Big Met Golf Course (originally named Course #1), believed to be Ohio's most-played golf course, has hosted over 6,000,000 rounds of golf since it opened in 1926. During the "Golden Era" of golf in the early 1920s, the sports director of the Cleveland Press, Rodney C. Sutton, proposed that the Cleveland Metropolitan Park Board build a golf course in the Rocky River Valley. Local golf enthusiasts persuaded the board that golf was a growing sport and that a "Pay as you play" course was needed and would be supported.

Rocky River Reservation is located in Berea, Brook Park, Cleveland, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Olmsted Township, and Rocky River. The first land purchased for Cleveland Metroparks can be seen from the Stinchcomb-Groth Memorial.

The character of the reservation is strongly influenced by the Rocky River. Massive shale cliffs rise above the willows, sycamores, and cottonwoods, and many trails wind through the valley’s deep floodplain forests, meadows, and wildflowers. Wildlife is common in the valley and visitors can expect to see numerous bird species and some common Ohio mammals year-round, including the white-tailed deer. Visit Rocky River Nature Center to learn more. The reservation includes three golf courses: Big Met, Little Met, and Mastick Woods.

The Rocky River Valley was settled early in this area’s history and reflects many of the sights common to the first settlers. Frostville Museum, an affiliate of Cleveland Metroparks, illustrates how the 1800s settlers lived and worked in the Rocky River Valley.