184. Sterns Farm Ice Cream Social

Sunday August 28th come join us at our Ice Cream Social from noon till 4pm.  We will be serving up ice cream cones, sundaes, and root beer floats in the cabin and also a bake sale. Stop by and celebrate with us. We will have a craft for the kids, a basket raffle, and much more. Also the drawing for the framed artist photos will take place on Sunday—- and don’t forget our farm market on Sat. from 9-1pm in the front pasture. We will also have pony rides- weather permitting.

Check out their website HERE!

Location:
6975 Ridge Rd
Parma, OH 44134
440-845-9770

Image:  Goats eating ice cream. © 2009, Diana Cornielle

172. Meet Your Friend at the Zoo!

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	June 11, 2011 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Meet Your Best Friend at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on Saturday, June 11, and take home the purrfect cat or dog the very same day. The Zoo is teaming up with over 20 area humane organizations to find loving homes for over 100 dogs, cats, kittens and puppies most of which are available for immediate adoption. These rescue groups and shelters will also offer advice on choosing the right pet and how best to care for it. All dogs and cats will have received a medical check-up and age-appropriate vaccination. Each participating group sets its own adoption fees and policies.
The event is free and is held outdoors under tents in the Zoo's Ticket Plaza.

More INFO HERE!

Location:

3900 Wildlife Way

Cleveland, OH 44109

Get Directions

(216) 661-6500

173. Knee High Naturalists

Sunday, June 12
Noon - 4 p.m.

Some of the activities include:
• Hikes with “Nora the Explorer” –
   Naturalist Nora Sindelar leads children on hikes, full of nature discovery.
• Discovery Sand Box –
   Plastic bugs, hand-carved potato bugs, earthworms made of rubber hose, rubber snakes, and more are buried in the sand for children to discover.
• Giant Habitat Felt Board –
   Children have fun placing hundreds of animal images on a 30-foot long felt board representing pond, field and forest habitats.
• Beaver and Frog Pools Water-play Areas –
   A small pool filled with water is home to a family of “beavers” (beanie toys) and plenty of sticks for building a lodge or dam.  Another small pool is filled with toy snails, snakes, crayfish, and frogs in various stages of development.
• Live Animals –
   View live animals for children to see and touch.
• Touch Table –
   Skulls and pelts to discover up-close, with a naturalist on-hand to answer questions.

Girl Scouts will be selling:
Hot dogs $2
Ice Cream (Good Humor) $1.50
Chips (Shearer's) $0.75
Gourmet Cookies $0.75
Candy $0.75
Assorted Cold Beverages (Coke Products) $1
Frozen Lemonade $1.50

For more information, call 440-247-7075.

Arboretum is located off Arbor Lane in South Chagrin Reservation, north of Cannon Road in Bentleyville.

Parking for the “Knee-High Naturalists” event is at The Shelterhouse Picnic Area, located off Hawthorn Parkway, east of SOM Center Road/Route 91 in Bentleyville – north of the Route 422/Route 91 exit.

From The Shelterhouse Picnic Area, a ranger will help visitors cross Hawthorn Parkway to the all purpose trail.  Follow the trail along Arbor Lane to the entrance of the Arboretum.

MORE INFO HERE!

Location:

Bedford Chagrin Pkwy and Arbor Ln
Solon, Ohio 44139

170. Open Farm Days

Experience a modern, working dairy farm in Northeast Ohio. Join us for one of our "Open Farm Days" when we welcome visitors onto our farm. You and your family can take a tour of our dairy, relax and watch the cows being milked from The Parlor. Children of all ages will enjoy the Calf Corral playground and children 5 and under will have fun in the indoor Junior Dairyman play area. Drinks and snacks will be available for sale.

The cost is $5/person (must be paid with cash or check).
Children 2 and under admitted free.

Our farm will be open 10:00am to 5:00pm the following days in 2011:

June "Dairy Month"
Saturday, June 4th
Saturday, June 11th
Saturday, June 18th
Saturday, June 25th

More info!

