The Canal Exploration Center is a real park highlight. It’s housed in an old canal-side tavern, and it has a small gift shop, and interactive exhibits about the canal's history that are fun for all ages. And directly in front of the building, you can find Lock 38.

Bridal Veil Falls get its name because it sort of resembles a bride’s wedding veil. You can admire the long, gentle waterfall from a boardwalk and bridge. It’s just a 500-foot walk from the parking lot into the forest to see the falls. If you’re wearing water shoes, or you don’t mind getting a little wet, you could follow the creek downstream, just a quarter mile, where you'll find the Lower Deerlick Creek Falls.

The Great Falls of Tinkers Creek has the largest volume of water of any falls on this tour. It's only a half-mile round trip on a paved trail to see the falls. You can even explore the remains of an old hydroelectric power plant. Then, if you like, you can walk the creek through the 512-foot Arch Tunnel. But make sure to bring a flashlight!

Brecksville Nature Center sits on the western edge of the National Park. It has exhibits on the flora, fauna, and history of the Brecksville Reservation. Inside, there are all kinds of exhibits about the plants, animals, and history of the area. There’s a kids corner, with fun activities for the little ones. And even some rocking chairs where you can look out through a wall of windows into nature.

Brandywine Falls is 60-feet tall, making it the tallest waterfall in Ohio. After you park, it’s a short walk to the stairs leading down to the falls. There are two observation decks, and a total of 69 steps to the lowest one, so your knees will get a workout. Afterward, you can hike the moderate one-and-a-half mile Brandywine Gorge Trail, which loops around Brandywine Creek.

The Boston Mill Visitor Center has some great exhibits about the park, and rangers may be on hand to answer all of your questions. Then, take a quick walk across the footbridge to the Boston Store, where you can find all kinds of gifts, souvenirs, and local grub, like sandwiches, trail mix, and ice cream.

The Ledges trail can get busy, especially on weekends. The trail gets its name from an abundance of rock formations. The two-mile trail circles around the bottom of a plateau. From there, you can explore the rocky ledges, boulders, crevasses, overhangs, and caves that make up the plateau’s perimeter. What’s even cooler, is that those rocks date back hundreds of millions of years, to when this part of Ohio was under an ocean.

The Hale Farm and Village is a living history museum, where you can interact with volunteers dressed in period attire, and explore 32 historical structures. First, stop at the Visitor Center to buy your tickets and pick up a map. There’s even a cafe if you get hungry. Then, step outside and explore the nineteenth century farm and village.

Beaver Marsh is a wetland created by beavers, after they dammed a portion of the old canal. Amazingly, the wetland actually used to be an auto salvage yard, back in the 1970s. Volunteers from a local branch of the Sierra Club cleaned it up in the 80s...and wildlife did the rest.

At the Deep Lock Quarry Metro Park, there are at least two features worth hiking to. First, there’s Lock 28, which is also known as Deep Lock, because at 17 feet, or about 5 meters, it was the deepest lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Secondly, there’s an old Berea Sandstone quarry which was used to construct parts of the canal. Later, the Civilian Conservation Corps used this quarry to build some local structures. To reach Deep Lock, just follow the towpath trail from the parking lot for a quarter mile. Then, to reach the quarry, it’s just another quarter mile beyond that, making for a one-mile round-trip hike.