Circle the crossroads
Explore the shops and restaurants clustered where West Market, Exchange and Hawkins meet.
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AKRON'S WEST-SIDE CROSSROADS
Wallhaven
Wallhaven brings everyday convenience and neighborhood character together at one of West Akron's busiest crossroads.
AKRON / WALLHAVEN
THE FEEL
Meet the
neighborhood.
Centered near West Market Street, Exchange Street and Hawkins Avenue, Wallhaven mixes established residential blocks with independent restaurants, retail and one of the west side's favorite gathering spaces.
MAKE A DAY OF IT
Three ways
to find its rhythm.
No rigid itinerary required. Use these as starting points, then leave room to wander.
Pause at Hardesty Park
Walk the green space or time your visit for community events, concerts and the annual Akron Arts Expo.
Make it an Akron classic
Add a longstanding local restaurant or drive-in to a west-side afternoon.
NEIGHBORHOOD PICKS
Top 5 Things to Do in Wallhaven
Spend an afternoon at Hardesty Park
Walk the paths, use the open green space or bring a picnic to Wallhaven's best-known gathering place. The 17-acre park also hosts community programming, so check Akron's recreation calendar before heading out.
Visit the Akron Arts Expo
Time a summer visit for the Akron Arts Expo, when artists and visitors fill Hardesty Park for a weekend of creative work and community activity. Event dates and hours change from year to year, making the official city calendar the best planning source.
Catch a concert in the park
Bring a chair or blanket to one of Akron's seasonal outdoor concerts at Hardesty Park. The informal setting makes the series an easy neighborhood night out, often with food available nearby or on site.
Explore the Wallhaven crossroads
Walk or drive the blocks around West Market Street, Hawkins Avenue and Exchange Street to sample the district's mix of independent restaurants and practical local shops. It is a busy intersection, so park once when possible and explore the nearby storefronts on foot.
Order an Akron drive-in classic
Stop at the original Swensons location on South Hawkins Avenue for the kind of car-side meal that has become part of Akron's identity. Pair it with Hardesty Park or a drive through nearby West Akron for a simple local itinerary.
PEOPLE & SAFETY
Akron by
the numbers.
Neighborhood boundaries do not line up cleanly with Census geography, so these figures provide citywide context. Use the official crime map below for recent incidents around Wallhaven.
CRIME CONTEXT
See what's happening near Wallhaven.
Akron Police reported year-over-year declines through October 2024 in firearm offenses (25%), robberies (2%), felonious assaults (8%) and rapes (9%). Crime changes over time and can vary block by block; the city's Community Crime Map is the best source for current neighborhood-level incidents.
Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, 2020–2024 estimates and July 1, 2025 population estimate. Crime trend: City of Akron, published October 17, 2024. Crime-map data is supplied by participating law-enforcement agencies and should not be interpreted as a prediction of personal safety.
GOOD FOR
- Local dining
- Everyday shopping
- Park events
- West-side exploring
KEEP EXPLORING
Highland Square sits just east, while Sand Run Metro Park and the shops of Northwest Akron are a short drive north.
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