Medina, OH Outdoor Activities

North Coast Parasail lofts guests high above the freshwater majesty of Lake Erie with gravity-defying parasailing excursions. Drift kite-like through the atmosphere during a 10-minute parasailing experience, which safely suspends adventurers at the end of an 800-foot towline. Breeze cruises deliver picturesque panoramas of Sandusky, Cedar Point, and the rarely seen tops of tall beachgoers' heads. Participants snag a complimentary T-shirt as well as a disposable camera good for capturing images of your feet dangling several hundred feet above the water.

Your hands wrap around the grip of a Tippmann marker. Multicolored spheres fly past you, spattering the trees and cutting air inches from your mask. Through the foliage, you can see half a plane buried nose-first in a clearing, one of many obstacles concealing potential foes. At SplatterPark, this good-natured combat sprawls across the adrenaline-soaked turf of 12 outdoor fields and 40 wooded and open acres adjacent to a lake. Warriors battle through capture-the-flag, base-defense, and other scenarios in themed arenas with adventurous names including Fort Buckeye, Snake Pit, and Dark Forest. Each field is suited to at least three types of play, but only the regular type of physics, and shouts of camaraderie echo off paint-flecked cover such as a broken-down school bus and a wooden-slat fort. In preparing for battle, combatants strap on rental or purchased gear under covered staging shelters, happy in the knowledge that their biodegradable paint ammunition will be harmlessly washed away by the elements or bears doing community service.

The arena's surreal terrain was featured in the intense combat of Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball, a video game from Activision, but the real park caters to players of all abilities and ages. At an onsite café, hot dogs and burgers refuel warriors and allow them to tell if their nemeses are actually target dummies with no appetite, and the pro shop's staff bustles among markers, accessories, and spare parts.

Every summer, the double-decker Good Time I forges connections between mainland Ohioans and their island-dwelling neighbors to the north. En route to Put-in-Bay and Kelleys Island, captains divulge each island’s history and point out popular attractions such as Marblehead Lighthouse and their reflections in the water. To further prime passengers for island revelry, the _Good Time I_’s weekend tours regale guests with live DJs and mixed drinks.

After spotting vacationers parasail over Florida's beaches, the founder of Put in Bay Parasail decided to create a way for North Coasters to get the same thrill above Lake Erie's waters. Since then, thousands of parasailers have taken flight and sailed up to 300 feet over the water, enjoying beach views and attempting to touch the sun while USCG-licensed captains safely steer. Setting forth from South Bass Island, Captain Jason Hall outfits guests with life vests and valuable knowledge nuggets, gleaned during more than two decades of water adventuring. Alternatively, high-quality paddleboards send aqua explorers on adventures closer to Erie's water. Staff point boarders in the direction of great spots for sunbathing, bobbing, or surfing based on their skill level and fluency at communing with lake trout.

In the woods of Geauga County sits Ma & Pa’s, a dismantled and resurrected log cabin originally built in the 1820s. There, customers will find a menagerie of seasonal delights, such as maple syrup, maple coffee, jewelry, and clothing. In March, the cabin hosts maple tours, as horses whisk guests through the woods for collection and sampling of maple treats. During winter, soft snows welcome the treads of horse-drawn sleigh-rides, followed by cozy fires and hot drinks.