Matthew & Ann Marie

We totally understand that the only reason you are coming to our wedding is to knock the beautiful gem of America off your "absolutely must visit" list. Don't worry we don't take it personally. Since that is your goal, we want to make sure you get to see the very best Northeast Ohio has to offer! Here are some of our favorites (read Ann Marie's favorites). 

Completed in 1915, Stan Hywet is the one of the most important remaining examples of an American Country Estate built by the wealth created during the Industrial Age at the turn of the twentieth century, when the emergence of modern America made Akron the "Rubber Capital of the World." Built by the former home of F.A. Seiberling, the co-founder of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and his family, the Tudor revival Manor House is 64,500 sq. feet and the 6th largest home open to the public in the U.S. Open from April through December, Stan Hywet includes a 65-room Manor House, a conservatory and more than 70 acres of artfully landscaped ground. It is Akron's oldest National Historic Landmark and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

The Akron Art Museum features 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) of gallery space dedicated to the display of its collection of art produced since 1850. The museum also hosts visiting shows from national and international collections.

The museum is free to Active Duty military, Reserve, National Guard, and their families.

Travel along the path where, from 1827 to 1913, mules pulled canal boats laden with passengers and goods up and down the historic Ohio & Erie Canal. Today’s trail follows the historic towpath as closely as possible, the exact route determined by historic maps and remnants of the trail itself. In some places, the trail leaves the historic route where time has erased the old path. 

The towpath can be joined up from close by the Marriott hotel and at multiple places downtown. When you pass by the different locks downtown, these are the locks the the boats on the canal used. 

Along the trail and at key visitor centers, you can learn more about the cultural, historic, natural and recreational resources being preserved and celebrated along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. When completed, the Towpath Trail will be 101 miles long.

Early November is typically beautiful in Ohio as all of the leaves are changing. We are supposed to hit peak foliage at the end of October, but the trees should still be beautiful the weekend of the wedding. There is no better place to see the grandeaour than on a trip through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Cuyahoga Valley National Park differs markedly from most of the other national parks in that it features a rich mix of natural, man-made, and private attractions. The national park is represented by forests, rolling hills, narrow ravines, wetlands, river scenery, and waterfalls.

If you aren't interested in hiking or biking railroad tours on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad give a beautiful view of the park and the landscape.  The Akron Northside station is a VERY brief walk from the Marriott and there are several trips scheduled over the weekend. There is even a FREE trip for Veterans on Friday afternoon at 3pm!  If you want to go, I recommend booking early since these trips do sell out! 

Opened in 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coaches, franchise owners, and front-office personnel, almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League (NFL); the Hall inducts between four and eight new enshrinees each year. The Hall of Fame's Mission is to "Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE." With the election of the Class of 2018[2] – Bobby Beathard, Robert Brazile, Brian Dawkins, Jerry Kramer, Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Brian Urlacher – there are a total of 318 members of the Hall of Fame. 

The NFL was founded in Canton in 1920 (at that time it was known as the American Professional Football Association) and the now-defunct Canton Bulldogs were a successful NFL team based in Canton during the first few years of the league.

Lockview- My absolute favorite restaurant in Akron. It features gormet grilled cheese sandwiches as well as the best crab dip ever. Basically the only place you ever need to eat again. 

Bricco- Delicious Gormet pizza and Italian food. Sunday is retail wine night. 

Luigi's- Located right across from the Marriot, Luigi's white  pizza is an Akron staple, its covered in cheesy excellence. 

The Peanut Shoppe- Okay, so this is a candy store, not a restaurant, but they are so cute and an Akron staple. Go in and get yourself some great chocolate. Matt favors the chocolate covered expresso beans. 

Diamond Deli- Also an Akron staple, go in for fabulous deli sandwiches the size of your head. 

Visitors to the Presidential museum and library are in for a wonderful experience that includes an interactive, hand-on science center, a presidential museum dedicated to our 25th president, a historical library, planetarium and more.  Experience the solemn memorial to our martyred president, the McKinley National Memorial. The museum is dedicated to collecting and preserving the significant materials and records related to the life of William McKinley, his family and his career. It is also the official historians of Stark County and are always on the lookout for facts and artifacts that tell the Stark County story. The museum serve as an education center of history and science and offer interpretive exhibitions and educational programs for the local community and an expanding global audience.

The National First Ladies Library in Canton is the only museum of its kind and commemorates and showcases the history of First Ladies in America. As a United States National Historic Site, the site features two buildings: the Ida Saxton McKinley Historic Home and the Education & Research Center, which are a block apart. The Ida Saxton McKinley Historic Home was the former home of the wife of U.S. President William McKinley, Ida McKinley, who was also the founder of the National First Ladies Library. The home offers tours of the building that feature history on President McKinley and his wife, pictures other former First Ladies and Victorian Era decorations. In the Education & Research Center, the first floor features a theater for movies and presentation, various exhibits, and a small library room with a collection of books that replicates First Lady Abigail Fillmore’s collection for the first White House Library. And the second floor features the main National First Ladies Library that aims at providing unique and historical information to the public.