My own experience (6'6" ~16st) is that the Piper Cherokees are a good alternative to the C172's & C182's. I have flown a C172 (180hp) out of C600m grass strips, and that didn't struggle at all, though I wouldn't be quite so sanguine about a lower powered Cherokee.
I've also flown C152's with ease (very flexible me), provided your passenger is fairly slim & elegant, they're OK two up. I enjoy aerobatics too, and fly a Decathlon regularly. That's OK, but again your passenger needs to be on the petite side. Both of these aircraft are good grass strip aircraft, but you need to be careful about fuel load.
I don't know, but I have been told by a 6'4" bloke (none too slim) who used to own a Pitts-S1C, that the pitts is an ideal aerobatic aircraft for the larger pilot. Perhaps this is more performance than you're looking for, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention it.