• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Its a Hero

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Sponsor and Advertising
  • Categories
    • recipes
    • brews + food
    • wellness
    • events
    • dairy-free
    • money saving tips
    • Explore Ohio
    • Family Travel
    • tips + tricks
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • giveaway
    • printables
  • Instagram Links

akron

Akron Area Kid-Friendly Water Attractions

May 23, 2022 by Rachel 11 Comments

There are so many events going on, literally every day. It’s hard to keep them all in order! But I have your solution! I’m keeping all of the Akron Area Kid-Friendly Water Attractions here in one place. Be sure to save this post in your bookmarks and come back, as I’ll keep updating throughout Summer 2022, as needed!

Water Works Family Aquatic Center

Located in Cuyahoga Falls, Water Works is so much fun for families of all ages. It offers a lazy river, several types of water slides, adult-only/deep end swims, and so much more!

Concessions available on-site.

Open to the public** 5/31/2022 to 8/12/2022, 11am – 8pm Monday thru Friday; 11am – 6pm Sundays*.

Cost

The rates are different based on days, age, and residency. Refer to the table below for a full cost breakdown.

WATER WORKS AQUATIC CENTER RATES

Location: Water Works Family Aquatic Center. 2025 Munroe Falls Ave, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221

MACA Pool

Maca Pool complex consists of a 250,000-gallon water park that includes a 6 lane lap pool, enclosed flume slide, speed slide, and zero depth entry area.

Open to the public 5/28/2022 to 8/14/2022, 11am – 7pm Monday thru Thursday; 11am – 8pm Friday thru Sunday*.

Cost

Akron Summer Kids Events

Location: MACA Pool. 183 Maca Drive, Tallmadge, OH 44278

Downtown Cuyahoga Falls Splash Pad

The downtown Cuyahoga Falls splash pad is newly remodeled. With ample street parking (meter) and free parking in the red, blue, and yellow decks.

Akron Area Kid-Friendly Water Attractions

Open to the public daily from now until 9/5/2022, 11am – 9pm.*

Cost

Free! No cost.

Location: Downtown Cuyahoga Falls Splash Pad. Front Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221

Hudson Splash Pad

The Hudson splash pad is located in Veterans Way Park and features 12 in-ground sprays.

Open to the public. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day, 10am – 8pm*.

Cost

Free! No cost.

Location: Hudson Splash Pad. 55 Veterans Way, Hudson, Ohio, 44236

Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium

The Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium features four pools and nearly 400,00 gallons of water! It has a zero depth area for small children, sprinkling features, a small kids slide, and big water slides.

They’re open for family swim during the weekend only (for now).

Cost

Daily rates differ for city residents versus non-residents. There are discounts for children and seniors. Age 2 and under are free.

Location: The Natatorium 2345 4th St, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221

Edgewood Park SprayGround

Edgewood Park is an expansive, 10-acre park on the west side of Barberton. The spray ground is perfect for little kids. The spray grounds will be open throughout the Summer months.

Akron Area Kid-Friendly Water Attractions

Cost

Free! No cost.

Location: Edgewood Park, 1170 Liberty Ave, Barberton, OH 44203

Wadsworth Grizzly Outdoor Pool

The Wadsworth Grizzly Outdoor Pool is part of the Akron Area YMCA. You do not have to be a member of the YMCA to go to the Wadsworth Grizzly Outdoor Pool. It features a leisure pool and a deep pool. The leisure pool has zero depth entry and spray features for little kids.

Akron Area Kid-Friendly Water Attractions

Open to the public 5/30/2022 to 9/6/2022, 12pm – 6pm (until 7pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays).

Cost

Infants under 2 are free. Youth (ages 2-17) and seniors (65+) daily rates is $6. Adult daily rate is $8. Everyone can enter after 5pm for just $5.

Location. Wadsworth Grizzly Pool. 624 School Dr, Wadsworth, OH 44281.

Cuyahoga Falls Wading Pools

There are currently 6 little-kid friendly wading pools throughout Cuyahoga Falls, but for the 2022 season, only the following locations will be open: Oak Park, Linden Park, Valley Vista Park, and Lions Park. The wading pools at Indian Mountain Park and Quirk Cultural Center will be unavailable for the 2022 Summer season, while they undergo construction to be turned into themed splash pads for each neighborhood.

