Post by Ryan Rimmele, Everyday Akron team member
In 2022, I began a year-long stint as a Downtown Akron resident. Living in Downtown is the same as just about any neighborhood. You see the same people going about their usual routines while you go about yours. There are interesting places to visit, interesting foods to eat, and of course plenty of dogs to look at and go “Oh, a puppy!”
Here are a few tips for getting the most out of a Downtown Akron experience. So strap on your walking shoes and let’s go Downtown.
Be Willing to Improvise
Most people go Downtown with a specific destination in mind. Maybe they are going to an Akron RubberDucks game, going to the Theatre (you know it’s good because of the -re), or craving a plate full of goldfish crackers. I know of very few instances where someone parked in the middle of Downtown and was like “Okay, now what?” But I challenge you to do just that. Let fate take control and just do a bit of wandering. Don’t worry, regardless of the direction you choose, you’ll find something interesting.
The Downtown Akron area is best utilized as a multi-location destination. A one-and-done evening will hardly provide the sort of excitement to bring you back time and again. See a show at the Akron Civic Theatre and then go to Lockview. See a movie at The Nightlight and then grab a drink and pizza at Baxter’s Speakeasy and Totally Baked. Visit the Akron Art Museum and then grab a beer at Akronym Brewing.
Downtown Akron is not enjoyed to its fullest when the most walking you’re doing is between your car and destination. You’re not absorbing the atmosphere in a parking deck, except for maybe the Cascade deck. That parking deck has the atmosphere of a haunted abandoned mine.
A wandering day can take many forms Downtown. Personally, (and for potential legal reasons, I’m not suggesting it) I enjoy what has been coined a “Wine Walk” in which a travel mug is filled with wine and you just start walking. Typically, I would end up somewhere on the University of Akron campus before deciding to wander back home.
I suggest wandering in the direction of Totally Baked though. Few things are more exciting than eating a fresh pizza while sipping a cocktail at Baxter’s Speakeasy. The small table beside the bar is my preferred spot – in the mix of things while also feeling secluded.
Make Use of the Towpath Trail
The Towpath Trail is over 90 miles long, connecting Downtown Cleveland and New Philadelphia. For our purposes though we’re only concerned with the section between the Ohio & Erie Canal Park and the Mustill Store.
If you’re willing to walk, the trail gives you easy access to several popular Downtown locations. While living Downtown the trail was my main route for everything from exercising to stumbling home. A frequent routine of mine was walking to the gym.
Did you know there is a gym in Downtown Akron? Ruffier Fitness, the gym I still go to most mornings before work (humble brag), is located in Canal Place above Missing Falls Brewery. As you can imagine, I made it a habit of working out on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and then stopping by Missing Falls for a drink during Trivia and Opinionation nights. I won several gift cards and Missing Falls merch items from Opinionation – I attribute my understanding of popular opinion to my marketing background. I don’t need to know the correct answer, just the one everyone likes.
The Towpath Trail is a hidden artery with the potential to carry you from spot to spot as you experience Downtown Akron. Walking along the trail is a completely different feeling than walking along Main St. It’s the same places, but offered up at a different pace. Sometimes that pace is dictated by the resident geese population.
If you’re looking to have an enjoyable weekend, grab brunch at Jilly’s Music Room (the bloody marys are phenomenal), walk to Sweet Mary’s for a coffee and a baked good (all items on their menu are walking foods with the right amount of ingenuity), and then continue to Missing Falls for a beer and wings (sassy sauce, blueberry jalapeno, honey sriracha, garlic parm dry rub are my suggestions). If you do this during the Premier League Football season, you might catch a Tottenham Hotspurs game at Missing Falls. They are the local backers bar for the team and the fans are wonderful. Have you ever become a fan of an entire sport because the bar was conveniently located? I have.
Meet the Locals
(I will preface this section with the acknowledgment that I am a white male. Please “meet the locals” at a level that is comfortable for you.)
Did you know that people live in Downtown Akron? Wild, I know. Turns out the area is more than just bars and restaurants. The residents of Downtown are as varied as they come from the unhoused to doctors. These people have chosen Downtown for one reason or another, but have ultimately come to share the space and call it home.
For whatever reason, I’m the sort of person people tell things to despite having never asked. A simple head nod from me turns into a full-blown conversation that leaves me with more information than I had planned.
I’ve met a man named Richard for the first time no less than three times. He is an unhoused member of the Downtown Akron community, often taking shelter in one of the local parking decks. Richard is an incredibly kind individual who is more than willing to tell his story even if you already know it.
If you ever have the opportunity to meet someone more than once, especially someone who is unhoused, please remember their name. We often overlook the importance of hearing people say our names.
“Downtown Dad” was a man I had never actually met, but he lived in the apartment building across from mine. He owned a labradoodle and would often sit outside his building on a red rocking chair. We called him Downtown Dad due to his tendency to wear shorts, very tall socks, and a baseball cap. I once saw him walking down the street eating a Kraft single. He was Downtown Dad.
During the early morning hours of Akron’s Pride Festival, which occurs in August and is a wonderful event filled with the most amazing people, I met a large, heavily tattooed Irish man and his even larger dog. They were visiting from out of town because the man’s uncle had recently passed and they were going through his belongings. His uncle had ties to the Irish mafia and was a big deal in his day. These are the sorts of things people would tell me at 7:00 am while standing at Cascade Plaza with a bag of dog poop in my hand. These are the joys of living in Downtown Akron.
Help Improve Downtown Akron and Make It a Livable Space
Downtown Akron is wonderful. Full of places to visit and food to eat. Unfortunately, it is still at times very much a ghost town. Its perception and infrastructure just haven’t changed enough to become the bustling metropolitan space it has the potential to one day become. But with the help of regular visitors, residents, and Akron’s public officials, the Downtown area may one day have things like a grocery store or childcare options. Those necessities that residents and employees need to support a neighborhood.
Akron Community Foundation has recently approved a proactive grant that will help bring equitable access for future investment and development to downtown Akron. Progress is being made but it’s just getting started.
I encourage you to make Downtown Akron a place you visit more frequently. Then tell your network of friends, family, and coworkers all about your Downtown adventures. Share the joy of Downtown Akron and get others excited to visit!
Explore More in 2024
As you explore and have fun this year, share with the Everyday Akron community by using #ExploreMore2024AK in your captions across platforms and tag @everydayakron in your posts.
Looking for more ways to explore Akron in 2024? Check out the Explore More in 2024 page for more blog posts, guides and ideas.
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