Akron Art Museum
Filled with over 7,000 works by well-known and local artists, including those by Pablo Picasso and Michelangelo Lovelace, the Akron Art Museum is a creative haven. Its origins, however, were much humbler. In 1922, its original iteration, the Akron Art Institute, was located in the basement of the Akron Public Library. It moved to its first permanent home, a mansion on Fir Hill, in 1937. The change proved disastrous, because a fire in the early 1940s left its collection drastically reduced. By the 1980s, however, the institute had largely rebuilt its assemblage, changing its name to the Akron Art Museum and moving to its current location: the 1899 Post Office building. Since then, the museum has under gone numerous upgrades, including a massive expansion in 2007. Peruse its latest exhibit, “Glow: Neon and Light,” through Feb. 9. Featured artists use glass, mirrors, light bulbs and more to play with our perception of light. 1 S. High St., Akron, 330-376-9186, akronartmuseum.org
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Bruce Ford
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Ott Gangl, Summit Memory/ Akron-Summit County Public Library
Akron Zoo
Visitors can zip down an enclosed acrylic slide that takes them through the river otter exhibit — so they end up face-to-face with the playful creatures — in the Akron Zoo’s Grizzly Ridge area. The immersive, educational fun is a hallmark of the zoo’s mission to connect humans with animals — and a sign of just how far the institution has come in its 70-plus years. A small natural history museum was expanded in 1953 to include the Akron Children’s Zoo, which featured nursery rhyme-themed exhibits. The zoo acquired a more scientific outlook in the 1980s, changing its name to the Akron Zoological Park. By 1989, it was accredited. An early 2000s expansion, the 2003 construction of the welcome center, global conservation efforts and continuous enclosure improvements have all contributed to its continued accreditation. Go to the zoo and observe lions, jellyfish, red pandas and other animals. Plus, ride on the carousel, grab a snack, hand-feed a Galapagos tortoise and more. 505 Euclid Ave., Akron, 330-375-2250, akronzoo.org
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Bruce Ford
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Bruce Ford
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Summit Memory/ Akron-Summit County Public Library
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Summit Memory/ Akron-Summit County Public Library
Akron-Summit County Public Library
While lending libraries and reading rooms existed in Akron since the 1830s, a free public literary institution did not exist until a city ordinance created the Akron Public Library in 1874 — housed in a Masonic Temple until 1898. By 1904, it had moved to a building created with funds from Andrew Carnegie. This building eventually hosted the first Main Library. A new system of branches opened throughout the 1920s and ‘30s. Several of these early branch locations, including the Firestone Park Branch (established in 1929) and the Kenmore Branch (established in 1930), still exist today, as does its mobile bookmobile, of which a first iteration debuted in 1946. With 19 branches, patrons can now enjoy a host of activities and amenities, including gaming clubs and lectures, as well as a library of things such as art, kitchen tools, STEM kits and more. Main Branch, 60 S. High St., Akron. 330-643-9000, akronlibrary.org
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Summit Memory/ Akron-Summit County Public Library
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Summit Memory/ Akron-Summit County Public Library
