The Akron Zoo

Volunteers were the sole staff until 1924 when city support made it possible to hire a professional director. The Great Depression tightened finances and ended City funding, forcing the institute to again rely entirely on volunteers from 1931 to 1945. It functioned — much of that time in borrowed spaces — as an art center, offering classes and exhibiting mostly local artists. The collection was small, eclectic — containing archaeological artefacts and decorative as well as fine art — and composed entirely of gifts. In 1937 the institute moved into its first permanent home, a historic mansion. Just four years later, a disastrous fire destroyed the building and much of the collection, threatening the institute’s existence. Over the next quarter-century, the museum has continued to enrich the lives of those in Northeast Ohio and beyond through modern and contemporary art. Its nationally recognized collection was documented through the publication of collection catalogues. Three acquisitions endowments were created to ensure the collection’s future growth. A greatly enlarged general endowment provided increased, more stable funding, allowing the staff to undertake ambitious programs and exhibitions with national and even international impact. In 2007, its eighty-fifth year, the museum more than tripled in size with the opening of the new John S. and James L. Knight Building, which adjoins the 1899 building. Spanning three centuries, like the museum’s collection, together they symbolize the museum’s dual role as preserver of the past and herald of the future. https://akronartmuseum.org/history/

Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari are a family theme park/water park combo located in Santa Claus, Indiana. The theme park celebrates Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July with top-ranked roller coasters, rides, live entertainment, games and attractions. The popular website TripAdvisor.com named Splashin’ Safari the #1 water park in the nation, home to the world’s two longest water coasters, numerous family raft slides, two wave pools, water slides and water activities for children. Holiday World offers guests free unlimited soft drinks, free parking, free inner tube usage, free sunscreen and free Wi-Fi. Together, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari were named the nation’s Top Value Park in a recent issue of Consumers Digest. https://www.gotolouisville.com/directory/holiday-world-splashin-safari/

The redesigned Art Sparks at the Speed Art Museum is a new interactive gallery for all ages. 15 hands-on learning stations help adults and children connect with art and with each other. Art Sparks is open the same hours as the Museum and is free with regular admission and on Sundays. The space is divided into three sections that focus on Noticing, Making, and Talking about art. Noticing: Visitors are introduced to different ways of seeing the world around them. The exhibits and activities focus on light and color activities, pattern, and composition. Talking: Visitors are encouraged to share their perspectives about art from the collection. Exhibits help visitors develop the vocabulary to discuss art and also gain a visual familiarity with the collection. https://www.gotolouisville.com/directory/art-sparks-at-the-speed-art-museum/

21c Museum is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting the very best work of living artists from all over the world. With over 9,000 square feet of exhibition space, as well as a dedicated video lounge, the museum features dynamic group and solo exhibitions, as well as permanent, commissioned installations. https://www.gotolouisville.com/directory/21c-museum/

International sobriety support group Alcoholics Anonymous originated at the home of Dr. Bob Smith, who founded AA in the 1930s. The haven that once welcomed suffering alcoholics now welcomes visitors, who can see exhibits dedicated to Dr. Bob's life and studies. https://www.visitakron-summit.org/visitors/what-to-do/attractions-points-of-interest/listing/Dr.-Bobs-Home

Cherokee Park Family Campground invites you to spend your next camping vacation on our quiet, scenic grounds in Portage County, near Akron in Northeast Ohio. The Park campground features gorgeous surroundings, quality facilities, excellent campsite amenities and friendly service. Set on 50 acres, just a short drive east of Akron, Ohio, Cherokee Park offers a peaceful setting with wooded and open space surrounding two small tree-lined lakes and an activities area. Enjoy the beauty of nature and the calming effect of a campfire. You might even spot an occasional deer during your stay. Cherokee Park offers 120 campsites with 30 amp electric and water hookups. Choose a sunny, open RV site or one that is shaded by trees. Pull-thru sites are available for today's larger RVs. Pets are welcome so long as they are leashed and attended. Cherokee Park offers a few family tent sites during the summer for a limited stay. http://cherokeeparkcampground.com/

As the resident engineer of the Ohio & Erie Canal from 1825 to 1832, Howe supervised the completion of the Ohio & Erie Canal from Cleveland to Massillon. Howe's responsibilities included engineering and designing the canal prism and locks between Massillon and Cleveland, including the fifteen-step lift locks built in the Cascade Locks Park. http://www.ohioeriecanal.org/howehouse.html