Cleveland

I have written about plenty of places around the globe, but I have yet to share the one that I've spent more time in than all the others combined.

This place!

It's not like everyone is booking flights for a dream trip to Cleveland, but there is plenty to do and explore around Northeast Ohio, so I've put together my own little city guide as well as plans for day trips (weekend trips will be covered next time because this was getting lengthy). We get a bit of a bad reputation, but I promise there are plenty worse cities in the world (that's my ringing endorsement for Cleveland... "Not the Worst City in the World" closely followed by "We are Not Detroit"). Just don't visit us in the winter.

In Cleveland

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Probably the most unique draw of our city, the Rock Hall sits next to Lake Erie and is well worth visiting whether you go inside or not. The architecture and glass panes are awesome, and it's my favorite spot for a photo op in the city (regardless of how popular those scattered "Cleveland" signs have gotten in the past few years even though I have already shamelessly used one in this post).

If you are a rock fan, you really should pay admission (about $20) to spend a few hours inside. There is so much memorabilia from so many iconic artists from David Bowie to Johnny Cash to Jimi Hendrix and on and on. You can see Michael Jackson's glove, Elvis's bike, ZZ Top's sweet neon and fur instruments, Slash's hat, and much more. They rotate the exhibition on the top floor every once in awhile, and I've seen a few like famous dresses and Rolling Stones covers.

Also, the gift shop has some very cool souvenirs.

Great Lakes Science Center

Just next door to the Rock Hall is the science center which is honestly fun no matter how old you are, but for kids (or people who wish they were still kids), it's awesome. Lots of interactive activities such as a shadow wall or reaction time test or infinity mirrors (like, a whole floor of interactive toys), a big section on the space program, and the great Omnimax theater which is 100x cooler than an IMAX with an unbelievable dome-like screen which shows documentaries on stuff like the national parks or underwater life or the rainforest. You can pay admission to just the theater or just the science center, but a combo ticket is a much better value.

Botanic Gardens

Head over to University Circle to find the botanical gardens (as well as the natural history museum and art museum, if you're into that sort of thing). They have an indoor area with a Madagascar desert biome (that dry heat is so nice in the dead of winter!) containing baobab trees, a giant tortoise, an albino hedgehog, a lizard, and more. Next to that is a Costa Rica rainforest biome with leafy green trees, birds and butterflies fluttering around, leafcutter ants marching single file along logs to and from their nest, some caged frogs and spiders, and a waterfall.

Outdoors, they've got pretty themed gardens like the rose garden and woodland garden. We grabbed some good coffees and cookies from the cafe and sat by one of the firepits. Since it was Christmas, everything was decorated with lights and there was a little train ride for kids. They also had a gingerbread house competition and tree decorating competition with the entries scattered all around the indoor area. Plus a super cute gift shop.

West Side Market

Do most cities in America have a market like this? Yes. Does it make West Side any less great? No.

Located technically in Ohio City, the West Side Market is the oldest indoor/outdoor market in Cleveland. You've got your fruit/veggie sections, your homemade pasta booths, endless cheese, flavored popcorn stands, international foods, a crepe stall, and such delicacies as hardboiled eggs marinated in Frank's Red Hot (so good). I always walk away with a selection of foods I am very psyched about eating.

Sports Stuff

Clevelanders love their sports teams, even, for some unfathomable reason, the horrendous Browns. I don't fall into this category. Sports are not my thing, which is why this section will be short, but I can't really write about Cleveland without mentioning the rabid obsession with all sorts of ball-based games.

Boooo Browns.

I have never been to a Cavs game, unfortunately, but I hear they're... good? And I've attended two Browns games, but only because they were against my team- the Steelers- and I'm clearly a bad luck charm because in some miraculous display of competency (or incompetency on the Steelers part), the Browns actually beat us. Both times. I've been to more Guardians games than anything, but baseball is just so long and boring to watch and the beers are too expensive to even justify getting drunk to pass the time. Jacobs Field (refuse to call it Progressive) does have a nice selection of Cleveland food and beers though, and at least there's the baseball nostalgia factor. What you should do (!) is go see the Indians game which ends in the Rock N' Blast fireworks show. It is in the top 3 fireworks displays I've seen in my life, and they set it to music by Rock Hall legends! Very cool.

