Summer isn’t over yet here in Ohio, so it’s time to get off your couch and hit these outdoor activities up before it’s too late. Whether you want to sip some adult beverages with your friends, get some exercise with a significant other or get outside with the whole family, including your furry four-legged family members, there’s something to do outside in Northeast Ohio for every sort of occasion.
Summer is just starting up here in Ohio, so it’s time to get off your couch and hit these outdoor activities up before it’s too late. Whether you want to sip some adult beverages with your friends, get some exercise with a significant other or get outside with the whole family, including your furry four-legged family members, there’s something to do outside in Northeast Ohio for every sort of occasion.
Zip Line and Ropes Course at the Metroparks
16200 Valley Pkwy., Strongsville
Head to the Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville for ziplining and a ropes course. The Metroparks has teamed up with ziplining company Go Ape to give you beautiful views of the parks from above. Credit:Scene ArchivesTour A Winery
16200 Valley Pkwy., Strongsville
This may not be widely known, but there are over 290 wineries in Ohio. From Sarah’s Vineyard, located in the picturesque Cuyahoga Valley National Park, to Kingshirn Winery in Avon Lake and Thorncreek in Aurora, there are wineries all over Northeast Ohio. You can get a tour, drink, and even stay overnight at some of these hidden gems. What are you waiting for?
Photo via @SVWine/InstagramUltramarathoning
Various Locations
5K runs and marathons are for babies. What, you could only run 26.2 miles? Ultramarathons challenge the most extreme runners and push them to the limit during races that span 30 to 100 miles. Several of these events take place in Northeast Ohio every year. The Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run traverses many trails in the Metroparks area and only awards those who finish in less than 30 hours. The Youngstown Ultra Trail Classic 50K has runners circling Glacier Lake multiple times.
Photo via Youngstown Ultra Classic/FacebookSurfing
Lake Erie
Catching waves on Lake Erie seems like an urban legend, but trust us, it does happen. While winter is the best (and most insane) time of year to get some big surf action, there’s still plenty of water to ride around on in warmer months. Since all of our local waves are caused by wind, you’ll have to wait for the proverbial perfect storm to get some serious action. Edgewater is the best place to go.
Photo via @OhioLakeSurf/InstagramStand Up Paddling
Various Locations
It’s just like surfing. Kind of. If you want the feeling of catching a wave without worrying too much about swallowing mouthfuls of Lake Erie water or coming into contact with whatever creatures lurk beneath its surface, stand up paddling may be more up your alley. Stand on something that closely resembles a surfboard and glide calmly through the water as you push off with a paddle: a sort of surfing and kayaking hybrid. Huntington Beach and Edgewater both have this activity.
Photo via @AlohaSUPOhio/InstagramOutdoor Rock Climbing
21200 St. Clair Ave., Building B3, Euclid
Climbing cliffs may sound like something you’d have to travel far away for, but the Cleveland Rock Gym offers this fun activity right in our backyard. If you’re new to the activity, you’ll want to call seven days ahead to make sure someone is available to show you the ropes, or you can take their introductory class.
Photo via @ClevelandRockGym/InstagramFoot Golfing
Various Metroparks Locations
The Metroparks continues to experiment with innovative sports and recreation at their various parks and facilities in the region — you never know what Brian Zimmerman and his marketing team will cook up next. Last year, they introduced Footgolf at Mastick Woods and Shawnee Hills in Bedford to rave reviews. Footgolf is just exactly what it sounds like: a hybrid of soccer and golf.
Photo via Cleveland Footgolf/FacebookDisc Golfing
Various Locations
With courses all over Northeast Ohio, and most of them free of charge, disc golfing is a fun outdoor activity for dates or hanging with buddies or (with no promises of success) children. You throw specialty discs — you’ll have to buy them or locate a cousin who’s weirdly into it already — at “holes:” metal posts with chandelier-esque chains attached. It’s that simple, and it’s less time-consuming than a full round of 18 holes. Find courses in Hudson, at the Cuyahoga County Airport in Richmond Heights, at Tri-C’s Parma campus (actually on campus), and the region’s premiere course at Euclid’s Sims Park.
Photo via @DiscNDustin/InstagramSkateboarding
Various Locations
The classic outdoor activity of skateboarding lives on strong in Cleveland. There is a bounty of skate shops and parks to satiate your inner skater, whether you’re longboarding to pass the time, grinding rails or working on your varial heel-flip.
Photo via @GraySlide/InstagramVelodroming
5033 Broadway Ave., Cleveland
If you’ve driven through Slavic Village at all during the past few years, you’ve probably noticed that wooden stadium-thing on Broadway. What is it? It’s a Velodrome, constructed for outdoor Olympic-style competitive cycling, and it’s really freaking cool, one of only a handful in the United States. Credit:@ClevelandVelodrome/InstagramShooting Things at Mill Stream Run
Mill Stream Run Reservation, Strongsville
Who doesn’t like shooting at things once in a while? Cleveland has lots of options for archery and gun ranges. Although these two activities are something you’ll need your own equipment for (being that most are technically weapons for which you need the valid permits), they aren’t hard to obtain if you’ve got a clean background and an interest. The Cleveland Archery Club provides a target range during the summer months in the Metroparks, located in Strongsville at the Albion Woods/Mill Stream Run Reservation. Credit: Scene ArchivesBeach Volleyball
Various Locations
If you and five friends or colleagues feel that deep-Australian competitive beach volleyball urge, you are encouraged to sign up for the Cleveland Plays summer volleyball league at Whiskey Island. Volleyball matches, though certainly physically demanding, tend to be less violent than soccer or football or basketball. And you’re encouraged to drink beers between your 21-point battles, so things feel more social.
Photo via @RunForestRunFaster/InstagramSkydiving in Rittman
11679 Blough Rd., Rittman
If you’re really looking to get some adrenaline pumping through those veins, maybe this summer’s the one to finally grow a pair and skydive. AerOhio in Rittman offers two choices for beginners: a tandem dive, in which you dive with an instructor attached to you, or an advanced free fall, in which you dive alone with instructors by your side — the latter requires a longer class time and has a higher price tag than the former, but maybe the feeling of independence it yields is worth it (you’ll look way more badass in the pictures). Credit:@AerOhio/InstagramCamping
The Woods
So maybe you did know that you can go camping in Northeast Ohio, but maybe you need a reminder that whether you’re in the back of an RV, roughing it with nothing but a tent, or looking for a cabin to rent in the remote wilderness, the Buckeye State is blessed with more Mother Nature than you could cover in a lifetime. Pack up a cooler with the requisite supplies, and enjoy a weekend (or week) outdoors doing whatever people do.
Photo via @C.Dietrich/InstagramGeocaching
Some of you have probably heard of geocaching, the GPS-based “real word treasure hunt” happening all around us. With more than two million total caches, there are endless hunts available in the Cleveland area. To play, log in to a free basic membership online, enter your postal code and select a “cache,” or container, that you’d like to hunt. You’ll get a set of GPS coordinates, then travel to that location and try to find the booty at the site. You sign a commemorative logbook, return the cache to where you found it, and then share your adventures on the web.
Photo via @GoApeCleveland/InstagramGo On The Brewboat
5300 Whiskey Island Dr., Cleveland
Drinking? Check. Boating? Yep. Getting a work out? You bet. Brewboat, Ohio’s first and only human-powered cycleboat is a wonderful way to get outside, see the city, and have some brewskis. This totally unique experience holds up to 14 people at a time and heads down the Cuyahoga River so check it out.
Photo via @BrewCle/Instagram
