It happens with startling regularity. You’ll be talking with a family member or friend who’s lived in Cleveland their entire life, and you’ll bring up a quintessentially Cleveland event or place — say, the Rock Hall, or the Velvet Tango Room — and they’ll mention that they’ve never been. Huh? But? How? Why? Really?
That’s why we put this bucket list together. It seems that Clevelanders, while enjoying their backyard, don’t always explore every nook and cranny. We’re guilty of it too, which is also why we set out to provide a remedy.
Maybe you’ve done half of these things already. Whatever the case, we promise you’ll have fun exploring the list (presented in no particular order) and making plans. Enjoy.
Buy Your Groceries at 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 and… well, come on: Just go buy your stuff there already.
Photo via Scene ArchivesDrink at the Harbor Inn
It’s Cleveland’s oldest bar, which is reason enough to go there for a beer and a shot. But the Harbor Inn also remains one of Cleveland’s best bars. Once populated by longshoremen and the blue-collar lot, the Harbor now serves those folks and many more.
Photo viajency312/InstagramSee a Movie at Cedar Lee
There’s only one theater in Cleveland showing the best movies to come out each year, and not just from Hollywood, but Bulgaria or Australia or an indie filmmaker in Montana. The Cedar Lee wins Best Movie Theater every year for a reason.
Photo via @Eh_Liss_A/InstagramTake a Tour of Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Have a Pint
The craft brew renaissance in Cleveland began with the Conway brothers in 1988 and continues unabated today. Great Lakes is the anchor of the Ohio City brewing district, responsible for Christmas Ale, of course, and a local name known and respected around the country. Take a tour of the brewing facilities and see how it’s done.
Photo via @GLBC_Cleveland/InstagramGo to a Playoff Game
The real sports bucket list entry here is really to see a championship, and, thanks to LeBron (who’s now stupidly left us for L.A.), you’ve already done that. But of course, we’ll take more.
Photo via Scene ArchivesTour A Christmas Story House
A Christmas Story will remain a cult classic, and Cleveland’s contribution to the Hollywood holiday movie canon is as enjoyable as ever. You might not get the treasured Red Ryder under the Christmas tree. You might not get what you asked for at all. But A Christmas Story never disappoints.
Photo via Emanuel WallaceEat La Plaza Tacos
For such a modest dish, tacos produce a voluminous amount of chatter among the food obsessed. And from those who know best, much of that chatter is directed to La Plaza in Lakewood. Home to the best authentic Mexican street tacos around, this Latin grocery celebrates Taco Tuesday seven days a week. Call 216-476-8000 for more information.
Photo viasoulsrepurpose/InstagramTake 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 ArchivesToboggan 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 ArchivesGo to Ingenuity Fest
It’s not just art, it’s not just people, it’s not just technology. It’s all of the above, combined, and more. Since its formation in 2004, Ingenuity Fest has brought tens of thousands of visitors to its rotating cast of locations, immersing the public in the forward-thinking art and tech scenes that promise to change Cleveland for the better.
Photo by Emanuel WallaceTailgate in the Muni Lot
From the denizens lining up to park before the sun comes up to the Dawg Pound faithful chugging beers throughout the morning, there’s nothing like the Muni Lot. For a Browns fan, tailgating is almost (and usually) better than the game itself.
Photo via Scene ArchivesLook Out from the Terminal Tower Observation Deck
The observation deck of the Terminal Tower is only open a few days a year (bummer), but the view from the top of Cleveland’s most-iconic skyscraper is simply breath-taking (yay!). The 30-mile view was unavailable for nine years after 9/11 and renovations to the building, but check in periodically for open hours, because there’s nothing quite like this view.
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. 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 Scene ArchivesSee a Show at the Grog Shop
It might not sport the faint aroma of decades of urine like its original location down the street on Coventry, but Kathy and the Grog Shop are the yin to the Beachland’s yang, except it’s been around longer. The next Pixies or Mos Def or Drive-By Truckers are probably among the next batch to take the stage.
Photo via Scene ArchivesGet Lost at the Cleveland Museum of Art
One of the best art museums around sits on East Boulevard just waiting for you. The world-renowned collection spans continents and eras, from Italian Renaissance to modern, from ancient Greece to African, and more. Obviously, always more. Spend a day getting lost.