Cleveland Zoo

I love the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and I am saying that having been to many zoos around the world. Ours remains one of my favorites. It's so affordable (less than $15 to get in), and there's enough there to fill most of a day out. The rainforest building alone takes at least an hour.

We've got lions, elephants (a very large elephant exhibit, actually), gorillas, giraffes (which you can feed), crocs, orangutans, a whole cat and monkey building (my favorite) with a cool nocturnal section, sharks, seals, wolves (once with the Girl Scouts we actually got to spend the night camping out in the wolf lodge which was extremely awesome), a whole Australian section, bats, bears, snakes, so very many monkeys... it's really a great zoo with nice exhibits for the animals and a spacious layout.

They also do events through the year such as the Asian Lantern Festival that are worth checking out.

Playhouse Square

We have a whole theater district in Cleveland which you can't miss since there is a massive outdoor chandelier hanging over the street. I've been to a few shows and enjoyed them all- Jesus Christ Superstar, Beauty and the Beast, A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Christmas Carol, Mean Girls, Clue, and Book of Mormon. I'd love to get out to the theater more often and you should too.

Nightlife

There are a few different areas I recommend for nightlife around Cleveland. Downtown, W 6th is a popular place to go... too popular, really. The bars and clubs are packed on the weekends with people in their younger 20s. Good luck even shoving your way to the bar at Barley House on a Saturday (fire codes clearly matter nothing to the bouncers). It's too much of a clubby vibe, but if you're into that, it's where you'll want to head.

If you like to gamble, we've got the Jack casino. I don't gamble, and I've only been there a couple times due to other people, during which I mostly sat and drank (once I brought a book!). But gambling seems to be a popular activity, so here you go.

Lakewood, where I currently live, is a trendy area to head out. LBM cocktail bar and Griffin's gin bar next door to each other are good quality, as well as BottleHouse Brewery. Kamm's Corners (not really in Lakewood but it's just on the outskirts) is full of Irish pubs - recommend PJ's. Side Quest and a few others in the area offer board games. Twist is a great LGBTQ club, Funhouse has a carnival theme, Winchester has shows, Corky's does nonstop karaoke, and the Chamber is an awesome goth club (as well as my personal favorite). The Fieldhouse is an LGBTQ complex with a gastropub, gym, lawn game courtyard, and rooftop bar. And Mahall's is a retro bowling alley that also holds events and has two bars with a rotating seasonal cocktail list.

View of The Fieldhouse from the Terrace rooftop.

Tremont is another cool, walkable, somewhat hipster area. The Flying Monkey, Treehouse (big patio), and Coda (band memorabilia all over) are all good choices with their own vibes.

Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights is a concert venue and event space that also hosts a monthly alternative drag show (often featuring Dragula contestants).

The Flats are in downtown Cleveland and can get lively- there's a dueling pianos bar, disco dance bar, country bar, Margaritaville, the Odeon concert venue, the two-story Punchbowl Social with bowling, and a great view over the water.

I'm also a big fan of Ohio City which has a few great bars all pretty much next to one another. Cleveland's famous Great Lakes Brewery is just across the street with awesome food made with ingredients out of Ohio and a pub in the basement. Nano Brew and Market Garden are both right on the same street as well with their own beers available, plus Platform Brewery and Saucy Brew Works for excellent breweries that do great sours. Avoid Town Hall because the owner is a dick.