The pools are ADA accessible and are somewhere between 1-2 feet in depth. There is a lifeguard on duty when open.

Wading Pools in Cuyahoga Falls

Open to the public from 5/31/2022 to 8/12/2022, hours coming soon!

Cost

Free! No cost.

Location: Lions Park, 641 Silver Lake Ave, Cuyahoga Falls, 44221. Oak Park, 2250 12th St, Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Valley VIsta Park, 2790 Valley Rd, Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Linden Park, 241 Roanoke Ave, Cuyahoga Falls, OH.

Reservoir Park Pool

The Reservoir Park Pool is one out two outdoor pools in the city of Akron, this one in Goodyear Heights. It has seen a revitalization in recent years.

Reservoir Pool

Open to the public from 6/7/2022 to 8/21/2022 from 2pm – 7pm Monday through Friday, and 2pm – 5pm on Saturdays.

Cost

The pool is free, but you need to fill paperwork for an open swim membership.

Location: Reservoir Park, 1735 Hillside Terrace, Akron, OH 44305.

Joy Park Community Center Splash Pad

The 1,600 square foot spray pad is located next to the community center off of Fuller Street.

Open to the public throughout the Summer season, 7 days a week, from 11am to 7pm.

Cost

Free! No cost.

Location: Joy Park Community Center, 825 Fuller St, Akron, OH 44306.

There are SO many amazing resources here within our reach in Akron. My kids and I can’t wait to check all of these out during Summer 2022.

*weather permitting
**valid government issued photo ID required for entry.

PIN ME - The Ultimate Akron Kid-Friendly Water Attractions

Filed Under: Akron, children, Explore Ohio, Summer Bucket List Tagged With: akron, explore Ohio, Summer Bucket List

Easy Tips to Help Stay on Track This Year

January 14, 2020 by Rachel 30 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Distillata. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Can you believe we’re about to open a brand new chapter in this book of life? A new decade is upon us and it’s hard not to think about goals for the coming year — or ten! As a busy family of 5, my priorities and goals are a little bit different. My goals aren’t as concrete as they were in the past, but they are attainable and sustainable for a busy family.

Health Tips

Drink all of the water.

We are huge H2O drinkers in this house. And I’m not just casually saying that. I mean that for the longest time my children did not know they could drink other things… like milk.

My biggest tip for getting your family to drink the appropriate amount of water is this — install a water cooler in your home from Distillata. Distillata delivers our 5-gallon water jugs at the intervals we choose. When I say we drink a lot of water, I mean a lot. We go through approximately FIVE 5-gallon water jugs every 4 weeks!

Boy getting water

Having a Distillata water cooler in our home has been a game-changer. The big kids can get their own water whenever they want, and that just means they’re drinking even more than they normally would!

jug of lemon water

Head here to check into having Distillata delivered to your home.

Take a daily multivitamin.

Newsflash: our kids don’t eat what we want them to. Do any kids? I mean, ours used to. But somewhere between two and 3-years of age, they started to get little minds of their own.

Where we lack in food nutrients we make up in the form of a daily multivitamin.

Keep moving.

I have gone through phases and stages in my life where I am always on the move and then never on the move. It’s hard to find a balance. For me, I have found instant accountability by wearing a fitness tracker. It’s like a game for me. I try to stay at the recommended move goal (which is usually 10k steps per day) and I despise breaking my ‘streak.’ It’s a great motivator.

Not every day is going to be a knock-it-out of the park type of movement day. And that’s okay. But the trick is to make a conscious effort to move more.

Life Tips

Stay organized.

As a busy mom of three, having a well-communicated schedule is key. I keep two schedules, the first of which is my Google Calendar. It’s easily accessed when I’m at home or on the go so I can keep track of all of our commitments, work, fun and otherwise. The second is a large wall calendar in our kitchen.

It may seem silly to keep two calendars, but I assure you this is key to keeping the whole family on-track. My husband can glance at our wall calendar and see exactly what we have scheduled on any given day.

Make life easier.

One of the best decisions I made for my family was to streamline whatever I could. I subscribed for services like Shipt, which helped tremendously when I was out of diapers and couldn’t take three kids out during a snowstorm. Or I would schedule grocery pickup with Curbside Express. Heck, I sometimes even subscribe to meal delivery services!

