Akron

Akron is proud and excited to welcome the participants and spectators of the ninth Gay Games in 2014. You may already know a lot about Akron or you may know very little. Here are some of the highlights and attraction of our great city!

Sporting Venues

The historic Firestone Stadium—dedicated in 1925 by Harvey Firestone, founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company—will host softball teams for both day and night games. It’s home to the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch softball league. It also has served as host to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Mid-American Conference softball tournament.

The Akron Marathon is one of the top marathon courses in the United States, and gives runners a rolling scenic view of Akron's destinations. Organizers will welcome Gay Games runners on some of that course to run the 26.2 miles or 13.1 miles (half-marathon).

Summit County Fairgrounds is expected to be the site of the inaugural exhibition 2014 Gay Games rodeo events. This 65-acre site has been home to the local county fair since 1957.

Firestone Country Club has made a name for itself worldwide with its three fine courses and is home to the annual PGA Bridgestone Invitational. Gay Games golfers are expected to be able to boast they have teed off at the same club where big names like PGA greats Snead, Nicklaus, Palmer and Mickelson have played.

The Arts

The Akron Art Museum features 20,000 square feet of gallery space dedicated to the display of its collection of art produced since 1850. The museum also hosts visiting shows from national and international collections.

Summit Artspace is home to more than 40 arts organizations and features gallery space, studios and classrooms.

Akron Civic Theatre, E.J. Thomas Hall, Greystone Hall and Lock 3 & 4 provide year-round access to a variety of performances, both grand and intimate.

Blossom Music Center is a grand outdoor concert venue, and the summer home of the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra.

Akron Symphony Orchestra, Tuesday Musical Association, Summit Choral Society and Ballet Theatre of Ohio dazzle audiences every season.

Nature and History

Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio’s only national park and among the Top 10 Most Visited in the United States) features more than 33,000 acres to hike, bike, ski, sled and simply unwind.

Metro Parks, serving Summit County offer 9,000 acres with 14 parks, six conservation areas and more than 125 miles of trails, the 33.5 mile Hike & Bike Trail and 22.4 miles of the Ohio & Erie Towpath Trail.

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens is a magnificent country estate, built between 1912 and 1915 by F.A. Seiberling, founder of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and his wife, Gertrude. The estate is now a museum with manicured gardens, a conservatory and gate lodge.

Hale Farm & Village is a living history museum where daily mid-19th century traditions live on through historic structures, farm animals, heritage gardens, cooking demonstrations, and working examples of Early American craft and trades.

The Akron Zoo offers a glimpse into the habitats of creatures large and small.

Foodies

West Point Market rivals the markets of New York, San Francisco or Washington, D.C. It’s the place to shop for “foods of better ingredients.”

Bricco offers downtown Akron diners a fun casual dining alternative with an extensive beer and wine list. It also operates Pub Bricco near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Mustard Seed Market & Café prides itself on being Northeast Ohio’s largest, locally owned natural and organic foods market.

Swenson’s Drive-In was noted in Forbes magazine in 1999 as serving “America’s Best Burger.” They also feature nostalgic car-side dining service.

Menches Brothers Restaurant claims to be the place where hamburgers and ice-cream cones were invented.

356th Fighter Group Restaurant & Cabaret is a World War II-themed restaurant dedicated to the heroes of the war. Watch planes from the Akron/Canton airport arrive and depart through the restaurant’s huge windows.

Harry London Gourmet Chocolates brings Europe’s rich tradition of chocolate making to Northeast Ohio. You can even tour the factory.

Sports Viewing

Cheer on minor-league baseball’s Akron Aeros at Canal Park.

Catch one of the varieties of sports played by the Akron Zips, the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Akron.

Take in Akron Racers pro softball at Firestone Stadium, roller derby from the Akron City Roller Girls, auto racing at the Barberton Speedway, wager on horse racing at Northfield Park or marvel at the gravity-defying All-American Soap Box Derby Championship.

Shopping

Akron and Summit County have fabulous and unique shops. Summit Mall and Chapel Hill Mall are each anchored by top retailers.

Specialty shopping is abundant throughout the county including: Highland Square, Hudson’s First & Main, Macedonia Commons, Montrose Shopping Area, Northside District and Peninsula. Akron-centric must-sees are Don Drumm Studios & Gallery, Quaker Square and Stagecoach Antiques.