Location:

13200 County Road 3

Burton, OH 44021

138. A LIVE Nativity

Join St. Ambrose Parish as we celebrate the birth of our Lord. Living Nativity; Animals, Crafts and Caroling!

Hear the music from the St. Ambrose Christmas CD Live!

Saturday, December 18 · 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Location:

929 Pearl Road

Brunswick, OH  

(330) 225-3892 () ‎

136. Christmas at Stearns Homestead

Christmas at the Farm is December 4 and 5 from 12 to 4pm. Santa will be here and you can have your picture taken with him for a fee. Come and see the horses and rabbits inside the barn. Animal feed will also be for sale. We will be having chili, bakery and Christmas items for sale. The houses will be decorated for ...the Christmas season. There will be free punch and cookies inside the Gibbs house.

Check out their website HERE!

Location:
6975 Ridge Rd
Parma, OH 44134
440-845-9770

Image Provided By:  Stearns Farm

 

131. Candy Cane Christmas

 Every Friday and Saturday December 1-236-9pm Candy Cane Christmas is an ALL INDOOR Activity! For $4.00 you can make a toy with Santa and take it home!Live animal nativity scene! with Reindeer!Model Trains and Miniature Towns! 

$4.00 per child (Ages 1 - 10 years) $3.00 per child (Ages 11 - 99 years) Activities - 50 cents - $1.00

 MORE INFO!

Spring Mist Farm 

691 Pearl Road

Brunswick, Ohio 44212

119. Corn & Pumpkin Harvest Weekend at Lake Farmpark

Experience the harvest season at the annual Corn & Pumpkin Harvest Weekend.

October 9 & 10, 2010
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

The festival will be filled with activities that highlight the sights, smells, and tastes of various corn and pumpkin harvest activities!

• Harvest and decorate a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch
• Three-acre corn maze
• Hay maze
• Cornhusk dolls
• Antique harvest demonstrations
• Apple cider and apple butter sampling
• Swifty's Farm (Nation's largest indoor life-size balloon art exhibit!)
• Roping with Cowboy Ben
• Pony rides ($3)
• More!

Admission:

• General, $6
• Ages 60+, $5
• Youth 2 - 11, $4
• Younger than 2, Free
• Farmpark members, Free 

ALL THE INFO!

Location:
8800 Euclid Chardon Rd.
Kirtland, OH 44094
440-256-2122 

114. Ringling Brothers And Barnum & Bailey Circus!

 The Circus is coming to town!  Don't miss any of the --Funundrum-- featuring animals and performers from all over the world!!

Show Dates                  Show Time

• Wed, Oct 20          7:30PM
• Thu, Oct 21            7:30PM
• Fri, Oct 22             7:30PM
• Sat, Oct 23            11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:30PM
• Sun, Oct 24           11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:30PM
• Mon, Oct 25          7:30PM

MORE INFO!

Location
1 Center Court
Cleveland, OH 44115-4001

99. Cuyahoga County Fair

August 9-12, 2010 at the Fairgrounds in Berea.  Free parking.  

Animals, Rides, Contests, Food, Jungle Bob, Antiques, Music, Art, Science Exhibition, Camel Rides, Haunted Houses, Fireworks Saturday night!!!

Admission: Adults $6, Kids 5-12 $5  Children under 5 FREE! Kids Thursday kids 5-16 only $2!

MORE INFO!

Location:
164 Eastland Rd
Berea, OH 44017

30. North Ridgeville Green Fest

Come down to North Ridgeville for a fun FREE event on Saturday April 24th, 10AM ~ 3PM.  The first 100 families receive a great gift bag.  There will be pony rides, music, kids yoga, adult yoga, bake sale, info on "going green" and lectures.  And just for the kiddos there will be Earth friendly crafts and games such as:

• Butterflies made out of toilet paper rolls
• Potted sunflowers
  
• Jump ropes made out of recycled blue bags
• Pine cone bird feeders
• Face painting with homemade face paint
• Homemade play dough- we made it you take it home
• Triangle and ball game
• Ball Bash Soccer

And in the spirit of Earth Day please bring some recyclables...

