What’s Happening

Check out these upcoming events but for the full list of available opportunities, visit our programs page.

TRAM RIDES June - September
Various Park Locations
Free

Join us for free tram rides throughout the Lorain County Metro Parks! These tram rides are first-come, first-served with limited seating and availability. The tram rides take approximately 20-30 minutes. All tram rides are weather dependent.  The final tram rides depart approximately 30 minutes prior to the program’s scheduled end time.

• Black River Reservation Trams
  Days Dam Picnic Area, 2720 E. 31st., Lorain Every Wednesday, June-September 10:00 am- 12:00 pm

  Hop on board for this free tram ride to tour a section of the scenic Black River Reservation! We depart from the shelter at the Day’s Dam Picnic Area (2720 E. 31st St, Lorain). These tram rides are first-come, first-served with limited seating and availability. The tram rides take approximately 15-30 minutes. All tram rides are weather dependent. The final tram rides depart approximately 30 minutes prior to the program’s scheduled end time.

• Cascade Park Trams
  Cascade Park Nature Center, 387 Furnace St., Elyria
  Every Tuesday, June-September 10:00 am- 12:00 pm

Cascade Park Tram Rides will be held every Tuesday from 10 am-12 pm. These rides are first-come, first-served and typically last approximately 15 to 30 minutes. Registration is not required. All rides depart from the Cascade Park Nature Center. Tram seats 6. These weekly tram rides will not take a route to the waterfalls but instead will travel through the areas of 19 Acres and Elywood. Stay tuned to our program catalog for specially scheduled waterfall tram rides. 

• Cascade Park Trams - West Falls Tour
  Cascade Park Nature Center, 387 Furnace St., Elyria
  Every Tuesday June-September 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm

Enjoy a tram ride to the West Falls! The ride departs from the Cascade Nature Center. Pre-registration is required for each participant. Due to the steep hills, the weight capacity of the tram requires a limited number of 4 riders only. Registration closes the date before the event. *Riders be advised that there is a 200 ft. span of unpaved trail that leads to the falls overlook. Terrain can be uneven and damp. This program is free, weather-dependent, and by registration only. 

• Kopf Family Reservation Trams
  Avon Lake Library Trailhead, 32649 Electric Blvd., Avon Lake
  Every other Thursday, June - September
  5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Hop on board for this free tram ride to tour Kopf Family Reservation! We depart from the Avon Lake Public Library trailhead (32649 Electric Blvd. Avon Lake). These tram rides are first-come, first-served with limited seating and availability. The tram rides take approximately 20-30 minutes. All tram rides are weather dependent.  The final tram rides depart approximately 30 minutes prior to the program’s scheduled end time.

• Sandy Ridge Reservation Trams
  Perry F. Johnson Wetland Center, 6195 Otten Rd., North Ridgeville
  Every Saturday and Sunday, June- September
  1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

This tram takes you through the trails of Sandy Ridge Reservation! We will depart from the shelter next to the Perry F. Johnson Wetland Center. These tram rides are first-come, first-served with limited seating and availability. The tram rides take approximately 20-30 minutes. All tram rides are weather dependent.  The final tram rides depart approximately 30 minutes prior to the program’s scheduled end time.

• Sandy Ridge Reservation Trams - Wetland Tour
  Perry F. Johnson Wetland Center, 6195 Otten Rd., North Ridgeville
  Every Saturday and Sunday, June- September
  10:30 am - 11:30 am

This tram takes you through the Wetlands of Sandy Ridge Reservation! We will depart from the shelter next to the Perry F. Johnson Wetland Center. These tram rides are first-come, first-served with limited seating and availability. The tram rides take approximately 20-30 minutes. All tram rides are weather dependent.  The final tram rides depart approximately 30 minutes prior to the program’s scheduled end time.

• Schoepfle Garden Trams
  Visitor Center, 1106 Market St., Birmingham
  Every Sunday, June-September | 1:00pm - 4:00 pm Every Thursday, June-September | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Hop on board for this free tram ride to tour Schoepfle Garden! We depart from outside the Visitor Center. These tram rides are first-come, first-served with limited seating and availability. The tram rides take approximately 15-30 minutes. All tram rides are weather dependent.  The final tram rides depart approximately 30 minutes prior to the program’s scheduled end time.

• Wellington Reservation Trams
  Visitor Center, 535 Jones Rd., Wellington
  Every Saturday, in June | 6:00pm - 8:00 pm Every Wednesday, in July | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Every Tuesday, in August | 9:00 am - 11:00 am

Hop on board for this free tram ride to see Wellington Reservation! We depart from outside the Visitor Center. These tram rides are first-come, first-served with limited seating and availability. The tram rides take approximately 15-30 minutes. All tram rides are weather dependent.  The final tram rides depart approximately 30 minutes prior to the program’s scheduled end time.

