also did a loop trail to the popular Brandywine Falls. While it is possible to see the falls without completing the whole loop, I highly recommend doing the whole loop as the trail takes you down into the gorge and away from the crowds. We also visited the town of Peninsula after our hike to see the town and grab lunch at a place called The Winking Lizard which was reasonably good with a lot of character.
And finally a cute picture of Bitey…
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