When winter hits and the snow starts to pile up, the sledding hill in the Lorain County Metro Parks is the place to be. The hill, located in Mill Hollow at 51211 N. Ridge Road, is perfect for family sledding.
“The sledding hill is pretty popular because there are really not a whole lot of sledding opportunities in the area,” explains Jannah Wilson, senior naturalist for the Lorain County Metro Parks. “It’s a nice medium-sized hill, so it’s fun for older ages but safe for the younger ones, too. We get quite a crowd when we have the right conditions.”
The sledding hill will be just one attraction at the upcoming annual Winter Days festival at the reservation on Jan. 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. “Winter Days highlights the different types of activities you can do in the winter months,” says Wilson.
Those activities include sledding, snowshoeing and ice fishing. Professionals and students will create ice sculptures, while visitors can meet more than a dozen sled dogs before they embark on their demo race. “The sled dogs are always our biggest event,” says Wilson.
Other demonstration include primitive cooking demonstrations in the Carriage Barn and historical re-enactments in the Benjamin Bacon House. Students from the Erie, Huron and Ottawa Vocational Education (EHOVE) Career Center will be making chili and chicken noodle soup. There will also be wood-fired pizza, cookie and hot cocoa to warm up.
Visitors can ride in a horse-drawn carriage for $1, or simply enjoy the live jazz and acoustic music while getting something to eat from the food vendors. “It’s a lot of fun for families,” says Wilson.
The Winter Days event is free, but some activities, such as the ice fishing and snowshoeing, require registration. Go to metroparks.cc for more event details and schedule or call the Carriage Barn at 440-967-7310.