Cleveland and Ohio are not household names when it comes to travel. Whenever someone says they are going to Cleveland or Ohio everyone wonders why anyone would want to go there. Called “the Mistake on the Lake” by some, Cleveland does not have a good reputation. High crime, a river that catches fire, Balloonfest, and well, the Browns have all contributed to this negative perception of the Forest City. Despite all the bad press about the city, the Land offers a lot for a traveler and most people come to love the place after they visit. As a friendly and affordable Midwest city, Cleveland is a perfect destination for any traveler. My goal is to help convince you to consider travelling to my hometown of Cleveland and show you what the national media doesn’t. This is why you should visit Cleveland.
When people think of things to do in Cleveland a few things come to mind. The Rock n Roll hall of fame, Christmas Story House, and Playhouse Square all come to mind when one thinks about Cleveland. These places are all Cleveland staples and I will discuss them in this article but there is far more to the city than those three places. We will explore some of Cleveland’s most popular neighborhoods like Little Italy, and Gordon Square along with the expanding food and art scenes.
Best Neighborhoods to Explore
Little Italy:
Little Italy is located on Mayfield Road and Murray Hill just east of University Circle, another neighborhood we will discuss. Little Italy contains many Italian restaurants, shops, and bakeries. It also served as a home for the Mafia who lived throughout the neighborhood. Today Little Italy is one of my favorite places in the whole city as it is very walkable with friendly people.
How to Get to Little Italy:
Little Italy is easily accessible by both car and public transit. I sometimes have trouble finding parking so be prepared to walk a little once you park. The neighborhood is also located on a hill with almost exclusively street parking which can make it difficult to see when turning. If you decide to take public transportation you have two options, bus or rapid. By bus you would either take the 9 bus or the Healthline. If you take the Healthline you will have to walk a little bit into Little Italy but it also drops you off close to University Circle which is the neighborhood I will cover next. If you want a faster public transit option, the Rapid Red line has a station in Little Italy. So how much is it going to cost you to take public transit? A day pass for both the bus and Rapid is only $5!
What to do in Little Italy:
As one of the most popular neighborhoods in Cleveland, Little Italy has a bunch of things to do! There are many shops and art galleries like Topsi Turvi, an Italian gift shop and Tricia Kaman Studio. There is also a park with a statue of Cleveland baseball legend Rocky Colavito. Although the shops and galleries are fun, the crown jewel of the neighborhood in my opinion is Lakeview Cemetery. Located right up the hill from Little Italy, Lakeview Cemetery is the final resting place of many prominent figures in American History. Some of these figures include Elliot Ness, the cop who brought down Al Capone, Alan Freed, the person who coined the term “rock n roll,” John Rockefeller (yes, THAT Rockefeller), and president James Garfield. Garfield’s tomb is located on the top of a hill in a tall monument to the former president from Mentor, Ohio. Make sure you go up to the top of the monument to get great views of downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie. You do not want to miss Lakeview Cemetery.
Where to Eat in Little Italy:
When it comes to eating in Little Italy there is only one place I would recommend. I’m sure the other restaurants are great but none of them beat Mama Santa’s. (http://www.mamasantas.com/default.aspx) Mama Santa’s is a Sicilian restaurant that has a variety of dishes but the main draw is their pizza. I will be honest, I hate pizza. Like I do not like tomatoes and cheese but I always get the pizza here. Along with the pizza you do not want to miss their fresh cut fries, the best fries at any restaurant I have ever been to, the cannelloni, and bread. Ask for Debbie if she is there to take care of you. It can be a bit pricy but if you visit Little Italy, you must eat at Mama Santa’s.
Little Italy also features two bakeries, Corbo’s and Presti’s. I prefer Corbo’s because it is usually less hectic but Presti’s has a larger selection and seating area. At Presti’s you will have to take a number before you can order. In the summer they also have gelato which is good if the next place I mention isn’t open. Lastly, Rosso Gelato has many different flavors of Gelato but my favorites are grapefruit, raspberry truffle, and blackberry. They seem to have strange hours and not open on time so definitely call before you go to Little Italy. If you visit Little Italy you will not leave hungry.
