We swear there are fun things to do in Cleveland. And if you have any guests visiting, they should be aware of this too. Next time you have guests in town and don’t know what to do, here’s a list of things that will forever endure them to this city.
Take A Hike Walking Tour
Take A Hike offers self guided tours from May through October and in-person tours from June through September. The tours go through a bunch of different neighborhoods including Playhouse Square, a monument tour, Public Square, the Warehouse District, University Circle, Tremont, an Early Cleveland tour and a bunch of others. Check these out.
Photo via Scene ArchivesExplore the West Side Market
After celebrating its centennial and enjoying one of its busiest years in recent history, there’s not much new to say about Cleveland’s public market. It’s the envy of folks around the country, stocked fully with the most delicious food in town no matter your taste.
Photo via Scene ArchivesAsiatown Food Tour
A tour of Asiatown’s food spots? Sign us up. Presented by Night Market Cleveland and CleFoodies, eat your way through the midwest’s second largest Asiatown, sampling all of the different cuisines it has to offer.
Photo via Scene ArchivesCanoe Down the Cuyahoga River
Yes, canoe down the Cuyahoga River. Cleveland’s history is dominated by the river, from city inception to present day. And there’s no better way to see the city from ground level than to wind from the Flats, under the bridges and toward Valley View in a canoe. Just watch out for the ships.
Scene Archives Photo Credit: Scene ArchivesGo to Third Fridays at 78th Street Studios
The local arts scene is one to be treasured and supported in every way possible. It’s impossible to list every gallery or artist, or even to mention every event, so we settled on two monthly events that showcase a wide range of talented artists. 78th Street Studios are exquisite and mammoth. Enjoy art in Cleveland, something your out of town guests may not associate our city with.
Photo by Emanuel WallaceBargain Mondays at the Cedar Lee Theatre
2163 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights
Cedar Lee Theatre, the historic Cleveland Heights movie theatre known for it’s cozy theaters and showing independent and foreign films Bargain Mondays where all movies are just five dollars. There are also a bunch of great food options nearby like Mojo, Marotta’s and Zoma if you want to expand your budget a bit.
Photo via @Liz.RVT/InstagramCultural Gardens
Take a walking tour through Cleveland’s famed Cultural Gardens on the city’s east side. Using just your phone, Mobile History Cleveland will guide you through the gardens year-round. Download the app, which is complete with oral histories, images, and text stories about our city. Your visitors will think you’re an expert.
Photo via Scene ArchivesTake a Trip on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
Not everything on the list is in Cleveland proper, but there are certain Northeast Ohio expeditions that we’d be crazy to exclude when having a visitor in town. Here’s one: Take a trip on one of the longest, most historic railway tours in America through the 33,000 acres of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Photo via @Cuyahoga_Valley_Railroad/InstagramVisit Edgewater Park
4101 Fulton Parkway., Cleveland
The Cleveland Metroparks’s Edgewater Park is great for those beautiful summer nights. You can pack up the whole fam, grab some food and beer at the Edgewater Beach House and enjoy a wonderful night making memories. People not from here won’t believe you’re in Cleveland.
Photo by Emanuel WallaceBest Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company
2516 Market Ave., Cleveland
The competition for this particular award gets steeper every year with the absolute explosion of local breweries in Northeast Ohio. But Great Lakes, which opened in Ohio City in 1988, is still the archbishop of Cleveland’s microbrewery diocese and it continues to innovate even as it pumps out its standbys. Whether you’re trying something fresh and experimental at the pub or buying a six-pack from Dave’s, Great Lakes is the city’s beer — and that’s not changing anytime soon.
Photo via Scene ArchivesTake a Tour on the Goodtime III
You can brush it off as lame if you want (it’s not), but you’re hard-pressed to find a better daylong tour of some of the city’s finest sights. Step on the boat for Roar Along the Shore, an annual traveling showcase concert for local bands, if you don’t want to take a normal tour.
Photo via Scene ArchivesTake a Tour of Gotta Groove Records
Gotta Groove has been pressing vinyl records in Cleveland since 2009. Since then, they’ve become an industry leader in not only sound quality, but customer service and general awesomeness. They can press up to 70,000 records a month, and that’s high-quality vinyl coming right out of downtown.
Photo via Scene ArchivesSee a Concert at Blossom
Northeast Ohio’s largest outdoor music venue, Blossom, brings in the largest country acts every year, holds an annual series with the Cleveland Orchestra and is still the only place you’re likely to see the most popular touring artists every summer.
