We’ve been home since the end of October, and I’m not caught up writing about our trips of the summer. But the weather has me thinking about previous trips we’ve taken in the winter. I thought I’d share a quick post about a weekend trip we took two years ago…a winter weekend in Cleveland.
I’d never been to Cleveland, and as Pittsburghers, we really had no reason to want to visit. But the traveling Broadway Series tour of the musical, Wicked, was coming through. We couldn’t make it work to see it in Pittsburgh, so decided to check it out in Cleveland.
It was an awesome trip, and I’m so glad we got over our bias against Cleveland!
We stayed at the Drury Hotel. This place is really cool. It is in the former Board of Education Building. The lobby is marble and the ceilings are so high. Breakfast and dinner are included. This trip was before we decided to travel significantly, and my pictures are very limited. I have NONE from the hotel:(
Playhouse Square
The hotel is located just a few blocks from the Playhouse Square and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We walked to both, but the walk to the Theatre District was a lot more enjoyable. We did not consider the lake effect on the way to the Hall of Fame, which made what was a short walk pretty uncomfortable in December. But, we’re tough and made it no worse for wear.
Playhouse Square includes several connected theaters and great restaurants in the same block. A giant beautiful chandelier hangs across the street. We saw a matinee, so we didn’t get to see it lit, unfortunately. And, as expected, Wicked was amazing. We saw it on Broadway several years ago with Ana Gasteyer, and we knew the girls would love it!
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
We started the next day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We love many genres of music, and this place gives a great perspective on the history and evolution of Rock and Roll. It also had a display on how technology changed. Avery read every single information card, so it took us about 5 hours to get through. Their favorites were the costumes, a movie about Elvis, and seeing an iPod. It blew Claire’s mind that that was the best technology that existed when she was born. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has to be a top pick for a weekend in Cleveland. Because of our brutal walk there, we opted to Uber to get something to eat (and drink).
You can read more about why we think teaching our kids about music (and the history of music) is so important: Should You Take Your Kids to Nashville.
Great Lakes Brewery
We headed over to the Great Lakes Brewpub. It is one of the most popular craft breweries in this area and in our hometown, Pittsburgh. So, it was pretty busy. The Brewpub does take reservations, and I’d recommend you make one since it is so popular. We did not make a reservation.
Fortunately, they have a store. It is also right across the street from the historic West Side Market. So, we had plenty to see while we waited for a table. Being inside to keep warm was definitely a plus. Our table was ready in about 40 minutes, so we didn’t get to see everything the market had to offer.
Justin would like to go back and tour the brewery sometime, but it had a great atmosphere and the food was great.
Christmas Story House
We finished our weekend trip to Cleveland with a visit to the Christmas Story House. We had so much fun! The tour gives information about the production of the movie and allows you to see the set where parts of the movie were filmed.
You can hold the Red Ryder BB gun; wash your mouth out with the bar of soap (it had a lot of teeth marks on it…gross!), listen to Ralphie’s friend’s mother screaming into the telephone, and of course, see the electric sex of the leg lamp.
Avery with Red Ryder BB gun 
Me getting yelled at by Ralphie’s friend’s mom for teaching him the “Fudge” word 
Little Orphan Annie decoder 
Fragile!
Be sure to visit the museum across the road and eat at the Rowley Inn (you get 10% off your bill with your receipt). The Rowley Inn looks like a total dive, but the food was delicious. It gets a lot of traffic from the Christmas Story House, but the regulars are there too.
Maybe we’ll be able to catch a Browns or Indians game on our next visit to Cleveland. Check out another of our winter trips: Winter in Williamsburg.