HERB FAIR
April 25, 2026 | 10:00am - 3:00pm
Vermilion River Reservation (Mill Hollow)
Free | No Registration required

Enjoy Herb Fair at Vermilion River Reservation’s Mill Hollow. Join us Saturday, April 25th from 10 am-3 pm. This event features a variety of vendors selling homegrown herbs and plants, as well as other vendors with handmade products, including décor, body products, and food items. Local food vendors will offer lunch items for sale. Plus, the historic Bacon House Museum will be open for viewing. Some vendors are cash only, and there is no ATM on site.

Admission and parking are FREE, and no registration is required. This mostly outdoor event is weather-dependent. For questions, please call the Mill Hollow Carriage Barn at (440) 967-7310 or email mkocsis@loraincountymetroparks.com

SPRING GREEN MARKET
May 17, 2026 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Miller Nature Preserve, Avon
Free | No Registration required

Join us for the second annual Spring Green Market at Miller Nature Preserve - an outdoor shopping and educational experience in a beautiful garden setting!

• Grow and Give Back - Select from a variety of second-season native plants, sold in large trade-gallon pots, to enhance your yard while benefiting pollinators and biodiversity. Proceeds support the Citizens Committee for Lorain County Metro Parks.

• Shop Local & Eco Friendly - Browse a curated selection of nature-inspired, mindfully handmade products from local vendors.

• Engage & Explore - Connect with local experts through interactive demonstrations on sustainable practice, and enjoy hands-on activities designed for the kids.

• Savor Sustainable Bites - The Orchid Cafe will be open for lunch, offering delicious food, wine samples from local vineyards and insights on composting kitchen scraps and eco-friendly food service products.

To promote sustainability, we encourage carpooling due to limited parking. Guests are also encouraged to bring reusable shopping bags. Celebrate nature, support local businesses and organizations, and take home a little piece of spring!

ORNITHOLOGY OPEN
May 16-May 17, 2026
$20/team | Registration required

Join friends in this non-stop, 24-hour birding extravaganza, the Lorain County Metro Parks’ inaugural Ornithology Open! Create a team of birders to challenge other local avian enthusiasts in this competition to spot the most birds in a 24-hour period during spring migration. Vie to be crowned a winner of one the seven different birding categories, and get your team’s name engraved on a plaque along with bragging rights for the year. Grab a pair of binoculars and your best bird nerd friends and family members and register today!

Teams meet at the Carlisle Visitor Center at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 for light refreshments and an introduction. The competition then officially begins at 7:00 p.m. and runs for 24 hours. All teams then meet back at Carlisle Visitor Center at 7:30 p.m. on night #2 for snacks, refreshments, and official results. Checklists will be tallied, a winner will be announced, and a group checklist will be made to see how many total species the competition’s participants were able to find and identify.

Meet other birders, learn about local avian wildlife, and engage in a little friendly competition this Spring! Spread your wings and sign up for this 24-hour birding competition! Follow the link below for more information, view category winners, and to sign up.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
June - August 2026
Free | Registration required

Lakeview Summer Concert Series
1800 West Erie Ave., Lorain
Thursdays, 6:00-7:30 pm
June - August

Join us for FREE outdoor concerts on select Thursday evenings, 6-7:30 pm, June through August. Take a stroll through the Historic Rose Garden or bring a blanket and chair to relax and enjoy the show while watching the sunset over beautiful Lake Erie. Concert held at the Event Garden directly across from the Beach House.

Miller Nature Preserve Summer Concert Series
2739 Center Rd., Avon
Thursdays, June - August

Relax & enjoy a free outdoor concert on the pretty patio or among our picturesque gardens on select Thursday evenings, 6:00pm-7:30pm, June through August! Food & beverages will be available for purchase, courtesy of the Orchid Café.  Select food items from the Orchid Café menu will be sold, with each concert evening also featuring some new & yummy options to choose from!  Outside food is not permitted on the patio.  In case of inclement weather(lightening, rain, high wind advisory) the concert will moved inside the Orchid Room, otherwise and even during hot & humid weather, it will be held on the outside patio. Parking is limited please consider carpooling with family & friends -thank you!  In case of inclement weather, the location of the concert (on patio or inside room) will be decided and announced that Thursday afternoon on LCMP's Facebook page or you can call to inquire after 3:00pm after the decision has been made.   

