Dogwood Park — Attraction in North Canton

Took my kids there for the first time today. Nice pool, very clean. The problem is the ridiculous swimming test that they make kids take in order to swim in the deep end. My son is 12. He is taller then me and has been swimming literally his entire life. So while he swam across the pool in less then 30 seconds without breaking a sweat, the life guard said she could not pass him because she felt his arms did not come out of the water far enough when he took a breath, that his form was not perfect. I understand wanting to make sure that a child can hold their own while swimming, I appreciate that. But to require kids to pass a test that 95% of adults could not pass if asked is ridiculous. To nit-pick their form to the point of... "well you could not be a professional swimmer so you can't jump off the diving board"... is absurd. Two other families complained as well, one of which left because one of their kids (who clearly could swim) did not pass because he was not "kicking his feet fast enough". I mean... what?!?!? My son could not even go down the rinky dink little slide because he did not have a green band without me standing at the bottom of it... he could touch at the bottom of the slide! The water came up no higher then his chest! We will not be going back. You charge $9 a person and then don't let kids that can obviously swim swim where they want. We will go to clear water where they actually let kids that know how to swim... ya...

My daughter had a great experience at Dogwood Park and she also made a friend or 2 during our visit which is always a bonus! The playground equipment is designed with the children in mind and is well made. There's plenty of things for the kids to do and plenty of fun, exciting equipment to explore. I especially enjoyed the toddler (ages 2-5) area, which was designated to this specific age group and made it easy for my little one to find friends as well as giving me peace of mind knowing she'd find friends in her age range and that the equipment was specifically designed for children her age. My little one had such a great time running from each new intriguing adventure to the next. At first she was hesitant to let go of my hand or venture to far from my side but before to long she was nearly impossible to keep up with and it was quite the task keeping her within my line of sight as I chased behind her to each play zone/structure. Our very favorite part of the park was the swinging zipline which was a swing, similar to the regular swingsets, that flew up and down a zipline. She really enjoyed that as she laughed and giggled the entire time. Over all this is a exceptional playground and one of the best we've been to. We will definitely be making many more trips to play here and can't wait to go on our next adventure and make some friends...

This is the perfect place for hiking, whether young or old, but there is so much more than trails. The trails range from paved (great for our toddlers in their wagon) to gravel. There are many basically without hills and some that even include a swinging bridge and lots of terrain changes. Lots of the plants are identified with plaques and include natives as well as ornamental plantings. This is a haven for pollinators with many wild species allowed to grow naturally. If you are lucky, and quiet, take a seat and the birds might eat seeds from your hand. Expect squirrels, chipmunks and bunnies (no feeding the mammals). Indoors at the Nature center expect lots of exhibits and it is a delight for children. One entire room has a glass wall for bird watching, encouraged with feeders. And there is a lovely gift shop to bring home souvenirs from your day. Pack a picnic.....there are tables through the...