Mother and daughter cooking

But the real game-changer came when we started having our water delivered by Distillata. Prior to that, I would take all three kids to the store to fill up our two 5-gallon jugs of reverse osmosis water, carry them back to the car and in the house, only to have to constantly pour more water into our fridge container for easy dispensing.

Boy getting water

Distillata has changed the way we drink our water. I’m no longer going to the store, trying to manage filling up two jugs of water while fitting them in the cart with my kids. Our deliveries are scheduled every few weeks directly to our home. They take our old jugs away and leave us with four or five bottles of the same water I was struggling to get at the grocery store.

Work Tips

Focus.

Whether you’re a work-from-home mom like me, or a part-time employee, or a full-time worker, we can all benefit from having more focus. Personally, I struggle with wanting to attack all of my goals at once. That just isn’t feasible. Not for me, not for anyone.

I’ve found that by creating a to-do list based on three categories works perfectly. The first category is Must-Do’s. These are items that need to be tackled immediately. The next column on my list is Try-To-Do’s, and it’s exactly how it sounds. They should not be done before the must-do’s, but if I can get around to these items, then perfect!

The last column on my list is Bonus Items. These Bonus Items are things that are less of a priority at this moment (that doesn’t mean they are not a priority!).

Limit distractions.

I know so many people who get sidetracked from their workload due to outside forces and circumstances (*cough, cough* I am one of those people). Limiting those outside forces of distraction can and will be very helpful for your work environment.

Actions such as deleting social media apps off of your phone and drowning out office chatter with headphones can be a tremendous help. I find myself even being distracted by regular music so I’ve found a piano and classical playlist to help me limit the distractions.

Woman in front of building

The Big Picture

Regardless of how your year has gone thus far, there is one important thing to remember: You have the ability to change. You don’t have to wait for the start of a new year, a new month, or even a new day. You can implement changes all at once or slowly, but the important part is deciding to start.

This is going to be the best year yet.

EASY TIPS TO HELP YOU STAY ON TRACK THIS YEAR WITH DISTILLATA

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, busy mom, children, cleveland, Columbus, Cuyahoga Falls, deals, family, fitness, health, life, lists, living sustainably, Ohio, parenthood, shop local, tips + tricks, wellness, work from home, workout Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, cleveland, columbus, health, parenthood, shop local, tips + tricks, wellness, work from home, workout

Experience Holiday Family Fun at Pinecrest

November 25, 2019 by Rachel 34 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Pinecrest. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Now that I’m a mom of three little kids, I’ve found that gift-giving to adults can be difficult, to say the least. We have two sets of grandparents to ‘buy’ for and, quite honestly, none of them need any more ‘stuff.’

But the act of gift-giving is still important. As is creating a magical holiday season for our children. So, as a family of 5, we are creating ways that our children can both have fun this season and make and create gifts that their relatives will enjoy for years to come.

Family-Friendly Events

There are so many opportunities for family fun at Pinecrest this holiday season.

tapestry on the wall

Tomorrow, November 26th marks the beginning of Skate in Central Park and this event is open daily through January 5th, 2020! Bring your own skates, or rent at the rink!

If ice skating isn’t your thing, there are other events to check out. Mingle with Kringle while you’re out shopping, or check out the choreographed light show, Pinecrest Nights of Lights.

Check out the full holiday event schedule here.

Creative Gift-Giving

Gifts made with love are the best types of gifts, am I right? This year we decided to make all of our grandparents’ gifts at Pinecrest.

Color Me Mine

My kids ADORE painting. I, on the other hand, would prefer not to have them ruin my kitchen table. Color Me Mine brings both my desire for cleanliness and my children’s desire to paint together in perfect harmony!

Kids painting pottery with adult

Color Me Mine, a DIY paint-your-own pottery studio. Their options of pieces range from small to extra-large, and they offer over 60 colors.

boy painting pottery

My children took approximately five hundred minutes picking out their pieces to paint. But, where they lacked in decision making, they made up for in creativity.

Mother and son painting pottery

I have to include major props to the employees of Pinecrest Color Me Mine. See, I had Mila with me and I was unable to be as hands-on with the big kids as I originally intended. But the employees helped my big littles bring their visions to fruition.

We picked up our finished pieces after the glazing process was complete (within just a few days). My kids are obsessed and they cannot wait to give them away as gifts to their grandparents.

