Nestled inside the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Peninsula portion of the Towpath Trail is a watercolor postcard with a crimson-slated train depot and tree-flanked Erie Canal Towpath Bridge. Pocket your phones and set off from the village’s Century Cycles, where you can rent bikes for $15 an hour for a leisurely four-mile bike ride southwest to the quiet Beaver Marsh, an expansive wetland. Park your two-wheelers and stroll hand-in-hand along a wooden boardwalk while searching for beavers, muskrats, otters and water fowl. By June, you’ll find more than 70 new audio and visual exhibits installed along the 85-mile trail, which traces the Ohio & Erie Canalway (until then, watch out for construction around Peninsula). “It takes you to some really scenic places in a way that’s very accessible,” says Arrye Roser, interpretive and education specialist for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. 1621 Main St., Peninsula, 330-657-2209, centurycycles.com After: Keep the spirit of the wild with you when you visit the Trail Mix retail store, where you can purchase a nature-themed souvenir like Jabebo earrings featuring local birds or reptiles. 1600 Mill St. W, Peninsula, 330-657-2091, conservancyforcvnp.org #Active #OldSchool #Inexpensive
Date Night: Bike The Towpath Trail
Or take a picturesque stroll through the thousands of miles of trail at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