There are plenty of cocktail bars around too. Porco Tiki Lounge will serve tropical drinks in, yep, tiki cups, while Society Lounge on E 4th has a really classy throwback speakeasy vibe, and the super fancy Marble Room downtown or Vault Bar actually located in old bank vaults in the basement of Metropolitan at the 9 are there you like dropping $14+ on a cocktail (which I do). All Saints Public House has a throwback feel, and you have to see their heaven and hell themed bathrooms. There's a meadery (Western Reserve Meadery) next door to Velvet Tango Room as well with mead flights.

The Marble Room

Vault Bar at the 9

I've barely scratched the surface really, but these are some main areas for nightlife. Keep an eye out for events around the city too... I've been to great concerts, a Harry Potter Yule Ball with loads of themed activities and drinks at the Masonic Arts Center in Ohio City, a Gatsby style private party on W 6th set up speakeasy style, a foam party, the annual Oktoberfest at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, an amazing yearly trippy installation called Ingenuity Fest, and lots more. We also do up St. Patrick's Day pretty big in downtown Cleveland, and Ohio has more haunted houses at Halloween than any other state (Mansfield Penitentiary is great with an option to be touched, Factory of Terror in Canton has five haunted houses and five themed bars, and Akron Haunted Schoolhouse does a Valentine's haunted house annually).

Yule Ball

Restaurants

Even better than the bar scene are some of the restaurants we have around here! I can't even begin to cover them all, so I am going to give you a biased rundown of my favorites (you can also keep in mind that I'm a vegetarian, so anything without veggie-friendly options will not be on my list).

I'll have to start with two of the more popular local chains with a few various Cleveland area locations. The first is Melt, the gloriously unhealthy home to gourmet grilled cheese. Lasagna on grilled cheese? We've got that. Pierogies on grilled cheese? That too. There's grilled cheese with mozzarella sticks, with fish, with waffles and chicken, fried like a jalapeno popper, with buffalo chicken, with pizza rolls, with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. My two favorites of all time are the fried green tomato BLT and the November Thanksgiving special with stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce, and turkey. The majority of their options can be made vegetarian with fake meat, and a great amount of them can be done vegan too.

The Big Popper

The other popular choice in the area is Barrio which pretty much does the most bomb tacos you will find in Ohio... but the wait time will vouch for that (expect at least an hour on weekends). You get one of those little checkbox cards to fill out what you want on each taco, choosing protein, fillings, salsa, hot sauce, and even type of shell (go for the green goddess- crunchy hard taco inside of a soft tortilla filled with queso and guac). Also, their Carolina Reaper sauce is actually HOT! "Really I'm enjoying this," I sob every time as my tears stream into my reaper-drenched tacos. Also their margaritas are great and I fully recommend mixing flavors- any fruit flavor combined with jalapeno gives it a really good kick.

Downtown in Cleveland, visit the Hofbrauhaus for the closest you'll get to Germany in Northeast Ohio. It's a lot like Oktoberfest- big, communal tables, live band, and people dancing on benches, doing conga lines around the restaurant, sharing shot-skis, or downing huge pints while everyone cheers them on. Also, pretty authentic German food to soak up all that beer.

You'll find a whole pedestrian street of upscale restaurants on E 4th Street. Lola is the famous one by Michael Symon (as if I have any idea who that is), although I can't speak for it since I'm too busy dropping my money on those $14 cocktails to afford a fancy meal at a place that mostly caters to meat-eaters. Zocalo is a quality Mexican restaurant with margaritas the size of your head. Saigon does super awesome Vietnamese food. Just wander up and down the road and you're sure to find something you're in the mood for.

