As the weather begins to warm up, it is time for individuals to take advantage of the beautiful outdoors. The best way you can do this is to head to your local parks and pull out your favorite outdoor activities that have been in storage during the long cold winter months. Image Courtesy of “Hubbard Valley Park Medina, Ohio.”

Are you happy to finally have it be warm and sunny enough to spend time outside with friends and family? Finally, after months of cold, icy days, you can now swim, picnic, and do the various outdoor activities you missed in the past few months. There are no more excuses you can use on why you can’t go get fresh air and enjoy the weather.

It has been proven that mood and overall health increase by spending time outdoors. So grab your favorite book, outdoor activity, or a few close friends, and head out the doors!

Whether you are married or single, have kids, or are pet parents, it is time to take advantage of the summer months. As you continue reading, you will learn more about five different parks that allow you to enjoy several activities that you can only enjoy between May and September while the weather is warm.

Media, OH Park Essentials

• Snacks/picnic
• Water
• SPF
• Pet supplies
• games/sports equipment
• Sunglasses
• Sand Toys

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Carolyn Ludwig Mugrage Park

You're in for a fun day out hiking on the local beautiful nature trails that this local Medina park offers!

As the school year comes close, you realize that your kids will be around 24/7 until next fall. What can I do to keep them entertained for a low price that will allow them to run around, get all their energy out, and be ready to go to sleep without a fight you may be wondering. 

If this describes your family situation, this park would be perfect for you. With over 102 acres, the park provides an abundance of space for families with kids and provides space and entertainment for their furry friends to explore. In addition, Carolyn Ludwig Murage Park offers multiple different outdoor activities for its patrons and obtains the ability to serve everyone's needs.

The park has paved parking lots and restrooms so that you don’t have to worry about trying to make that painful journey home praying not to have an accident in your car's seats. Another bonus the park obtains is the ability to reserve a space at the pavilion picnic tables. The tables make it so that you don’t have to try and juggle children and picnic necessities as you look for a place to sit down and eat. Just these features alone are convincing enough to go check out this park. Other benefits this park offers are listed below, further allowing you to see that the park provides something for everyone.

Park Amenities:

• Walking Trails: something unique about these is that you have the option of a nature trail where you will find boxes that contain a variety of items such as nets, magnifying glasses, nature books, and more to allow you to look at nature along the trail in more detail if you wish or there are the story walk trails that have signs posted throughout, each sign being another page to a story. This is one activity that is fun to do yourself or with kids.
• Drinking fountains.
• Inclusive playground

• Multiple bridges
• Multi-levels
• Swing-sets ( Regular, Infant, Inclusive)
• Toddler Area
• Multiple Slides
• Merry - go - Round
• Interactive, educational games.

• Catch and release the fishing pond.
• Dog park.

• There are designated sections that separate smaller dogs from the big ones.
• Open turf play areas
• Wooded natural areas
• Gravel walking trails.

Medina Memorial Park

 At this local park, you and your family can spend all day. The fun is endless with the castle playground and adjoining basketball courts for outdoor fun and play.

Do you have a child that likes to be independent? A child who gets upset if they turn around and mom, dad, or the babysitter is standing over their shoulder watching their every move? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then this park is a great one for you to take your child to. 

Why is it so great, you may ask? One of the many features that stands out about this park and the unique castle is that a fence surrounds the whole park. Now, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t watch your little one at all; however, it does provide you with some reassurance that your child isn’t able to exit the park without going back through the entrance. 

If your little one is insistent on being independent, setting yourself up near the park entrance is highly advised. Doing this allows you to keep an eye on your little one as they have fun playing and will enable you to keep an eye on the entrance.

Throughout the climbing structure, there are tire swings and multiple slides to ride down on one side of the structure, and on the other, there is a basketball court connected to it. Having the basketball court attached allows for those who don’t want to play on the playground to play different variations of basketball games such as HORSE, Around the World, and Knock Out. Another wonderful thing about the park setup is that if you have older kids, they can help watch their younger siblings run around the playground and have fun while their parents set up food under the nearby large picnic area. This is an excellent place for picnics, but a park is also ideal for individuals to throw birthday parties or big group gatherings.