Photo via Scene ArchivesEat Some Local Ice Cream
We’ve come a long way since Pierre’s was founded in 1932. Now we can slurp up gourmet creations from Mitchell’s all across town — and at the grocery store. Or maybe you’re looking forward to Churned in Tremont. Or maybe you’ve got a taste for a perfect milkshake served up with a side of nostalgia at Sweet Moses. It’s all sugary bliss, so try them all.
Photo via Scene ArchivesRock Week at the Rock Hall, Celebration Day 2018
Sat, April 7
Scene Archives PhotoDo 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/InstagramSee 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 KleonGo 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 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 PointShop the Cleveland Flea
A relative newcomer to the Cleveland arts and craft scene, the Cleveland Flea rounds up a hodge podge of artisanal products, artists, craft makers, clothing makers and general doers. The whole “buy local” thing applies here, and there’s no better way to shop dozens of different booths in one place.
Photo by Caitlin SummersRun the Cleveland Marathon
Okay, or a 5K somewhere. But the Cleveland marathon is a great chance to push your body and enjoy the city — from west to east — from the streets. Check Hermes’ schedule for plenty of shorter runs around town, because let’s be honest: The marathon’s a good goal, but few of us will ever reach it.
Photo by Emanuel WallaceCanoe 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 PhotoSee 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 — take a tour, trust us — and an unmatched example of theater being built and reclaimed, at different times, in a city by the arts community.
Scene Archives PhotoGorge Yourself at the Feast of the Assumption
The delights of Little Italy in all their delicious wonder are plied on the street for the Feast of the Assumption, that weekend when everyone in Cleveland is Italian. Cannolis and pasta, pizza and stuffed peppers, and, hell, we’re going to stop talking and just start counting the days until it arrives.
Photo by Emanuel WallaceGet Spooked by Franklin Castle
There’s a whole dirty, scary history behind the Franklin Castle, ranked among Ohio’s best-known haunted locations, and you should read all about it. For the experience? Just walk by. It’s spooky. Undeniably spooky, like something straight out of Scooby Doo, or worse.
Photo viaAdventurouscle/InstagramVisit 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 WikipediaAttend Opening Day
With all due respect to everything else on the list, we’re partial to Opening Day. It’s baseball, it’s America, and there’s nothing quite like taking the day off or knocking off work early to head down to The Jake for the first day of Tribe baseball.
Photo by Emanuel WallaceVisit League Park
Cy Young threw out the first pitch when League Park opened at the corner of Lexington and East 66th. The Tribe won the 1920 World Series there. Babe Ruth hit his 500th homerun at the park. Though it was mostly torn down in 1951, parts of the park remain, and Cleveland has plans to renovate the space.
Photo via WikipediaRun, 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 HangerGo to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Outside of Boston, Chicago and New York, no city loves itself some St. Patrick’s Day like Cleveland. Our town’s strong and proud Irish heritage is celebrated with pomp, circumstance, and thousands of inebriated souls one day every year.
Photo via Emanuel WallaceGo to Third Fridays at 78th Street Studios or Walkabout Tremont
The local arts scene is one to be treasured and supported in every way possible. It’s impossible to list here 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; the Tremont galleries are varied and easy accessible. Enjoy art in Cleveland.
Photo by Emanuel WallaceDo Something at Whiskey Island
Whether you’re playing volleyball or simply enjoying a beer while watching the sunset, Whiskey Island is a little slice of relaxing heaven right on the shores of Lake Erie. Even to longtime Clevelanders, it has remained a bit of a secret, which is nice.
Photo by Caitlin SummersTake the RTA
Northeast Ohio’s public transit system was, not that long ago, named the best public transit in North America. It’s also convenient, cheap, eco-friendly and a great way to safely get around this bedazzling town of ours.
Scene Archives PhotoHave a Cocktail at the Velvet Tango Room
Long before the cocktail boom produced craft drink bars in every neighborhood, the Velvet Tango Room opened in quaint Duck Island. Not Tremont, not Ohio City, just a little neighborhood in between with not much else going on. It’s a speakeasy with hand-made cocktails of the highest order, with great care taken to make your drink something you’ll never forget
Photo via Shutterstock
