Akron Travel Guide

Pretty good club for the younger set. They play 80's - PUNK- INDIE - BRITPOP - HIP HOP - NEW WAVE ALTERNATIVE music. Locals hang out here and then gather together after the club closes to go too after hours parties.

Dress Code: The best dress code laid back tee and jeans. Party without the pretension.

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Had to go the mall! Sue accidentally dropped my camera outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had to buy me a new one! Isn't she sweet? So off to the Mall we went and hey, just had to try my new toy out. Right??

Do NOT attempt to drive in the snow if you do not know how. Akron's snow is not for the week willed. We have a phrase that seems to fit Akron- 'If you do not like the weather, wait 5 minutes... it will change.'

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: If you're planning on camping in the Ohio area in the Spring/Summer time be prepared for the occassional rainstorm and flash flood. It's good to keep two extra tarp with you; one to put on the ground and one to put above your tent before you set it up. This will greatly decrease your chances of washing away durning these storms (and I've seen it happen). Also, you will want to treat your tent with seam sealer and a weather resistant coating. Even though most new tents come with weather resiting coatings, treating or re-treating your tent will increase its chances against the elements and its lifespan.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Nowadays, campers bring along portable toilets which is a great comfort. But many counties in Ohio have water protection laws; so you'll want to be extra careful where and how you dispose of the waste.

There are also many poisonous spiders in the Ohio area such as the Brown Recluse. My best suggestion is to try and remeber what these highly poisonous spiders look like and keep pay attention to your surroundings. Try to keep as many of your belongings as possible in air and water tight containers. Always check and shake out your clothes and shoes before you put the on. A short handled broom comes in handy for sweeping out any unwanted 'guest'; this way you won't have to risk a bite even if it isn't poisonous. Stay aware of any new marks or rashes on the body. If you do notice any take a pen and draw a circle around the mark. If the lesion grows outside of the circle within three minutes, get help immediately. In any case, if you are worried, help should be notified if any strange marks appear.
Don't forget to pack the good old snake and bee bite kits.

On this adventure, some of my friends and I drove up to the Akron area for The Gratefulfest featuring Dark Star Orchestra, David Gans, and a few other bands. Nelson's Ledges Park is one of the coolest places I've ever seen a band play! What makes this rock quarry turned park famous in the area are the cliffs overlooking a beautiful lake which is a haunting blue-green color. All guest are invited to dive off of the appointed cliffs which vary in height from 10 feet to 30 feet. There is even a small 'beach' where you can sit and watch the sun rise or set(I highly recomend this!)
The campgrounds are great! All of the campsites are off of these little trails; it's and adventure just getting from one friends campsite to another! I'm VERY serious...make sure you have a(working)flashlight once the sun goes down. We had to break out the first-aid kit twice in one night because a friend of mine tripped over a mini boulder!! But other than that, the camping is great. Lots of trees for shade and twigs and wood for fires. Not to promaote alcoholism; but I just have to tell you that this was where I had my first taste of moonshine! Let me tell you, no medieval monk or Dante himself could have found the words to desrice the hellfire burning away my digestive system. My tongue was numb for 4 minutes and 47 seconds(I started to time it because I was starting to worry and this time may not be acurate for after the first drink, I spent a least one minute trying to regain composure).
Now for the concert part! IT WAS GREAT! The acoustics here are fantastic!! We were camped near the back of the park and we could hear the band cleary when they started. I had such a great time at this show(but I always have fun at DSO shows)! For any of you out there that follow(ed) the Dead and/or Dark Star Orchestra, DSO performed the 5/20 and 5/21 1992 shows. I was SO happy to hear 'Turn on Your Lovelight' and the 'Drums'-->'Space' both nights was unbelievable!!
I guess I should get on to the information, right? Here it is!
Nelson's Ledges Park
12001 Nelson Ledge Road
Garrettsville, Ohio
(440)548-2716
www.nlqp.com