Cleveland Parks!

Starting The Cleveland Series off with a true favorite. The Cleveland Parks! If you follow me on Instagram then you know I am at Rocky River Reservation at least 3 times a week to run/jog/walk/read during my work week. It's only a couple miles away so I can get there quickly, and enjoy the majority of my lunch break there. I've never been to a Cleveland park that I didn't like but Rocky River holds the cake. It's incredibly beautiful, clean and spacious. In one step you're standing near a big open field with picnics and dogs playing fetch and then next thing you know you're walking through a shaded path keeping pace with the river. The park itself is very big so I haven't been to every corner of it, but what I have seen is worth sharing. 

Word to the wise; this post is preeeetty flower heavy. Just a heads up to those of you who have picture-flower allergies!

Also, I share some other much-loved parks that I have visited at the bottom of this post.

Quick story (!). My favorite color is purple, and I'm an impulse do-er. So, I was driving down Mastick Rd. (through the park) and saw a 2ft x 2ft cluster of these flowers and immediately stopped, put my flashers on, grabbed my camera and photographed these for a solid 5 minutes. This picture makes the area larger than it actually was which is why, I think, I love it so.

I firmly believe animals are fearless at Rocky River. I have stood within an arms reach of a deer and this duck? goose? Who knows, right? A bird-thing. (sorry guys)

Remember that Instagram story where I literally stumbled upon a waterfall during a rainy week. Yeah, that happened! This is usually just a wall. But it had rained so much that it was running down and oh.my.god I thought I discovered gold. Still a highlight!

Cleveland Parks are also Frankie-approved.

I think I started this off right. If you're ever looking to get out for a picnic in the Cleveland area and want a safe, family friendly and pet-friendly park then I would definitely 100% suggest Rocky River.

Here are some other favorites for anyone interested in checking out more! 

Cleveland Lakefront State Park
Brandywine Falls
Obviously, all of CVNP
Edgewater Park

and I haven't been yet (YET), but I've heard tremendous things about Lakewood's new Solstice Steps!

Stay tuned for more Cleveland!