The Candle Studio

Making candles is one of my favorite experiences. My kids have been dying to try their hand at it, so we decided to try The Candle Studio.

kids smiling

The employees at the Candle Studio were incredibly patient with my kids. They explained the steps from picking out their scents, to deciding on a container, and then mixing it all together. It was adorable to see them run back and forth to find scents they liked. It turns out they both like watermelon and bubble gum (shocker).

kids making candles

I sipped on a local craft beer as my kids decided the perfect watermelon to bubble gum ratio for each of their respective candles. Surprisingly, both of their candles smell different, despite both using the same two scents! Mixing is everything, friends!

candle making and a beer

I, on the other hand, mixed my own candle with a variation of hops and pine scent. Basically, it smells like Christmas beer.

kids making candles

I was surprised at how easy (and fun!) the Candle Studio was with young kids. I fully expected them to have zero interest and for me to be doing all of the work. But that wasn’t the case at all! They loved it. And just ninety-minutes later, we picked up our finished soy candles for the grandparents.

Making Memories Through Experiences

I know that these gifts aren’t extravagant, but they are perfect. Their grandparents will know full-well what kind of effort they put into these handcrafted presents. They will see the joy in the eyes of their grandchildren as they open up these gifts made by teeny hands.

Gifts Under Christmas Tree

The memories we’ve created will last a lifetime. Long after the soy candle has been burned down and well after the dust has settled on the unicorn tealight holder Remy made (sorry, Mimi — hope you like bright pink unicorn tealight holders! 😛 ).

Make your own memories this holiday season and discover all of the holiday magic at Pinecrest.

Filed Under: Akron, children, Christmas, cleveland, Columbus, crafty, Cuyahoga Falls, date night, explore locally, Explore Ohio, family, Family Travel, gift ideas, gifts for kids, holiday gift guide, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, shop local, shop my favorites Tagged With: akron, children, Christmas, Christmas shopping, cleveland, columbus, crafty, Cuyahoga Falls, date night ideas, explore locally, explore Ohio, family, family friendly, gifts, holiday gift guide, ohio, parenthood, shop local

Taking Control of our Back-to-School Routine with Guardian

August 27, 2019 by Rachel 30 Comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Okay, so maybe some of you think that should be the holidays, but for those of us with two or more kids, the most wonderful time of the year is Back-to-School season!

Our new school year only started a week ago, but we are already into a decent routine, thanks in large part to Guardian Alarm.

Living right next to the school has its benefits. Walking Ari to school each morning takes all of 1 minute. Traditionally, elementary school students in our district require an adult to pick them up at the end of the day. However, our proximity to the school means that Ari is allowed to walk home alone — even as a 1st Grader!

kid going back to school

He has been able to maintain a bit of independence by letting himself in using our Guardian Alarm deadbolt with a passcode. He has his own passcode which not only allows him to enter but notifies me via the TotalConnect app when he does.

kid using home security system
Kid using keyless entry

It has been incredibly helpful since school release is during the girls’ nap time. He has definitely taken charge with the home automation aspects, too!

And, of course, having the safety and security of knowing that he is home safe after a long school day is a huge relief. When I’m upstairs with the girls, I wait to hear that he is home, and then I check on him with our security camera. I can see him in the kitchen finding himself an afterschool snack. Then I watch him take it to the dining room, where he settles in for a few minutes of ‘chill’ time before homework.

Use this handy printable checklist to help the back-to-school transition:

back-to-school-checklist

As in all times of transition, we will find a good rhythm soon enough.

Back-to-School Checklist - PIN ME

Filed Under: #MomLife, back-to-school, children, cleveland, Columbus, family, home safety, Home Safety Tips, parenthood, printables, tips + tricks Tagged With: akron, back-to-school, cleveland, family, home decor, home safety tips, motherhood, printables, tips + tricks

8 Tips For The Perfect Day Trip to Great Wolf Lodge

August 21, 2019 by Rachel 28 Comments

It’s nearly the end of Summer and here in the Midwest, that can only mean one thing — snow is just around the corner! While some may think that being in the Midwest means constant cold through the Winter months, the exact opposite can — and is! — true!

Did you know that Great Wolf Lodge now offers Day Passes for those who want to visit without staying in their hotel accommodations?

Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky Ohio

We recently took a day trip to our Sandusky Great Wolf Lodge to check it out. What we came back with was a SUPER good time and a LOT of tips for those planning a day trip for themselves.

Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky

Here’s what you need to know about a Day Trip to Great Wolf Lodge:

  1. Arrive Early.
    The waterpark hours change seasonally, so be sure to check your locations’ hours.
    Arrive just when the waterpark is opening to avoid a rush. The folks who have stayed overnight are not yet up. Plus, that days’ check-ins haven’t arrived yet either.
  2. Leave the towels at home!
    The waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge has towels available for guests to use, so it’s not necessary to pack yours from home.
  3. Have a plan for meals.
    A day of fun at the waterpark will leave your children with a seemingly insatiable hunger. The good news is that GWL has a lot of options.
    There are options for seated dining, quick dining in the park, and other options (like pizza!) in the resort itself.
    As a family of 5, it was most cost-effective to just order a large pizza and a couple of sides for lunch. I kid you not, my picky eaters finished the. entire. pizza! Bonus points? It truly was delicious.
  4. Check the daily schedule for activities.
    Scheduled events range from character appearances to storytime. The event calendar changes daily, so check your location’s website for the can’t-miss land attractions. It will help to give a break from the water attractions.
  5. Rent a locker.
    Without a room to leave your belongings in, the easiest way to ensure that our belongings were safe while we were enjoying the attractions was to rent a locker.
    The lockers were on-site in the waterpark, easily accessible, and made me feel so much better about the safety and security of my valuables.
  6. Leave the puddle jumpers at home!
    The waterpark is equipped with both lifevests and puddle jumpers for kids of all ages and sizes, so there is no need to bring any floatation devices from home.
    Obviously, a lifejacket or puddle jumper doesn’t mean a child is 100% safe in the water (they never are — and you should always watch your children around water), but it does provide some small sense of relief regarding having a child in the water and on the water slides.
  7. Wear sandals or flipflops.
    Putting your shoes on and off to go between the waterpark and dry activities will definitely happen and there’s a fairly good chance you won’t be completely dry. I suggest wearing shoes such as flipflops or sandals.
  8. Be prepared for exhausted children.
    At the end of the day, your children will, without a doubt, be exhausted. Be prepared for your children to sleep on the way home.
Great Wolf Lodge Ohio

My final tip — HAVE FUN! Well, that’s honestly the easiest part, right?

Want more information? Check out Great Wolf Lodge for pricing on Day Passes and overnight accommodations.

Plan a Trip to Great Wolf Lodge on a Day Pass

Filed Under: Akron, cleveland, Columbus, Columbus Ohio, explore locally, Explore Ohio, Family Travel, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, road trip, tips + tricks, travel, Travel Adventures Tagged With: akron, cleveland, explore Ohio, Family Travel, ohio, road trip, Travel Adventures

Grape Falls + Craft Brews

August 8, 2019 by Rachel 11 Comments

When I started my job at the Akron YMCA nearly 4 years ago, I was unaware of how much it would change me. I’ve always had a heart for my community, but I was never quite sure how to channel that energy into real change. To my surprise and excitement, I found a way to make a difference with the Riverfront YMCA.

In fact, my absolute favorite part of being involved with the YMCA is the outpouring of love, support, and funding for (and from) the local community through programs like our annual campaign.

Did you know that the YMCA offers income-based scholarships for any family, adult, or senior that wishes to participate in their programs? That’s right — you will not be turned away, regardless of your ability to pay the fee in question.

The biggest fundraiser that our Riverfront Family YMCA branch hosts each year to support this cause is Grape Falls + Craft Brews.

…

Read More

Filed Under: Akron, brews + food, charity, cleveland, coffee, Cuyahoga Falls, date night, explore locally, Explore Ohio, NEO, restaurants + bars, shop local Tagged With: akron, brews + food, charity & fundraisers, cleveland, coffee, Cuyahoga Falls, date night ideas, explore locally, explore Ohio, NEO, restaurants + bars, shop local

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 28
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Blog Archives

Grab the Button

It's a Hero

Recent Posts

  • Easy Reuben Sliders Recipe
  • New Years Eve Charcuterie Board
  • Kids New Years Eve Charcuterie
  • Easy Christmas Charcuterie Board
  • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
  • Mason Jar Pancake Mix
  • Air Fryer Tornado Potatoes
  • Easy Garlic Herb Butter Recipe
  • Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
  • Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Collaborate with Rachel Loza on influencer marketing
dealspotr.com
Follow