If you live in or around Stow, Ohio, you already know this town has a quiet kind of magic. It is easy to miss if you are just passing through on Route 91, but for the people who call this corner of Summit County home, Saturday here feels genuinely earned. Wide fairways in the morning. A peaceful trail through the woods in the afternoon. And by evening, something that brings the whole day together in the best possible way.
This guide is for anyone searching for the best things to do in Stow, Ohio, whether you are a longtime local planning your weekend or someone visiting from Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, or Hudson looking for a day well spent. We are going to walk you through an ideal Saturday from tee time to the last draw of a premium cigar, and we promise by the end, you will have a plan worth repeating.
Morning: Start Your Day at Fox Den Golf Course
Few public golf courses in Northeast Ohio carry the quiet reputation that Fox Den Golf Course has built over the decades. Located at 2770 Call Rd in Stow, this 18-hole, par-71 course has been a community institution since the city took ownership in 2006, and it remains one of the most accessible and genuinely enjoyable rounds you can play in Summit County.
The course stretches over 6,500 yards from the back tees, designed by Frank Schmeidel with wide fairways, natural tree challenges, and sloping hills that keep every round interesting. You will use nearly every club in your bag here, not because the course punishes you, but because it simply asks you to think. The practice facility includes a driving range, two large putting greens, and chipping areas, so arriving early to warm up is worth every minute.
What makes Fox Den feel different from a lot of public courses is the pace and the atmosphere. Locals describe it as a place you can bring your spouse on a Friday evening or a group of four on a Saturday morning and leave feeling like it was time well spent. Weekend tee times book out, so calling ahead or reserving online is the move.
After 18 holes on a Stow morning, especially in late spring or early fall when the Northeast Ohio air is just right, you come off the course with that particular kind of tired that a good walk and a bit of competition produce. The best kind.
Questions? Call us at (330) 945-4532 or stop by Allen Rd, Stow, and if you are looking for something to celebrate that back nine, we have a few ideas for later.
Late Morning: A Walk Through Silver Springs Park
After golf, there is no better way to transition the morning than a walk through one of Stow’s crown jewels. Silver Springs Park sits in the northeast corner of the city and spans 280 acres of recreational space that most people outside of Summit County have never heard of, which makes it feel like a genuine local secret.
The park has something for almost everyone. Heritage Lake is a quiet spot for fishing and kayaking. The Metro Parks Bike and Hike Trail runs adjacent to the park, offering access to over 26 miles of connected trail if you want to stretch the walk into something more ambitious. There are lit tennis and basketball courts, open fields, picnic shelters, and the famous Bow Wow Beach dog park, a 7-acre off-leash area with a lake where dogs can swim, which alone makes it one of the most popular spots in the county.
For a post-golf walk, the wooded trails and shoreline paths inside Silver Springs offer just the right amount of movement without demanding too much from legs that already walked 18 holes. The park has a genuinely calm feel to it, especially on weekend mornings before the families with strollers and bikes take over. Get there between 10 and 11 in the morning, and you will likely have the trails largely to yourself.
Pack a light snack, bring water, and give yourself about an hour here. You are not trying to conquer anything. You are just moving through a beautiful piece of Stow and letting the morning settle.
Afternoon: Explore Adell Durbin Park and Arboretum
If Silver Springs is Stow’s biggest park, Adell Durbin Park is its most peaceful one. Located at 3300 Darrow Road on the border of Stow and Munroe Falls, this 34-acre park and arboretum offers something you do not always find in a suburban Ohio park: genuine quiet.
The trails here wind through woodland, past a wildflower meadow, and along small streams. The Red Trail is the most popular loop at about a mile, rated easy by AllTrails with an elevation gain of 88 feet, making it a completely manageable afternoon hike. The Yellow Trail adds a slightly more challenging variation through dense forest cover. Neither is going to push your heart rate very hard, but that is exactly the point on a Saturday like this. You are not training. You are breathing.
Bird watchers tend to love Adell Durbin because of how undisturbed it feels. The arboretum section features labeled trees and native plantings, and the wildflower meadow in spring and early summer is the kind of thing you find yourself wanting to photograph and then realizing your phone does not quite capture it.
