Things To Do
Our Favorite Restaurant in Cleveland: Soho Chicken + Whiskey
One of our favorite meals in Cleveland! This restaurant is located in the heart of the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland (just west of Downtown). If you're looking for something light, this might not be what you're looking for, but if you're looking for an incredible meal, you won't be disappointed! Sara's favorite: Evenin' Dinner Ryan's favorite: Late Night Dinner As a side note, the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland has many other delicious restaurants as well, and many great bars and breweries! Some of our other favorites in Ohio City are: Pins Mechanical Co., Great Lakes Brewing Company, Market Garden Brewery, and Nano Brew. Ohio City is also famous for its beautiful food/farmers market open daily, called the West Side Market.
Our Favorite Bar in Cleveland: The Vault
Our favorite bar! Have a drink in the original bank vaults of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller and enjoy the incredible architecture and some of the most incredible mixology you've ever seen! You can also check out their rooftop bar, The Garden of Eden, if the weather is nice!
Our Favorite Ice Cream in Cleveland: Mitchell's Ice Cream
Our (Sara's) favorite ice cream in Cleveland. Check out the ice cream that Sara and Andrea grew up on! Sara will never let down that their chocolate shakes are the best in the world! They have locations all across northeast Ohio, and have their main store and factory located in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland. Sara's Favorite: Chocolate Milkshake Ryan's Favorite: Key Lime Pie Special Shout Out: Our Second Favorite Ice Cream Shop in Cleveland is Mason's Creamery, which is also located in the Ohio City neighborhood. Mason's Creamery is known for their very unique flavors, which earned it an appearance on Diner's, Drive Ins, and Dives!
Our Favorite Place To Go In Cleveland In The Summer: The Flats - East Bank
The East Bank of the Flats is an area of downtown Cleveland that is on the water, has beautiful views/scenery, and has lots of fun bars and restaurants to check out! If the weather is nice, it's a great place to check out! (If the weather isn’t very nice and you are looking for another option for fun nightlife in Cleveland, you can check out the Ohio City neighborhood!)
Our Favorite Tour Spot in Cleveland: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Located very close to The Westin Hotel, The Rock Hall never disappoints!
Our Other Favorite Tour Spot in Northeast Ohio: The Pro Football Hall of Fame
If you're willing to drive an hour south, you can check out the one and only Pro Football Hall of Fame! Located in Canton, OH, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a great place to visit for all ages.
The Heart of Downtown CLE: East 4th Street
East 4th St. has many great restaurants and bars to check out, such as Iron Chef's Michael Symon's restaurant, Mabel's BBQ! Other favorites on or near East 4th Street are: Cordelia, Blue Agave, Goma, The Butcher and the Brewer. Not too far from East Fourth Street you can find the restaurant The Marble Room. If you feel like splurging a bit, you can experience some of Cleveland's finest dining and most beautiful architectural views. The Marble Room is housed in what originally was a bank built by the son of James Garfield, and it has some of the most incredible food and architectural views in the city! Also not too far from East 4th Street, you can check out The Arcade. The Arcade was America's inaugural indoor shopping center, and was known as “Cleveland's Crystal Palace".
Other Cleveland Restaurant Favorites
In addition to Downtown Cleveland, which includes popular areas such as East 4th St. & the East Bank of the Flats, there are several other fun neighborhoods located within the city of Cleveland right outside of Cleveland's downtown, such as: Ohio City, Tremont, Detroit Shoreway, University Circle, & Little Italy. The suburb we live in, Cleveland Heights (shoutout Travis Kelce), is also right outside of Cleveland's city limits. Our favorite pizza place, Il Rione, & our favorite wing place, Good Company, are both located in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. Tremont has several great bars & restaurants such as, Fat Cats, an incredible bistro that's been featured on Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives & features many great vegan options! You can find the best Indian food you'll ever eat at Amba in Ohio City. Our favorite spots in Little Italy are La Dolce Vita & Presti's Bakery (but you can't go wrong anywhere in Little Italy)! Cleveland Hts has the incredible Zhug (middle eastern) & Gigi's!
