F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm

As far as parks go, the Nature Realm is 5 stars. It’s well preserved, beautiful, and I honestly can’t believe it’s free since there’s so much to see. You can go there for a short hike, peaceful walk, or view the flora, fresh herbs, and small wildlife that call this little area home. It truly is a hidden gem and a reason to come to Akron. Even if you have a friend that’s not really into nature, the degree to which it’s been preserved I’d even call it nature «lite». There’s park benches and areas for small groups to sit together.
It is so sublime.

This place is beautiful! It also become one of my favorite outdoor place around in Akron (: it was a little hard to find at first but this Metropark is awesome! I love to come here on a beautiful day and enjoy the views of garden and all the trees. It also have many beautiful trails. I recommend it to anyone that love to enjoy the view of nature.

We took my mother, 22 month old and myself along w my husband. Great time! We fed the wild chickadees which was pretty amazing. Make sure to sit on the bench that’s tucked away by the pond. We had plenty of birds come eat seed out of our hand along w quite a few chipmunks. We all enjoyed ourselves and didn’t even get to see ¹⁄₃ of the park. Will definitely be back when we visit Ohio. Plus everyone from the workers to other visitors were quite friendly.

This is one of my favorite parks to visit. I’ve been going there since I was a child, and continue to go now as an adult.
I love feeding the chickadees, you can bring in your own seed or buy some at the nature realm center for only 50 cents. Stand still with seed in your hand and they’ll come up to you. The center is really kid friendly, very educational. The trails are beautiful, I love going to echo pond and sitting on the deck. Hands down one of my favorite places of all times.

This is such a hidden oasis. I come here with my son to feed birds. You will not be disappointed when you come! So many little trails that take you around, the nature center is pretty cool, and the scenery is gorgeous.
I know they have guides that will take you around to feed birds, but we just bring our own little bag and wait patiently for them. When you’re finished, DO NOT THROW YOUR EXTRA SEED ON THE GROUND! The seeds could end up rotting before an animal picks it up and they may get sick. They do also have a bin for left over seed on the way back through the trails.

I love going for long walks in the nature realm, no matter what season it is a beautiful and serene place to spend your time. I highly recommend hikes here.

Perfect place for a refreshing stroll. Very interactive. I went here as a child, and also as an adult on a handful of dates. Great for all ages.

Beautiful place to visit! Nestled just right off of Smith Hill the Nature Realm takes you into a relaxing woodsy atmosphere. I love visiting this place in my spare time.

This has always been, and always will be, one of my favorite places in Akron!
I remember going here as a child and learning all about nature; various animals and plants in particular. I remember the area where you need to guess what the object is based on feel and smell. I remember bird watching. I remember looking at and learning about lifelike animals; deer, raccoons, birds. I remember walking on the beautiful and scenic trails.
As an adult, I love it just as much. This place is perfect for adults and children alike, and you’re bound to learn something new every time you go. Whether you spend your time indoors or outside, you will love it here!

The Nature Realm is one of Summit County’s hidden gems. Tucked away on the top of the Smith Road hill, this park is a perfect place to get away and enjoy nature at its best.
The park features: several hiking trails, a couple of ponds, a suspension bridge that takes you over a ravine, some really unique weeping bushes, an herb garden, plenty of picnic benches, modern bathrooms, and to top it off — an underground indoor nature center. Although I believe the nature center is closed on Mondays.
This is a perfect place to take a date, or your kids. You’ll find a lot of people who come here like to feed the Chickadees. If you’re not familiar with the concept, bring some bird food (sunflower seeds) with you to the park, stand near some shrubs and hold out your hand, Chickadees will actually land on your and take the food. It’s a really cool experience if you’ve never tried it. Don’t worry about them pooping on you, I’ve fed well over a 1,000 birds and it’s never happened.
One thing that does annoy me sometimes is the joggers. There are PLENTY of other places to go jogging at, Sand Run Park is 5 minutes away, go there to jog. The nature realm is meant for people to unwind and experience nature at its best. Joggers seem to scare off a lot of the wild life.
If you do come here, try visiting when it’s not busy. I did that a few weeks ago and I came across a family of turkeys! It was pretty cool. Other visits I got to see up close an owl, a hawk, mallards, and a beaver.
If you’re not familiar with the nature realm but you like the outdoors, definitely make it a point to come here sometime!

Trapped in suburbia, the Metro Parks’ premier park has everything a hiker could want.
It has a visitor’s center that is more like a hobbit hill than anything, as well as an herb garden, labels classifying all plants within the park, and trails overlooking the Cuyahoga Valley and Sand Run. It’s the perfect place to run into wildlife. During my last hike, I stopped for five minutes to witness a rabbit and a squirrel just roaming around. That ended with the squirrel walked towards me not knowing I could crush it with my shoe. I also was within 3 feet from a buck that could have killed me, but he thankfully got scared and ran off.
You can learn a lot about the history of the Metro Parks here. In the visitor’s center, they have displays on local wildlife, flora, and history, as well as geologic explanations for how Summit County got its many hills and valleys.
Parking is often insufficient, so make sure to come here early.

This is a wonderful urban park. On Smith Road, heading toward the Merriman Valley, it is quite easy to pass by. But don’t!
The park has a great visitors’ center, and beautiful herb gardens. But that isn’t where it shines. The trails actually take you back into the wilderness, where the sounds of traffic are nearly drowned out. In my first trip, I came across four deer, very near the path.
The view into some of the valleys is beautiful.
This is how trails need to be… unlike most of the other parks in the area.
A final, but HUGE plus is that dogs are not permitted on the trails!!! No more dodging doggy poo left by inconsiderate slobs, or dodging the dogs themselves when all you are trying to do is enjoy a hike. What a great policy!!!
Now if they would just ban joggers as well, we’d be all set.
Visit this park soon. You will not regret it!