Whether you have a free weekend, have visitors staying with you or are doing a staycation, there are surely things in your own city that you haven’t done. These 20 tourist attractions are actually worthy of doing at least once in your life.

Explore the Cleveland Museum of Art 1150 East Blvd., Cleveland One of the best art museums around sits on East Boulevard just waiting for you. Visitors make it a point to go there, so why not you? Whether it’s a regular on your social calendar or a stubborn item on your to-do list, 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 and don’t miss the Monet. Credit: Glenn Marsch/Flickr
Visit the Cultural Gardens Take a walking tour through Cleveland’s famed Cultural Gardens on the city’s east side. Yeah, you’ve driven through them down MLK a million times, but you can’t enjoy them going 25 mph. Using just your phone, Mobile History Cleveland will guide you through the gardens and their history. Download the app, which is complete with oral histories, images, and text stories about our city. Credit: Stu Spivack/Flickr
The Dittrick Museum of Medical History 11000 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Part of Case Western Reserve University, the Dittrick Museum of Medical History was established all the way back in 1898. The museum takes visitors through modern medical history and how the hospitals in Cleveland played a part. A hidden gem that routinely makes the guides for out-of-towners, it’s something you should do too. Credit: Scene Archives
Visit the Dunham Tavern 6709 Euclid Ave., Cleveland The oldest building in Cleveland is the Dunham Tavern, which was built in 1824 and opened as a tavern and bar. The home was turned into the Dunham Tavern Museum in 1941 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Make a stop and visit one of the oldest things in the city you call home. Credit: Scene Archives
Free Music At Edgewater Live 4101 Fulton Parkway., Cleveland The Cleveland Metroparks popular Edgewater Live returns May 31, and goes through the summer. With musical acts and food trucks right on Lake Erie, this is the ultimate Cleveland life hack. For an additional hack, park on the Detroit Shoreway and take the pedestrian bridge to Edgewater. No one wants to deal with that park traffic. Photo by Emanuel Wallace Credit: Emanuel Wallace
The Christmas Story House Went on the Market November Just in time for the holidays, it was announced that you can own your own tourist attraction and iconic piece of Christmas movie history, right here in Cleveland: The ENTIRE campus of A Christmas Story House & Museum was listed for sale. The three-story house made famous by the movie was built in 1895 and bought on eBay in December 2004 for $150,000. After renovations, it was opened to the public for tours in 2006, and you can now rent it overnight. Credit: Emanuel Wallace
The Warner and Swasey Observatory 11000 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Originally located on North Taylor in East Cleveland, the Warner and Swasey Observatory was built in 1919 and was once a scientific landmark. Due to rising light pollution of the city, the observatory was shut down in 1980 and moved from its original location to the Case Western Campus where the telescope is today. Photo via Stu_Spivack/Flickr Credit: Scene Archives
Visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2121 George Halas Dr. NW., Canton Football is synonymous with Northeast Ohio and with Canton being the birthplace of the sport there’s no better place to visit than the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The iconic building and repository of the sport’s history is just a short jaunt down I-77 and the complex is in the midst of a massive expansion, meaning there’s plenty to do for everyone. Credit: JW Ogden/Flickr
Take a Tour of Great Lakes Brewing Co. and Have a Pint 2516 Market Ave., Cleveland 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. Credit: Nick Amoscato/Flickr
Take a Tour on the Goodtime III 825 East 9th St., Cleveland 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. You’ve probably never seen Cleveland from these angles, plus the tour will fill you in on all sorts of historical tidbits along the way. Credit: Erik Drost/Flickr
Kayak Down the Cuyahoga River Yes, kayak 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. It’s a top-five to-do item for out-of-town visitors. You should join them. Credit: Erik Drost/Flickr
Visit Lake View Cemetery 12316 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 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. The walk around the grounds is amazing. And the property is basically a history of the city’s most notable folks. Chances are good you’ve been meaning to go and never have. Fix that this year. Credit: Scene Archives
Visit League Park 6601 Lexington Ave., Cleveland 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, the city refurbished the fields for youth play and a small but dynamite museum offers the chance to learn all about the pros and amateurs who once walked the grounds. Credit: Adam Moss/Flickr
Go to Cedar Point 1 Cedar Point Dr., Sandusky 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. Credit: Joel/Flickr
Visit The National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum 605 East 222nd St., Euclid The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame isn’t the only musical hall of fame in Cleveland. Yes, we have a hall of fame dedicated to Cleveland-style polka music, the happiest sound around. “The National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame was founded in 1987 by musicians and leaders of Slovenian and ethnic organizations. The museum traces the story of the city’s home-grown sound from its roots in the old Slovenian neighborhoods to nationwide popularity with audio exhibits, historic photographs and original instruments. The archive preserves 6,000 vintage recordings, dating back to 1913.” Credit: Scene Archives
Spend a Day at the Rock Hall 1101 East 9th St., Cleveland 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. It’s like a top-three item for people visiting Cleveland and the look on your face says it’s been many, many years since your last visit. Credit: Eric Friedebach/Flickr
Eat at Slyman’s 3106 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland There are plenty of food-centric tourist lists and there’s a good chance most of them will point you toward Slyman’s. But you live here. When’s the last time you stepped through those doors and had heaven on a plate. Credit: Scene Archives
Look Out from the Terminal Tower Observation Deck 50 Public Square., Cleveland 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. Credit: Erik Drost/Flickr
Visit the Natural History Museum In the midst of a massive expansion project, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is somehow a hidden gem in University Circle. See the museum’s wildlife, check out the exhibitions on the world around you and go visit Balto. Sundays are free for residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland, as a reminder, you just have to secure your spot ahead of time. Credit: Courtesy of the Natural History Museum
Take a Hike Walking Tour A program of the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation, Take A Hike offers free guided walking tours of neighborhoods east to west, giving you the lowdown on the things you never knew you didn’t know. Get out in the sun, get those legs moving, and learn about the city you call home. Credit: Marc Buehler/Flickr

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