Cleveland

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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, designed by I. M. Pei, opened on the Cleveland lakefront in 1995, Ohio

The William G. Mather, a restored Great Lakes freighter, is docked beside the Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland, Ohio

An outdoor chandelier hangs above Euclid Avenue at the heart of the Playhouse Square theater district, Cleveland, Ohio

Terminal Tower, completed in 1930, overlooks Public Square in the center of downtown Cleveland, Ohio

About Cleveland

Cleveland sits on the southern shore of Lake Erie where the Cuyahoga River meets the lake, a city that rose on steel, shipping and manufacturing and left behind grand buildings, ambitious cultural institutions and strong neighborhood identities. Its reputation has shifted over recent decades toward food, music and the arts.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in a glass pyramid on the lakefront, is the best-known attraction, and next door the Great Lakes Science Center sits beside the William G. Mather, a retired freighter open for tours. Downtown, Playhouse Square's restored theaters form one of the largest performing arts centers in the country, and Public Square looks up at the Terminal Tower. Across the river, the West Side Market has sold meats, cheeses and baked goods since 1912, anchoring the Ohio City neighborhood. Tremont offers restaurants and the house from the film A Christmas Story, and Edgewater Park gives a sandy beach and skyline view. University Circle gathers the free Cleveland Museum of Art with museums of natural history, a botanical garden and Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra. Lake View Cemetery, with the Garfield Memorial, borders the old Italian enclave of Little Italy.

Cleveland suits travelers drawn to music, art and good-value food. Summer is pleasant on the lake, while winters bring snow. Cuyahoga Valley National Park lies just south.

Best seasonJune through September is warm and lively by the lake; early fall brings comfortable days and changing leaves.

Ideal stayThree days covers downtown, Ohio City and University Circle.

ArrivingCleveland Hopkins International Airport connects to downtown by the RTA Red Line train.

WiserMap travel guideCleveland Ohio Rock Hall and West Side Market BitesExplore Cleveland from the Rock Hall and Playhouse Square to the West Side Market, University Circle museums and Cuyahoga Valley, with tips on when to go.Read the guide

12 Best Things to Do in Cleveland

Museums 4

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Cleveland earned this museum partly because local DJ Alan Freed helped popularize the phrase rock and roll, and I. M. Pei's glass...

Great Lakes Science Center and the William G. Mather

Right beside the Rock Hall, this hands-on science museum fills several floors with experiments on electricity, light, the human bo...

Cleveland Museum of Art

Free general admission makes this one of America's great bargains, and its collection of more than 60,000 works spans ancient Egyp...

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

In University Circle, this museum's halls cover dinosaurs, gems, wildlife and human origins. Its scientists were part of the team...

Landmarks 2

Public Square and Terminal Tower

Downtown's central plaza was laid out in 1796 by the city's founders and redesigned in 2016 with lawns, a fountain and room for fe...

A Christmas Story House

Fans of the 1983 holiday film can step straight into the Parker family home in the Tremont neighborhood, where the exterior and ya...

Arts 1

Playhouse Square

Five ornate theaters built along Euclid Avenue in the early 1920s were nearly lost to demolition before a preservation campaign sa...

Food and Drink 1

West Side Market and Ohio City

Since 1912, Cleveland's oldest operating public market has filled a vaulted yellow-brick hall beneath a tall clock tower with butc...

History 1

Lake View Cemetery

More than a burial ground, this hilly garden cemetery opened in 1869 and covers about 285 acres of winding lanes, ponds and specim...

Parks 2

Edgewater Park

On the lakefront just west of downtown, this Cleveland Metroparks site combines a sandy swimming beach, a fishing pier, picnic she...

Cleveland Botanical Garden

Ten acres of themed outdoor gardens in University Circle surround a striking glasshouse that recreates two very different worlds:...

Family 1

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

One of the older zoos in the country, this park in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood covers a large wooded valley with animals from ar...

1303 W 117th St, Cleveland

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