University Circle:
Located just a few minutes away from Little Italy is University Circle. This neighborhood is the cultural center of Cleveland. Here you will find Case Western Reserve University which is one of the best in the country. The Western Reserve Historical Society (https://www.wrhs.org/) is located on campus and contains many old cars and a carousel from Euclid Beach Park, an old amusement park that closed in 1969. Adults are $15 and kids are $8. University Circle also features the Cleveland Art Museum (https://www.clevelandart.org/) which is highly regarded. The best part about the Art Museum is it is FREE! Some galleries may cost money but the main museum is free. Across from the Art Museum is the Natural History Museum (https://www.cmnh.org/). This museum contains Lucy, a famous ancient human skeleton, Balto, the famous sled dog, and an observatory. Admission is $17 and you can easily visit both this museum and the Art Museum in one day. If you enjoy Music, Severance Hall is home to the Cleveland Orchestra who play a variety of shows. University Circle is also home to the Children’s Museum, the Botanical Gardens, and the Museum of Contemporary Arts. You can spend a whole trip in the various museums and they really warrant a full blog post about them.
How to Get to University Circle:
University Circle is located near Euclid Avenue which has the Healthline bus. It is also close to the Little Italy Rapid station. The Circle Link is also a free shuttle around the area. You can also drive and park in the many museum parking garages throughout the neighborhood.
Where to Eat:
Since University Circle is so close to Little Italy, I suggest you just go to Mama Santa’s to eat.
Downtown:
Downtown Cleveland is in the center of it all. Since there is so much to do downtown, I will only cover the highlights and write a full blog entry about downtown to go into more detail. Downtown is where you will find the major attractions in the city. The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Playhouse Square, and all three sports teams are located downtown. Other notable attractions are the arcades, Public Square, and the Great Lakes Science Center. For food I will only recommend a few places in this article but there is so many restaurants in Cleveland’s growing food scene. My go to places downtown are Ujerk Caribbean Eatery, Barrio Tacos, and Boney Fingers. When you travel to Cleveland you must spend at least a day downtown to really get a feel for the city.
Western Neighborhoods:
There are three neighborhoods that are fairly close to each other on the west side of Cleveland. These include Tremont, Ohio City, and Gordon Square. These areas are where you will find the trendy things in Cleveland as some of it is pretty gentrified. Some highlights of these neighborhoods are The Christmas Story House in Tremont, West Side Market in Ohio City, and the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland in Gordon Square.
What to do:
There are many things to do on the west side of Cleveland but one of the most notable ones is the West Side Market. The market houses 100 vendors between the main market and the produce market. Here you can buy anything from meat to pierogis, and crepes. There are so many vendors so the best way to visit is to just go and explore. Just as a note the market is closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ohio City also features Mitchells Ice Cream (https://www.mitchellshomemade.com/) which is Cleveland’s signature brand. On select days you can take a tour of their factory and learn how they make their ice cream.
Just down the road from the West Side Market is Gordon Square. Here you will find the LGBT Center and many different theatres. Gordon Square also has many different murals and street art throughout the neighborhood.
The last main attraction in the West Side neighborhoods is the Christmas Story House. Here you can experience the movie like never before. You can take a tour and even spend a night in the house, leg lamp included. I am not a huge movie fan so I have never been but one of my teachers in middle school was actually an elf in the movie which is super cool. Tours are $15, hopefully you don’t shoot your eye out.
Where to Eat:
The West Side Neighborhoods have many restaurants to enjoy. In Gordon Square try Happy Dog. If you ever wondered what Froot Loops on hotdogs taste like this is your place! There are many different toppings to choose from to put on your hot dog or burger so go crazy. They also host live music some nights in this small dive bar. Gordon Square is also home to the trendy Local West. They have a variety of sandwiches and poutine. I recommend the Italian Beef with a side of the potatoes.
Moving on to Ohio city which has Ohio City Burrito, Tabletop (a board game café), and Great Lakes Brewing Company. Great Lakes is the signature beer in Cleveland and have Cleveland themed beer like Elliot Ness, and Commodor Perry. Dortmunder Gold however is their most popular year round beer. Lastly Ohio City is home to Masons Creamery. They have all sorts of exotic ice cream flavors that are mostly found in Asia along with ramen in the winter. Masons was also featured on Guy Fieri’s show Diners Drive ins and Dives!
Lastly Tremont features some upscale restaurants but the highlights include The Treehouse, Rowley Inn, and Fahrenheit. Rowley Inn was also featured on Triple D along with another Tremont restaurant Fat Cats.
Conclusion
Whether you come to Cleveland for the weekend or just to pass through there are plenty of things to do. Explore one of the many neighborhoods, eat at a local restaurant, or catch a game downtown. Whatever your reason is for travelling to Cleveland you will be met by friendly people (unless you are a Steelers fan) who want to show off their city to outsiders. Due to Cleveland’s bad press we always welcome visitors to prove to them that our city is much more than a burning river and Lebron James.
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