Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Photo Highlights

The Cleveland Zoo is pretty nice. For starters, it's absolutely huge and has a nice variety of exhibits, including a separate rain forest building. It's only $11 for an adult, which is a bargain compared to other zoos of this size. And there is a free tram that takes you up the two big hills in the zoo, a real bonus in the summer heat.

I only had about three hours to explore; in that time, I saw about two-thirds of the zoo. You could easily spend a full day here. They even let you bring in coolers; you can eat your lunch at one of the many picnic tables provided.

My favorite exhibit was actually the wildlife hospital. There were no surgeries scheduled the day I was visiting, but the displays are informative and interesting. Here are some snaps of the animal friends I made:

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, located along the Cuyahoga River and the Ohio & Erie canal just south of Cleveland, is amazing because of how close is it is to an urban city like Cleveland. You can bike or run (or walk, which is what I did) on the towpath that runs along the canal. Parts of longer trails, including the Buckeye Trail, pass through the park, and there are some nice short hikes as well. I checked out Brandywine Falls, which is a waterfall that used to power a grist mill in the now non-existent community of Brandywine. This was a nice boardwalk trail (with steps) that provided several views of the falls as well as interpretive signs. Overall, what I thought was neat about this park was that it is obviously used often by locals, thanks to its convenient location and great trails.