Kent: Culture, History and Nature

Kent offers a variety of ways to plan a stay: remember May 4, 1970; explore art and local history; or spend time in riverside and wetland parks. To help plan your trip, consider a simple distinction: are you particularly interested in historical topics and museums, or would you like to make time for a variety of green spaces?

Culture and Local History

The Kent State May 4 Site features a self-guided outdoor tour with seven exhibit panels. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 23, 2016. The May 4 Visitors Center has three permanent exhibition galleries and an award-winning film about May 4, 1970. Together, the site’s panel tour and the center’s galleries and film offer different ways to explore this subject.

The CVA Gallery is the School of Art’s main gallery in the Center for the Visual Arts (CVA), located at 325 Terrace Drive in Kent, Ohio. Admission is free. Check the latest gallery and admission information before visiting, as institutional information may change.

The Kent State University Museum is open to the general public and houses more than 30,000 objects in seven gallery spaces. The Kent Historical Society & Museum has a different focus: it is a museum near downtown with numerous artifacts from Kent.

Brady’s Leap Park is also one of Kent’s historic sites. The park is associated with Captain Samuel Brady’s reported 21-foot leap across the river in 1780. The reported year and attribution remain part of the account associated with this place.

Parks and Nature

Heritage Park is located at the corner of W. Main Street and River Street on the former site of a lock and dam. Today, it is a green space with a waterfall. While Heritage Park is described as a green space with a waterfall, Franklin Mills Riveredge Park is a riverside park on the Cuyahoga River near Kent’s business district.

The Jessie Smith Wildlife Preserve is a 14-acre wooded sanctuary. Its nature trail offers a chance to see spring wildflowers bloom. At Al Lease Park, a boardwalk runs through a wetland. If you keep quiet, you may spot deer and pheasants there; the park also has a one-mile hike-and-bike loop.

Festivals and Seasonal Activities

Kent’s family-friendly Art in the Park festival takes place at Fred Fuller Park on the weekend after Labor Day. The two-day event features art demonstrations, live music and a variety of food vendors. Dates and programming may vary from year to year, so check the details for the relevant edition before making plans.

Crooked River Adventures is a canoe and kayak livery in downtown Kent. Its seasonal operation runs through the summer and into late September during the fall semester. Check current operating dates before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Ravenna, Mantua, Streetsboro

For the broader travel overview: Portage County.