Photo by Joe KleonWilliam G. Mather Steamship
601 Erieside Ave., Cleveland
Board a nearly 100-year-old steamship docked by the Great Lakes Science Center. Guides lead visitors through 618 feet of the restored ship, revealing the history and engineering behind this relic.
Photo via huntergawne/InstagramGo to Cedar Point
Voted the best amusement park in America on a regular basis, it’s the roller coaster capital of the world, and it’s right down I-90. Even if you and your visitors don’t love blood-curdling rides and skyscraper-tall coasters, Cedar Point has something for you, even if it’s just the merry-go-round.
Photo via Cedar PointCircleWalk University Circle Tour
11330 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
Roam throughout University Circle with CircleWalk’s self guided tour. Tourists can feel free to explore and stay in the know with interactive “story poles” stationed in different neighborhoods to enlighten out-of-towners to Cleveland life.
Photo via WikipediaLolly the Trolley Tour
A nod and a smile will get you and your partner a free ride on RTA’s free trolley around downtown. Ride it before dinner to get a look at all of the city’s holiday lights and displays. Or, for a longer ride and an official tour, Lolly the Trolley has holiday tours of the Christmas Story House, holiday lights and history tours that are around $15 a person and range between one and three hours long.
Photo via Scene ArchivesVisit Lake View Cemetery
Visit Lake View Cemetery: The final resting place of John D. Rockefeller, Eliot Ness, Revolutionary War soldiers, Ray Chapman and more famous and influential people than we have time to name, Lake View Cemetery is also, of course, home to the President Garfield memorial. The view from the second floor balcony is one of the most majestic and underrated in the whole city.
Photo via WikipediaToboggan at the Chalet
Winter! Screaming! Fun! If you want to toboggan, there’s only one place to do so. You’ve skied, sledded and ice skated, but to properly round out the winter sporting experience, slide down a chute of ice while the cold air blasts your face.
Photo via Scene ArchivesSpend a Day at the Rock Hall
Bitch about who’s inducted and who’s not if you want — that’s half the fun! — but you can’t take anything away from the stunning, unparalleled collection of rock history sitting in the glass pyramid by Lake Erie.
Photo via Scene ArchivesEat at Slyman’s
There are plenty of food-centric items on this list, and there could be many more — a whole list unto itself, in fact. If you have to choose just a few, however, Slyman’s is a requirement. Piles and piles of corned beef, two simple pieces of rye bread and just a little mustard. That’s heaven on a plate.
Photo via Scene ArchivesSee a Play at Playhouse Square
If you don’t know the history behind Cleveland’s venerable theaters on Euclid, you should do some Googling, pronto. They are beautiful — trust us — and an unmatched example of theater being built and reclaimed, at different times, in a city by the arts community.
Scene Archives PhotoCleveland’s Underground Railroad Tour
Curated by Cleveland State University’s Center for Public History, this tour takes visitors to six different locations on the Underground Railroad around Northeast Ohio, including sites in East Cleveland, Cleveland, Old Brooklyn and Shaker Heights.
Photo via Scene Archives Credit: Scene ArchivesRun, Bike or Walk the Towpath Trail
The historic towpath trail was a linchpin of Ohio economic development in the 1800s. Now, the miles upon miles of trails are a lynchpin of idle wandering and light exercise.
Photo courtesy Rick HangerThe Muni Lot
Nothing says Clevelander like going down to the Muni Lot before a Browns game and throwing back some brewskis with the crew. Oh, and of course it doesn’t count without photographic evidence.
Photo via Scene ArchivesHaunted Cleveland Lakefront Ghost Tour
Visit the famous sites of exorcisms, haunted houses and more on this tour. Tickets are $52 per person and well worth it for any visitor that loves being frightened.
Photo via Scene ArchivesDo Something in the Metroparks
The Emerald Necklace is one of Northeast Ohio’s most treasured assets and the envy of tons of other big cities. There’s something for everyone. Walk, hike, bike, rollerblade, skip, jump, cross-country ski, bird watch, sleep, picnic, lounge, golf — whatever. It’s nature, and it’s magnificent.
Photo via @CleveMetroparks/InstagramTour The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Stand beneath their 23-foot money tree, trade on the Barter Islands, try to identify counterfeit bills and make your own currency. Experience hands-on, interactive exhibits to learn about personal finance, economics and the history of money. Take a group tour of the Bank or schedule a guided tour of the Money Museum. Admission and tours are free. They are currently offering virtual tours.
Photo via Scene Archives