Along with a playground, you can find a frisbee golf course with nine holes and a swimming pool located on the 10 acres of land that Medina Memorial Park provides. 

List of other park amenities:

• Large Paved Parking Lot
• Covered Pavilion
• Restrooms
• Lots of Green Space and Shade
• Fenced in Dog Park

Willow Lake Park

A perfect location to get away and camp for the weekend

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Now that the weather is warming up, you can begin going on weekend camping trips with your family and friends. Whether you like to use a good old-fashioned tent, an RV, or go glamping, you now can disconnect from outside distractions, even for a short period. 

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One of the benefits of Willow Lake Park is that it is located approximately ten minutes off of state highway 71. So if you aren’t an expert camper or don’t feel comfortable going far off the grid, you can still get that taste of nature without feeling overly isolated. 

Another great thing about the campsite’s location is that it is relatively close to several attractions that range from golfing to shopping. It’s nice to know that when you plan your trip if you don’t want to spend all day at the campsite, you can leave the site to do activities that aren’t too far of a drive. 

With this being a family-owned campground, the owners have made it their goal to provide a variety of activities that meet the various wants and needs of families. A list of amenities found on their website includes but is not limited to: weekend entertainment & activities such as (horseshoe tournaments, trivia nights, kids game nights, cornhole, karaoke, etc.), bathrooms/hot showers, convenience store, swimming pool, fishing lake, and playground to name a few.

A few things you may want to consider packing, whether it is for an overnight or multiple days stay, include but aren’t limited to:

• Tent
• Sleeping bag
• First Aid Kit
• Water
• Food
• Snacks
• Swimsuits and towels
• Trash Bags
• Recyclable utensils, i.e., forks, spoons, knives, etc.
• Ingredients for smores 
• Emergency battery pack
• Money
• Flashlight/ Headlight

For those visiting the area who want to go and explore some of the different local area attractions, there is a number to choose from, such as the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, The Q Arena, Pro Football Hall Of Fame, Lodi Outlet Mall, and Lagerheads Brewery to name a few. To find out more information about each area, search the location name on google and read the reviews given, or email willowlakepark@yahoo.com.

If this sounds like something you and your friends or family would be interested in, you can find more information about the rates and cancellation policy at willowlakepark.net.

For more information or to make a reservation at the campsite, you can call 330-225-6580 or email willowlakepark@yahoo.com. 

Austin Badger Park

As you look into the distance, there is nothing but dirt trails and green scenes for as far as the eye can see.

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Are you looking for an area that will provide a different adventure? At Austin Badger Park, individuals frequently use various trails for activities such as mountain biking, hiking, trail running, and E-biking. With over 252 acres of land available, the possibilities are endless. A quick overview of the trails open for each of the activities mentioned includes 11 Mountain Bike Trails, 8 E-Bike Trails, 11 Hiking Trails, and 11 Running Trails. The best part is that there are a variety of trails for each activity and that you can switch them up as you please, so every trip isn’t the same.

Roscoe Ewing Park

An excellent place for a day outside to enjoy nature, relax with family and friends and watch the little ones laugh and play

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There is nothing but acres of grass as you turn in a circle and look around you. Make sure that you grab your frisbees, for one of the main features of Roscoe Ewing Park is its eighteen-hole disc golf course. 

It’s a perfect place for families and groups of friends to go on the weekends and spend time with one another. Along with the disc golf course, the park also includes the following amenities: a multi-purpose trail, a play structure, nature areas, a pavilion that can seat between 40-50 people, a single electric grill, and a permanent restroom. 

An advantage of the park is having such a big pavilion, and a permanent restroom makes this local park a great place to throw get-togethers, birthdays, and reunions, whether it be for family or friends.

Another advantage of where the pavilion is located is that it is located right next to the play structure, permitting those with kids to prepare meals on the single electric grill while keeping an eye on the kiddos.

After reading about these different parks and the amenities that each provides, it's time to sit down with your family, plan a day trip or weekend out in the sun, and enjoy the activities that you can only do so many months out of the year. Act fast because the cold winter months will reappear before you know it. You’ll have to wait until next summer to enjoy these activities.

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