Summit Lake Nature Center — Attraction in Akron

Summit Lake area is a hidden gem! This area gets "stereo typed" and constant negative talk about the area!! The AKA " hood/ghetto"! This makes my blood boil because the truth is completely different! If you live here and become apart of our community then you'll see how AMAZING Summit Lake area loves thy neighbor and offers a tremendous amount to you. Fun..education..resources..food bank..daily hot lunch..job programs..dance/exercise class computer lab.. stem lab.. Basketball court inside and outside..W.I.C. program..daycare...nature center has many types of activities, classes and programs plus much much more! All that is indoors step outside into our park area right next to the beautiful lake and enjoy grills... fire pits.. picnic tables..playground.. Multiple trash cans and ample amount of lighting, we even have a pavilion! There is a soccer and baseball field here. We have Farmers Market, kayaking available concession stand coming this summer multiple park benches throughout the trail and docks to fish off of! Why? How? because Summit Lake has worked hard last few years at bettering this neighborhood through people who believe Summit Lake area truly is a beautiful place to live! Because of this positive energy and mother nature our lake has done a remarkable job at cleaning out all the pollution the rubber factors caused, to where you safely can fish, boat and enjoy the lake! My personal favorite thing is the priceless beauty of mother natures peace, tranquility, hearing the birds and seeing the wild flowers and the butterflies they attract while the sun glistens off the lake!! The pictures you'll capture down here will amaze you! I promise you if you take time to come visit the heart of Summit Lake area your heart will fall in love and make you a real believer that Summit Lake is that "hidden gem" and not the "stereo type" of...

I personally would not recommend taking your family here for a hike or to the nature center. We love the Summit County Metro Parks but this is one I would personally avoid unfortunately. We went here to kick off the fall hiking spree and we're very disappointed. The hike itself is on a trail along Summit lake and the towpath. The nature center and the park itself is located in a shady part of town. You drive through neighborhoods where there's trash all over the streets just to get here. Summit lake itself is filled with trash which makes it sad, especially seeing waterfowl, turtles and such swimming among the trash. Then the hiking spree takes you down the tow path and you walk past a bridge where homeless people are living underneath it. I know all of this stuff is a part of life unfortunately, and I'm not saying we should just black it out, but when you're taking your family for an enjoyable hike, I'd rather not see...

What a fantastic place to visit and learn about the Summit Lake area as well as the plants and animals that call this place home! The building was a former pump house owned by the City of Akron. They donated the building to the Summit County Metroparks and they have done a fantastic job of converting a building that an eyesore along the towpath to a place that is inviting and educational. Inside are exhibits of the plants an animals as well as information about the history of the building and the surrounding area (Formerly Summit Lake Park). Upstairs is a room that can be used for educational purposes and provides a great view of the lake and area. Out side is a community garden and some exhibits of the pumps that used to be inside the building. There is plenty of parking. But the building sits right next to the bike path. So you can easily enjoy the nature center while exploring the bike path. Definitely...