CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Time to party in the Flats again – but in a healthier way.

Cleveland Metroparks, expanding its lake and river properties once more, unveiled on Thursday a 2.8-acre recreational site under construction on the East Bank of the Cuyahoga, just north of the Columbus Road Bridge. Soon to be linked with the Towpath Trail, it will house the park district's first full-service restaurant.

Merwin's Wharf in Rivergate Park will open near the end of July with lunches and dinners Tuesday through Sunday, and a private dining room for rent. The 110 indoor seats and 60 patio seats face a view of the river called Irishtown Bend (near Hoopples River Bed Cafe). Patrons will be able to watch rowing sculls and ore carriers pass by. Rebuilding of the Columbus Road bridge is expected in the next few months.

While portions of the $2.9 million project will be used as a location for education and recreation, including paddling the river, a primary emphasis will be food.

"We've seen study after study in the recreation industry showing that parents are looking at food as part of the built-in experience outdoors," said marketing chief Sanaa Julien.

"They want outdoor activities but don't want to worry about where to feed their children. In that way, we're serving a need. Instead of an hour, they can spend three hours moving away from the electronics at home."

The wharf's menu, designed by restaurant manager Jarrod McCarthy, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, covers familiar items such as burgers, salads and sandwiches. But it also has Thai-Style Mussels, Black Bean Burgers and five entrees ranging from a $13 Mac & Cheese to a $35 Strip Steak. Find Merwin's

Metroparks chief Brian Zimmerman said the site is designed to be the hub of an emerging recreational campus that includes the Cleveland Rowing Foundation next door, the city's planned Crooked River Skatepark, neighboring Ohio City Bicycle Co-op and upcoming connections to the Towpath Trail.

Eventually, the public will be able to launch kayaks there, take classes in paddling and rowing, and see exhibits about the river.

Zimmerman hailed the site's access to the growing population in Cleveland's adjacent downtown, and in the Ohio City neighborhood up the bluff.

"There's not another industrial city that has the ability and the green space to connect to that many resources," he said.

Zimmerman also said Merwin's Wharf will complement metropark's other Cuyahoga River property to the south, the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, as well as waterfront parks across Cleveland's Lake Erie shore. That includes Whiskey Island, which it takes over at the end of this year.

"We believe this site will tie everything together," he said.

Park authorities, he said, want to "create opportunities for residents to reconnect with the waterways that give our region so much character and potential."

The opportunity at the Merwin Avenue site was identified by Cleveland Rowing Foundation (changed from earlier version), he said, and officials from that group invited Metroparks to develop the former boat storage site. In order to purchase the land the parks received $600,000 from the federal government through transportation monies, plus contributions from Trust for Public Land, Cleveland Foundation, Gund Foundation, Met Life, and other sources. The parks paid $1.7 million for site preparation and construction.

Park officials at the sneak preview did not have detailed information on the water quality in the immediate area.

"It's still an area of concern," Zimmerman said, "but the more people get to know about the river, the more they can appreciate it and help it. We're all part of making our water quality better."

Zimmerman said there was no more financial risk in opening a restaurant there than there is in running food concessions at the park's golf courses. All are run in-house for control of the product, he said, rather than just linking to outside vendors.

Food chief McCarthy said frozen food will be a comparatively small part of the fare at Merwin's Wharf.

"We don't have a walk-in freezer," he said showing off a home-sized appliance. "So you know we'll be relying on fresh product."

"We want to be tied in to health and wellness," Zimmerman added. "It's not just a restaurant, it's telling a story."