Cleveland Playhouse Square
The Cleveland Playhouse Square Theater District is the 2nd largest performing arts center in the country. Playhouse Square gets the best touring Broadway shows, often before most other cities. If you don't have time to see a show, be sure to at least check out the beautiful outdoor chandelier!
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Did you know there was a National Park near Cleveland? If you have some time to spare and want to check a national park off your list, it's only a 30-minute drive from downtown! If you're looking for something fun outdoors closer to the hotel, Cleveland also has several wonderful nature reserves/parks throughout the city and northeast Ohio called The Cleveland Metroparks. Edgewater Park is a fun one located near downtown that has a fun "beach" feel in the summer. Let us know if you want any recommendations on specific ones to check out. Other beautiful outdoor spaces/parks in downtown Cleveland are: The Cleveland Cultural Gardens, Wade Oval, and The Botanical Gardens.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
One of top 10 art museums in the county, if you're an art lover, you will love the Cleveland Museum of Art! The best part, it's free!
The Cleveland Orchestra
One of the original "Big Five" orchestras in the country, the Cleveland Orchestra is one of the top 10 orchestras in the world! If you have a chance to see a performance, check it out!
NASA Glenn Visitor Center
In the heart of downtown is the Great Lakes Science Center, a fun science museum for all ages. It also houses the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, 1 of only 11 NASA Visitor Centers in the country! There are tons of cool things to see there. It's also located right on the water and right next to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Browns Stadium. You can also take a drive towards the airport and visit the NASA Glenn Research Center itself! Cleveland is home to one of NASA's 20 locations across the county. See the website below to check out information on their monthly in-person tours. https://www.ohiotraveler.com/nasa-glenn-research-center-tours/#:~:text=Monthly%20tours%20of%20the%20NASA,required%20for%20adults). In addition to the Great Lakes Science Center/NASA Glenn Visitor Center in downtown CLE & the NASA Glenn Research Center by the Cleveland Airport, check out the Cleveland Zoo, Aquarium, Children's Museum, or Museum of Natural History, home of the famous "Lucy"!
Cedar Point Amusement Park
Cedar Point, famous for its very tall and fast roller coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, is one of the best amusement parks in the country! It's about a one hour drive from downtown Cleveland, but if you have the time to spare and want to check out a fun amusement park, it's worth the drive! Cedar Point also has a waterpark as well.
Topgolf Cleveland
You can check out Topgolf Cleveland, located right outside the city of Cleveland and not too far from the Cleveland Airport. Whether you're a golfer or not, Topgolf is a blast! Just make sure to reserve in advance as it tends to book up quick!
Fun for All Ages
In additional to all of Cleveland’s great museums, if you're looking for some other family fun activities or if you are just a lover of games, check out Pins Mechanical or Forest City Shuffle Board, both located in Ohio City, or Punch Bowl Social located on the East Bank of the Flats. The West Side Market in Ohio City has incredible fresh food from local farmers, including many tasty treats for all ages! Check out Cleveland’s beautiful Botanical Gardens located in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland.
A Christmas Story House
If you grew up watching A Christmas Story movie, you should visit the house in person and take a tour! If you have time to stop for a bite to eat, across the street from the house is a great restaurant called the Rowley Inn, which has been featured on Diner's, Drive In's, and Dives. If you want to check out other cool houses in the Cleveland area, if you're a history nut, you can check out the James A. Garfield House. If you're a superhero fan, you can check out the homes of the birth place of Superman (Jerry Siegel's house and Joe Shuster's house).
The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Located 20-30 minutes outside of downtown Cleveland, the Maltz Museum provides some wonderful exhibits, interactive biographies, and the 4th oldest Judaica/art gallery in the country.