PENINSULA, Ohio – The National Park Service and the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park are scheduled to open the park’s first central visitors’ center this weekend.

The Boston Mill Visitor Center will open to the public with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. on Friday. The center is at 6950 Riverview Road in Peninsula. Once open, its fall hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with an outdoor courtyard area open at all times.

“Cuyahoga Valley has existed as part of the national park system for 45 years, and this is the first time we’ve been able to welcome guests at a centralized visitor center – a true ‘front door’ for our park, like those found at national parks around the country,” CVNP Superintendent Craig Kenkel said Tuesday during a media tour of the center.

The Cuyahoga River flows behind the Boston Mill Visitor Center and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in front of it. The Ohio & Erie Canal and Towpath Trail is nearby.

The Conservancy for CVNP raised more than $7 million for the project, which included renovating the main building that was originally built around 1905.

“It is CVNP’s and the Conservancy’s mission to be a park for the people, connecting the region’s community to the meanings and values of the park itself,” said Deb Yandala, CEO for the Conservancy. “We worked to ensure that the visitor center experience, and the experience of the park, is broadly appealing and representative of the region.”

The large, gable roof structure was originally a company store for the Cleveland-Akron Bag Company, and later became a private residence, according to Jennie Vasarhelyi, chief of interpretation, education and visitor services for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The Conservancy bought the property in 2009 and donated it to the National Park Service. Design and planning for the center began in 2017 and construction started last year.

The center highlights the park’s proximity to Akron and Cleveland as one of only a handful of national parks in a metropolitan area. Photos, educational displays, interactive exhibits and park information will allow visitors to plan their experience and share stories from their time in the park.

The next phase of the project includes two parking lots and a pedestrian bridge over the Cuyahoga River. Until then, parking is available near the Boston Store at 1550 Boston Mills Road and at Boston Mills Ski Resort at 7100 Riverview Road.

Opening weekend activities include:

Saturday, Oct. 26:

· 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Beckham’s B&M Food Truck (adjacent to MD Garage)

· 12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Celebrity hikes with Sam Sylk and Grace Roberts (Boston Mill Visitor Center Courtyard)

· 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Geri McCully Hula Hoop Fun & Fit and African drums demonstration (Trail Mix Boston)

· 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Praise Dancers from Grace Tabernacle Baptist Church (Boston Mill Visitor Center Courtyard)

· 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Northwind Martial Arts Demo (Trail Mix Boston)

Sunday, Oct. 27:

· 9 a.m.: Guided hike to Brandywine Falls (Boston Mill Visitor Center)

· 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Boston History Walk (Boston Mill Visitor Center)

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