Bring the dog if you have one; leashes required. If the trails are in good condition (spring through fall is ideal), plan for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on which trails you combine. The Campbell Lodge on-site is available for event rentals if you ever want to bring a group back here for something more formal.
By the time you finish at Adell Durbin, it is mid to late afternoon. You have played golf, walked in a beautiful park, and hiked through a quiet forest on the Stow-Munroe Falls border. Your legs are pleasantly tired. Your mind is clear. And now comes the best part of the day.
Evening: Finish at Smokers Etc Stow’s Premier Cigar Lounge
Here is where the day becomes memorable.
Smokers Etc, located at 4216 Allen Rd in Stow, is the kind of place that rewards the kind of Saturday you just had. It is not a quick stop. It is a destination, and for those who have never been, the first visit tends to become the first of many.
Family-owned and operated since 1997 by Ralph Kahook, Smokers Etc has spent nearly three decades building something that bigger cities struggle to replicate: a genuinely welcoming cigar lounge where both first-timers and seasoned enthusiasts feel at home. The walk-in humidor carries over 200 premium cigar brands — everything from Arturo Fuente, Padrón, and Oliva to boutique finds like Drew Estate’s Liga Privada No. 9 and Rocky Patel Decade. If you know exactly what you want, you will find it. If you have no idea, the staff will help you land on something perfect without making you feel out of your depth.
The lounge itself is the real draw on a day like this. Three large-screen TVs mean a game is almost always on. The seating is comfortable. The WiFi is free. And the patio, on an evening in late spring or early fall, is the kind of outdoor space that makes you wonder why you ever thought you needed to drive somewhere expensive to unwind.
Our staff has been guiding customers from complete beginners to serious collectors toward the right cigar for their moment since before many of our customers were born. That depth of knowledge shows. First-time visitors consistently describe the experience in Google reviews as welcoming, unhurried, and genuinely educational.
For a Saturday that started on the golf course, moved through the park, and wound through the trails at Adell Durbin, a seat in the Smokers Etc lounge is not an afterthought. It is the ending the day was building toward.
Questions? Call us at (330) 945-4532 or stop by 4216 Allen Rd, Stow. We are open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM and Sunday from 11 AM to 6 PM.
How to Get to Smokers Etc from Around the Area
Stow sits at a genuinely convenient point in Northeast Ohio, making it an easy destination whether you are coming from within Summit County or from one of the surrounding communities.
From Akron, take Route 8 North to Route 59 East and follow the signs toward Stow. The drive from downtown Akron is typically under 20 minutes. From Cuyahoga Falls, you are already essentially in Stow’s backyard. Allen Road is a short drive east from the heart of Cuyahoga Falls. From Hudson, head west on Route 303 and then north into Stow. From Kent, take Route 261 North. The drive is roughly 15 minutes.
Once you are in Stow, Fox Den Golf Course, Silver Springs Park, and Adell Durbin Park form a natural circuit across the city that flows naturally into an evening at Smokers Etc. The whole day is self-contained and, except for the golf tee time, requires no reservation or planning.
That is part of what makes Stow one of the more underrated towns in Summit County for a day like this. Everything is closed. Everything is genuinely good. And the people you meet along the way on the course, on the trail, and in the lounge tend to be exactly the kind of company a Saturday deserves.
Plan Your Next Saturday in Stow
Whether you follow this exact itinerary or just borrow pieces of it, the point is simple: Stow, Ohio, rewards those who take the time to explore it. The golf is better than you expect. The parks are quieter than they should be. And the cigar lounge at the end of Allen Road has been one of the best-kept secrets in Northeast Ohio for almost thirty years.
Check out our upcoming events at Smokers Etc. Cigar tastings, brand nights, and member-only evenings are a regular part of what makes the lounge worth coming back to. And if you are thinking about a private locker membership or have a question about a specific brand, reach out to us directly or stop by the store.
We are also always adding new arrivals and featured cigars to the blog. Follow along if you want to stay current on what is in the humidor.
Fox Den opens early. The trails will be there when you are ready. And Smokers Etc will be here at the end of it.
Questions? Call us at (330) 945-4532 or stop by 4216 Allen Rd, Stow, OH 44224.
Smokers Etc is located at 4216 Allen Rd, Stow, OH 44224. Store hours: Monday–Saturday 10 AM–8 PM, Sunday 11 AM–6 PM.