Vermilion River Reservation Summer Concert Series
Bacon Woods Amphitheatre, 51211 North ridge Rd., Vermilion
Sundays , June - August

The Vermilion River Reservation Summer Concert Series is a much look forward to and enjoyed summer evening activity & tradition by many of our regular Park visitors and music fans from all over, and consists of free concerts held on Sunday evenings June thru August at our beautiful outdoor Bacon Woods Amphitheater.  These 1.5 hour-long, outdoor concerts are weather dependent, registration is welcomed, but NOT required. The NEW concert time is 6:00pm-7:30pm. Concert parking is located on the Bacon Woods side, with handicap parking near the Bacon Woods Amphitheatre and restroom building. In addition to seating (wooden benches) in the amphitheater, there are picnic tables and a grassy lawn surrounding the amphitheater, feel free to bring chairs & blankets to sit on.  Smoking and dogs (except service dogs) are NOT permitted in the amphitheater, and all concerts are weather dependent.     

SUMMER CAMPS
Various park locations

Lorain County Metro Parks offers summer camps for various ages in various formats. Camps include a wide variety of activities to promote learning, recreation and FUN outdoors! Camps are offered at park locations throughout the county. Allow your child to foster a love of nature and discover the wild side of their home town.

• Lorain County residents’ early bird registration opens on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 8:00 am. 

• Out-of-county registration opens on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 8:00 am.

HOMESCHOOL EXPLORERS:
Various park locations
$3 per child

Homeschool Explorers is geared for children learning at home. This program series (September through May) will travel to different park locations to engage your children in nature, science, history, the arts, and recreation!

Depending on the program’s topic and location, children will learn through educational biofacts, nature hikes, activities, games, crafts, or meeting a live animal!  Program fee is $3.00/child. To be able to accommodate as many students as possible only students within the age range listed in the program description (usually ages 7-12) will be permitted to attend and participation waivers are required.  Please dress for the weather.

Registration opens one month prior to the program date.

• SEPTEMBER: Science of Water
  Tuesday, September 9, 2025 | Time: 10:00-11:30 am
  Splash Zone (Oberlin)

  Join us at Splash Zone as we conduct some hands-on experiments that will focus on water. Then, stick around after the program for some discounted pool time!

  For children ages 7-12. Register and pay $3/child by 9/8/25. Registration opens 8/15/2025.

• OCTOBER: Birding Hike
  Tuesday, October 14, 2025 | Time: 10:00-11:30 am
  Sandy Ridge Reservation (North Ridgeville)

  Learn about the importance of wetlands and why so many species of birds are seen at Sandy Ridge Reservation.

  For children ages 7-12. Register and pay $3/child by 10/13/25. Registration opens 9/14/2025.

• NOVEMBER: Wildlife Forensics
  Thursday, November 13, 2025 | 10:00-11:30 am
  Columbia Reservation, Briarwood Lodge (Columbia Station)

  Learn how to apply forensic techniques to solve wildlife crimes through hands-on activities and crafts.

  For children ages 7-12. Register and pay $3/child by 11/12/25. Registration opens 10/13/2025.

• DECEMBER: Animal Tracks and Signs
  Thursday, December 11, 2025 | 1:00-2:30 pm
  French Creek Nature Center (Sheffield Village)

  Learn how to identify the animals who live in the forest by looking for tracks, trails, homes, scat, and other signs of wildlife. Please dress for the weather.

  For children ages 7-12.

• JANUARY: Raptors Eat What?!
  Wednesday, January 15, 2026 | 10:00-11:30 am
  Carlisle Visitor Center (LaGrange)

  What do raptors eat, and why? Find out during owl pellet dissection, bio-facts and an outdoor eating demonstration using our Raptor Center resident birds.  Please dress for the weather.

  For children ages 7-12. Register and pay $3/child by 1/14/26. Registration opens 11/21/2025.

• FEBRUARY: Snow & Ice
  Wednesday, February 11, 2026 | 10:00-11:30 am
  Vermilion River Reservation, Mill Hollow Carriage Barn

  Learn about snow and ice with a lesson, activity/craft and hike at Vermilion River Reservation! We will learn about the properties of snow and ice, snowflakes, glaciers and icebergs, and the Ice Age in Ohio.

  For children ages 7-12. Register and pay $3/child by 2/10/26. Registration opens 1/10/2026.

• MARCH: Pollinator Diversity
  Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 10:00-11:30 am
  Miller Nature Preserve (Avon)

  Discover and learn about some of the lesser-known but still really important pollinators and the plants that depend on them during a hands-on lesson, fun activities, and an engaging Conservatory Tour!

  For children ages 7-12. Register and pay $3/child by 3/18/26. Registration opens 1/18/2026.

• APRIL: Seed Starting
  Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 10:00-11:30 am
  Schoepfle Garden (Birmingham)

  Learn about how plants grow and how to start seeds at home for a flower or vegetable garden.  Students will start a few seeds to take home and grow for the summer.

  For children ages 7-12. Register and pay $3/child by 4/14/26. Registration opens 1/15/2026.

• MAY: Migration Madness
  Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | Time: TBD
  Carlisle Visitor Center (LaGrange)

  Join us as we learn how our feathered friends migrate.

  For children ages 7-12.