A Rainy Day in ....Cleveland, OH
Most visitors to Cleveland are traveling on business, visiting relatives, or headed to the famed Cleveland Clinic for medical procedures. On this trip, I fit in the middle category . My sister Ellie and her three kids live about 15 minutes from the Cleveland Airport. They came out to help me explore some fun things to do in Cleveland when it rains.
Cleveland tends to get a bad rap in the media, being the brunt of many jokes, so first time visitors are surprised at what a cultured and entertaining experience awaits them. Cleveland has great outdoor activities in the summer, including water sports on the lake and concerts and festivals in its many parks and public spaces, an excellent Zoo and not too far away in Sandusky, the top amusement park in the world, Cedar Point.
There are also plenty of great rainy day alternatives. Everyone knows about the Rock & Roll Hall of fame, so we decided to visit some less well know venues. My 14-year-old nephew Derick, who had been to both on school trips and only had time for one with us, voted to revisit the Great Lakes Science Center. Seven-year-old Becca was anxious to show her five-year-old sister, Sarah the Natural History Museum, especially the “dome” movie at the Planetarium.
My sister Carol drove up from Alliance to join me for a tour of historic autos at the Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum and to try out the flight simulator at the NASA Glenn Research Center. We also stepped out for a little Cleveland nightlife at Hilarities 4 th Street Comedy Club at Pickwick and Frolic. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about our experiences.
For more rainy day Cleveland alternatives that we didn’t have time for, check out the Rainy Day Cleveland links page.
Kayte Deioma
Cleveland’s University Circle is choc full of cultural icons like the Cleveland Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History and Botanical Gardens in Wade Park and educational institutions like Case Western Reserve, the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Art around its perimeter. But University Circle’s best kept secret is the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum at the Western Reserve Historical Society.
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Kayte Deioma
It wasn’t raining, but we had a great rainy night destination in mind. We were headed for Pickwick & Frolic, an original Cleveland venue where we would find dinner, a comedy club and martini bar all under one roof – even on a Tuesday night. Located just a couple blocks from our hotel on East 4th Street, Pickwick & Frolic occupies the bottom two floors of the former Kresge Building, which was built on the foundations of the old Euclid Avenue Opera House. As a historic renovation, many of the buildings original features have been maintained. One of the few remaining historic streetscapes downtown, this block of East Fourth Street is also home to the recently opened Cleveland House of Blues.
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story and photos by Kayte Deioma
As I mentioned above, my 14-year-old nephew opted out of a return visit to the Cleveland Natural History Museum, having visited several times on school field trips. Rebecca, on the other hand, had been on one school visit in first grade and couldn’t wait to go back and show her little sister around.
Personally, I suffer easily from museum fatigue, so when planning our visit to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, I asked: what does this Natural History Museum have that I wouldn’t have already seen at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, Washington DC or London? That way I can make sure I see those exhibits while my brain is still able to absorb them.
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There are more Cleveland rainy day options on the Cleveland Links page