• Eyeglasses
• Aluminum cans
• Used Cell phones
• Clean, used blankets or towels
• Clean, used clothing or housewares for Good Will
• Phonebooks, magazines, and junk mail
• Clothing & housewares/Weatherproof recyclables to help build Randy the Ranger

 Get all the INFO HERE!

Location:
South Central Park
North Ridgeville, Ohio 44039

Image Provided By:  NR Green Fest

Idea Provided By:  Amanda DeLamatre Shelnutt

26. Stearns Farm and Homestead

Come spend an afternoon at Stearns Homestead, the last working, educational farm in Parma, Ohio. This forty eight acre farm has lots of animals – always a favorite with the children – as well as several historic museum houses and a Yankee barn, loaded with antiques and historic items.  They have a country store and a Farmers Market throughout the summer and fall, where you can purchase homestead and locally grown produce, products made from goats milk, local honey, baked goods and much more.

Hours open to the public:
Saturday and Sunday 12 noon- 4:00 p.m.
May 16, 2010 through Mid-October

Special Earth Day Celebration! April 25, 2010 from noon until 4:00 PM.  
Come and spend an enjoyable afternoon- the animals are anxiously awaiting all their old friends and to meet some new ones too. There will be lots of activities.  This years theme is ” Recycle- Reuse”. They will have crafts for the kids to make and take home, a potter at work, and many more demonstrations and handouts.  Also- please save all your newspapers and bring them with you- we will be collecting them for the SPCA No Kill shelter on Brookpark Road, in Parma—- let’s fill up the back of  a pick-up truck!  Please join us- remember admission and parking is always free!



Check out their website HERE!

Location:
6975 Ridge Rd
Parma, OH 44134
440-845-9770

Image Provided By:  Stearns Farm

Idea Provided By:  Becky Koranda

25. Mohican Wildlife Weekend

Take a short trip south for a celebration of wildlife habitat, heritage, and natural history.  Come to the 9th Annual Mohican Wildlife Weekend April 23-25!  This year's theme is Hiss, Slither & Buzz!  Enjoy boat tours, bird walks, fly-fishing demonstrations, hands-on insect display, river walk, farm tours, bee basics, bat program, star party, edible insects, BBQ and MORE...WOW!  The following activities are ongoing: fishing at the pond (weather permitting; bring your pole), nature mystery hikes, nature crafts and hands-on activities, Native American crafts and skills, Geology, animal pelts to touch, live bunnies and maple syrup for sale. 

Special appearances by Kristin Stanford, Lake Erie Watersnake Recovery Plan Coordinator aka The Island Snake Lady from Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe!  (darn it he's cute!)

Check our their site for FULL SCHEDULE and DETAILS!


Location:
Ohio Bird Sanctuary
3774 Orweiler Road
Mansfield, OH 44903
419-884-4295

Image Provided By:  Mohican Wildlife Weekend

23. Amish Country

Well it my not be a great weekend for this but we went yesterday and it was beautiful!  I was a little wary when my husband suggested a 70 min drive with a 2 and 3.5 year old, but our whole family seemed to be a little calmer, maybe a little more grateful for those things that make our lives easier.  (full disclosure I could not live without my iPhone) but if you're looking for a great afternoon that involves discussions like "look at all the horse poop!" and "ooo baby cows" then this is a day trip for you!

The first site I listed is the best I've found for general information.  The other sites are for full functioning farms where the kiddos can feeds cows, take buggy rides, and tour old school houses and barns.  Anywhere you go to eat is delicious and don't forget to bring home a couple loafs of bread for later!


