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Escape Day to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Blog Date
Author(s)
Julie Smith
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.
Tags
Cleveland
Cleveland Metroparks
Zoo

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

What we needed was a simple day to get away -- thank you, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (@CleMetZoo - @CleveMetroparks), and the Cleveland Zoological Society (@CleveZooSociety), for providing the perfect venue.

On Mother's Day, on May 13, 2018, we enjoyed a relaxing day with our family at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Julie's mother, Yolanda Strauss, had recently passed away, so we knew it was going to be a difficult day for our family. It is fitting that we decided to go to a Cleveland Metroparks property, since we had recommended that family and friends give memorial contributions to Cleveland Metroparks. The parks were a big part of Julie's mother's life.

Thank you also to Wayside Furniture (@Wayside_Akron) for sponsoring the free zoo tickets for mothers. It was a nice gift to have Julie visit the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo as your guest.

Here are our @sos_jr tweets and retweets sharing our experiences, photos, and videos from the day. Clicking on Twitter photos will enlarge them!

 

Japanese Cherry Trees

Japanese Association Cherry Trees
Enlarge Image

Earlier in the month, we had learned from tweets by Etsuko Dunham (@endunham), Danielle Garbo (@DanielleGarbo), and Kelly Manderfield (@KManderfield) about some incredibly beautiful Japanese cherry tree blossoms in the Cleveland Metroparks' Brookside Reservation, which is very near the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Stuart and Etsuko used to both be members of a local blogger's group, so it was exciting to learn that Stuart's friend was involved with the Japanese Association of Northeast Ohio's (JANO) Sakura for the Earth (sakura = Japanese cherry blossom). See photos and historical background in the Cleveland Metroparks' April 8, 2015, blog post: Cherry Blossom Time.

Sakura for the Earth - Japanese Association of Northeast Ohio (JANO)
Cherry Blossom Time

So, after our great day at the Zoo, we went out to explore a park we had never visited before. In 2017, we explored many parks that were new to us while completing the Cleveland Metroparks Inaugural Trail Challenge! (see blog post.) We learned the following about Brookside Reservation on the Cleveland Metroparks' website:

Brookside Reservation was one of the City of Cleveland's oldest neighborhood parks before its acquisition by Cleveland Metroparks in 1993. The land was purchased in 1894 and has been a center for recreation since the early 1900s. Still a recreation hub, the area now boasts baseball and soccer/football fields. The 132-acre reservation serves as a refuge for diverse wildlife in an urban setting. It is also an attractive spot for area picnickers and a resting site for walkers, cyclists and others who use the All Purpose Trail. This reservation connects to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

When we visted on Mother's Day, May 13, 2018, all but one of the trees had dropped their blossoms. We enjoyed seeing the beautiful Japanese cherry tree orchard greening up for summer, and encourage you to visit to check out this great addition to the park, thanks to the Japanese Association of Northeast Ohio (JANO).

Please share any photos that you find interesting from our @sos_jr tweets and retweets by retweeting:

If you are interested in learning more about some of our visits to the Cleveland Metroparks (@CleveMetroparks), please see all our blog posts tagged as Cleveland Metroparks here.