There are so many others! Deagan's and Buckeye Beer Engine (also in Lakewood) do a sweet brunch and bloody mary bar. Bourbon Street Barrel Room in Tremont does sweet New Orleans style food (with decor to match) and cocktails (hurricanes!). Barroco in Lakewood does sweet Colombian food and has a chill patio area. Little Italy has a full street of authentic Italian restaurants with, you guessed it, sweet Italian food. I like Trattoria. You should check out the Feast of the Assumption there as well when there are stalls set up all over with smaller portions of their food and you just walk back and forth eating all day. Empress Taytu downtown has wonderful Ethiopian food. Forage Public House in Lakewood is a gastropub with absolutely delicious meals. They have good vegan options, and Cleveland Vegan in Lakewood is also amazing for my fellow herbivores. Amba in Ohio City is a very modern Indian-inspired restaurant with small plates. For a very fancy meal, head to Pier W in Lakewood for beautiful views and top quality food. Angelo's in Lakewood is the best pizza round (get deep dish). Venturing a bit further towards my hometown as well, Larb Thai in Brunswick, Crocker Park in Westlake for a huge selection of restaurants and upscale shopping, Samurai in Strongsville for awesome hibachi (or sushi), and Cuisine of India in Parma are all very solid choices. Also, Brew Kettle in Strongsville or Fatheads in North Olmsted/Middleburg Heights for more beer.

Brew Kettle

Empress Taytu

I don't want to move on for fear that I have missed some majorly quality restaurants, but I'm barely even qualified to make this list considering all of the places I have yet to try, so I'll just wrap it up.

Other

There are other little things to stop by and see downtown. The Hyatt Arcade is absolutely stunning, and you can stop at the Chocolate Bar in there for chocolate themed martinis. The Cleveland Public Library (old one) is another beautiful building that sometimes has exhibitions on (there was one on Superman last time I went by).

Hyatt Arcade

Public Library

The art museum at University Circle hosts works by famous artists like Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, and more. The natural history museum is right next door. Heinen's grocery store on E 9th is probably the most impressive grocery store I've seen with its glass dome ceiling.

Hit a concert either at one of the many downtown venues or a bit further out. Have a night of arcade games at Dave & Buster's in Westlake or the new Scene 75 in Brunswick (which also has laser tag, go karts, mini golf, and miniature bowling), both of which also have bars. Go to Rocky Horror on the first Saturday of every month at Cedar Lee. I've also been jetskiing at Edgewater Park and you get the most beautiful view of Cleveland over the water from out on Lake Erie. Edgewater Beach is right there for swimming, beach sports, a bar, and free concerts in the summer. You can also take a booze cruise on the lake from downtown.

Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls

The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

80s Booze Cruise on the Nautica Queen

We also have an aquarium... but that I'm going to emphatically discourage you from visiting. It's almost double the cost of the zoo with barely a tenth of the animals. I like the shark tunnel and petting the manta rays, but you'll be done in an hour. It's a rip off.

I did, however, visit Windows on the River (the location of the aquarium) for a New Year's Eve, and in this case, it would be worth it as it's included in the admission price, along with multiple party rooms, dance floors, open bars, and food buffets.

Day Trips

If you're looking to get out of the city area for the day, there are plenty of options within an hour's drive.

Stan Hywet

Stan Hywet Hall in Akron is a historic estate you can tour. It's so fancy! You can check out the red-carpeted banquet hall with chandeliers, brick floored sunroom, conservatory, library, high-ceilinged entrance hall, indoor pool, game room, study, impressive gardens and greenhouse, and so on.

Boston Mills & Brandywine

We've got some great slopes just in Peninsula if you want to ski or snowboard in the winter. Brandywine's slopes intersect a bit while Boston Mills has theirs lined up in a straight row, and Brandywine probably has the more challenging slopes, but Boston Mills has a better lodge. I like Boston Mills (and the super steep black diamond Tiger slope), but take your pick.

Mapleside Farms

Located in Brunswick, Mapleside has gorgeous views over their farm out back and host events throughout the year. There are outdoor concerts in the summer, barn concerts in the winter, and special seasonal events like the Johnny Appleseed Festival every fall plus pumpkin patch and corn maze.

Castle Noel & Christmas

Medina is home to Castle Noel, located in an old church, where it's Christmas all year round. The owner is a very eccentric white-bearded man called Mark Klaus, and he sure fucking loves Christmas. It's basically been his life's passion to gather this massive collection of movie props from Christmas movies through the decades.

