Discover Akron

Akron offers several distinct reasons to visit: a winter program at Lock 3, cycling on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, a green space downtown, theater, animals, and the city’s history. If you’re looking for a hotel in Akron, you can consider your travel dates alongside the purpose of your trip. A stay between November and February has a different focus from a planned bike ride; culture and city history, in turn, point to other interests. This lets you choose a focus first, before comparing specific hotel offers.

Winter program and bike ride

From November through February, Lock 3 has two ice rinks and historic holiday decorations. This gives your trip planning a clear seasonal focus. If this winter theme suits your stay, take the time of year into account. Since the seasonal program may change, check the latest program details before your trip.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail offers a different way to experience Akron: it can be ridden as a round trip from Cuyahoga Valley National Park to Akron and back, and runs through downtown Akron. This makes the bike ride a practical option if you’d like to connect the city and national park on the same round trip. Unlike the winter program, which is tied to specific dates, this option centers on the route. That can help you decide whether to plan your stay around a seasonal offering or a planned tour.

A green oasis and theater downtown

In the heart of downtown Akron, Bud and Susie Rogers Garden offers a green oasis. Akron Civic Theatre is also downtown and is one of five atmospheric theaters still in existence in the United States. The two places offer different experiences: the garden represents the green side of the city center, while the theater showcases a distinctive theatrical tradition. If you’d like to get to know Akron through its culture and urban spaces, the green oasis complements a theater visit thematically, though the two places appeal to different travel interests.

Animals and the city’s development

At Akron Zoo, visitors can see more than 1,000 animals from around the world up close. The number of animals may change over time; if the zoo is a main reason for your visit, check the latest information before you go. This focus differs from a ride on the Towpath Trail: at the zoo, the animals and their origins around the world take center stage, while the bike route focuses on the connection between Akron and the national park.

Akron History Center shows how the city has developed over the past 200 years. It offers a look at Akron as a whole. Civic Theatre, by contrast, focuses on a single theater, one of the five atmospheric theaters still in existence in the United States. If you’re choosing between these cultural attractions, consider whether you’re more interested in the city’s development over a longer period or its distinctive theatrical tradition.

Planning your stay in Akron

The winter program at Lock 3 runs from November through February; a planned bike ride puts the focus on the Towpath Trail. The garden, theater, zoo, and History Center offer other thematic reasons to visit Akron. If several of these appeal to you, first decide which one will shape your stay most. Then check whether the location, amenities, price, and availability of specific hotel offers fit your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Twinsburg, Clinton, Northfield, Fairlawn, Barberton, Macedonia

For the broader travel overview: Summit.