Visit Amish Country

Yoder's Amish Home

Rolling Ridge Ranch

Image Provided By:  cordery

22. Schoepfle Garden

With the beautiful weather today and spring blooming all around why not spend some relaxing time at the Schoepfle Garden in the Lorain County Metroparks.  Wander through 70 acres of botanical gardens and natural woodland bordered on one side by the Vermilion River. The garden features collections of rhododendrons, roses, cannas, hostas, various shade plants, along with many varieties of shrubs, topiaries and trees. Whether you choose to follow one of the guided tours available throughout the year, or just wander freely at your own pace, it's a wonderful way to spend a morning or afternoon. Be sure to bring a camera!

The newest addition to Schoepfle Garden is the musically themed Children’s Garden that was added in 2007. Children, young and old, can climb the Rocky "G" Clef, crawl through the Flute-A-Pillar, and ride the restored carousel.  Awesome! Summer Hours:  8am-8pm daily   First Weekend in April to End of October  Winter Hours:  8am-4:30pm daily   Last Sunday in October to End of March Get all the Info HERE!

Location:

11106 Market

Birmingham, OH 44816

(440) 965-7237

Image Provided By:   Schoepfle Garden

Idea Provided By:  Missy Johnson Timko

21. Lake Farmpark

Go country with the kids and teach them where their food really comes from!  Daily hands-on activities include milking the cows, cheese making and grinding your own grains!  And you can hang out with the cows, llamas, sheep, pigs, rabbits, turkeys, chickens, horses, honeybees and lots more!  There is a cafe onsite for some snacks and ice cream.  Also on Wednesdays, May - October there is a farmers market with locally grown fruits veggies and other local/organic deliciousness!

They have MANY special events planned for the 2010 season, so make sure you visit their site HERE!

Farmpark is open year-round 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Admission:
General admission: $6
Ages 60 and older: $5
Ages 2 - 11: $4
Children younger than 2: Free
Lake County resident free days: First Sunday and third Tuesday of each month. 

Location:
8800 Chardon Road
Kirtland, Ohio 44094

Image Provided By:  Lake Metroparks Farmpark

Continue to find 365 Things To Do with Kids in Cleveland!

19. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

A wonderful addition to the culture of the Cleveland area is the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.  Opened in 1882 as Wade Park and moved from the Universiry Circle area in 1907, this beautiful zoo has been caring for animals and protecting endangered species for over 100 years.  In addition to all the exoctic animals there is the Rain-forest, an indoor reptile sanctuary, an aviary, and is home to an orangutan family.  Spending the day or just a few hours here with your kids is time well spent.  Also popular with my boys, the Dinosaurs are open May 6 - September 12!

The Zoo is FREE on MONDAYS to all Cuyahoga County residents. 
Also EarthFest the annual Earth Day Celebration is Sunday April 18 from 10-5.

Get all the INFO HERE!

ADMISSION - The zoo is open every day from 10-5 excluding Dec 25 and Jan 1.

	April 1, 2010 - October 31, 2010	Nov 1, 2010 - March 31, 2011
Adults (12 & older)	$10.00	$7.00
Children (2-11)	$7.00	$5.00
Children under 2	FREE	FREE

 

Location:

3900 Wildlife Way

Cleveland, OH 44109

Get Directions

(216) 661-6500


Image Provided By:  Yvonne in Willowick

Continue to find 365 Things To Do with Kids in Cleveland! 

14. Moebius Nature Center

As the website accurately states this is "Aurora's Best Kept Secret."  I never heard of this place and it looks really cool!  I wish it had more open hours to pop in and visit but you can register for their programs and learn more about local animals.  The next program for ages 3-9 and 10+ is April 24 on Reptiles and Amphibians you can register  HERE.

Visit their site HERE.

Location:
929 E. Mennonite Rd.
Aurora, Ohio 44200
(just East of Sunny Lake Park)
(330) 562-2592


Image Provided By:  Moebius Nature Center's Blog

Idea Provided By:  Julie Alunni Burkhart