He'll even greet the tours or you'll see him pop up working around the building as you go (plus he makes a cameo appearance in a surprise music video towards the end... I won't spoil it). Some of the highlights are the room of retro toys, a giant train set, recreated shop windows from New York City, Cindy Lou Who's entire bedroom set, and the gigantic room at the end full of trees, props, and Santa with his elves on top of the mountain at the end (after which you'll take a slide back to the bottom).

Speaking of Christmas, we also have the Christmas Story house in Cleveland, featuring the leg lamp, a blowup Ralphie bunny, and a huge gift shop. And Public Square downtown offers outdoor ice skating during the holidays, so that's worth checking out too.

Portage Lakes

For kayaking around a lake with a beach and along canals beside beautiful lakeside houses, Portage Lakes near Akron is a great spot.

Medina Historical Square

This is just an adorable stop. Medina's historical town square has a gazebo and all sorts of old-fashioned little shops- a toy store, a tea room, a cafe, a delicious popcorn shop, a place to paint ceramics, and more (the aforementioned Castle Noel is located here too).

Miss Molly's Tea Room

Great Lakes Medieval Faire

In late summer/early fall, you can head to Rock Creek for the annual medieval faire. There are themed weekends all throughout the season (such as fantasy or Vikings), food stalls, archery demonstrations, jousting, shops, axe throwing, and more.

Hale Farm

Hale Farm in Bath is a living history museum with old houses from the state relocated onto the premises, employees in period-appropriate dress, and demonstrations like basket weaving, candle making, broom making, glassblowing, pottery, and more. I spent the summer of 2009 doing a summer internship at Hale Farm and loved it. (My favorite spot to work was the brick-laying station where I'd get to stomp around a clay pit barefoot half the day.)

There are also events throughout the year such as the Maple Syrup Festival, Music in the Valley, Made in Ohio craft fair, Winter Lantern Tours, Harvest Festival, and the big one, the Civil War reenactment. Hordes of reenactors come to camp out on the grounds for the weekend and battle it out in the field once on each day. During my summer there, I shared whiskey out of a tin cup with the Confederate reenactors (I'm firmly Union- don't worry), attended the ball later that night (lots of square dancing!), and camped out in a teepee with a bunch of soldiers. Such fun times.

Whipps Ledges

Head to Hinckley to find this park. Go to the upper ledges to hike the cliffs or the lower ledges to swim or rent a paddleboat or kayak on the lake.

Upper Ledges

Lower Ledges

Kent

Also, for a change in nightlife, head out to Highland Square in Akron, or (my recommendation) Kent, OH, my old college town, which has been majorly revamped in the past 5 years and has an adorable downtown area. All the bars are in one square, so hop between a dozen places on your night out. If I can recommend one to you, it would be my all-time favorite bar and old hangout, the Zephyr, with its three story patio and two separate bars. You also have to try Taco Tontos, the best burritos I've ever had, which conveniently has a pickup window located on the Zephyr patio. I suggest Mike's Place as well with the most insane menu you'll ever see (you better narrow down what you want or you'll be reading it for a half hour) and an X-Wing out front.

Zephyr!

Oh, also, Kent has begun throwing an annual Potterfest (recently renamed Wizarding World of Kent) every summer with vendors, butterbeer at the cafes, props all over town, Acorn Alley transformed into Diagon Alley, bar specials (Quidditch pong and themed cocktails at the Zeph!), and attendees dressed up in character, and it is amazing. In fact, so are Halloween and St. Patrick's Day in this town. It's just a fun place.

So, as you can see, Cleveland does indeed rock and there is plenty to keep you occupied in and around the Rock & Roll Capital. For the sake of condensing my entries, I am going to save my follow-up on weekend trips from Northeast Ohio for next time. If you've worn out all Cleveland has to offer and you're looking for your next overnight getaway (or some slightly further away day trips... don't think I've omitted Cedar Point), I'll have you covered!

Flee to the Cleve