CLEVELAND OHIO SIGHTS

# 1 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME   The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, recognizes and archives the history of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers, and other notable figures who have had some major influence on the development of rock and roll. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established on April 20, 1983, by Atlantic Records founder and chairman Ahmet Ertegun. In 1986, Cleveland was chosen as the Hall of Fame's permanent home. Since opening in September 1995, the "Rock Hall" – part of the city's redeveloped North Coast Harbor – has hosted more than 10 million visitors and had a cumulative economic impact estimated at more than $1.8 billion.

# 2 USS COD (SS-224)   A Gato-class submarine, the only vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the cod, named after the world's most important food fish of the North Atlantic and North Pacific.  Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut on 21 July 1942. The submarine's five diesel engines were built by General Motors' Cleveland Diesel plant located on the west side of Cleveland. She was launched on 21 March 1943 (sponsored by Mrs. G.M. Mahoney), and commissioned on 21 June 1943 with Commander Dempsey in command. Dempsey had already won fame by sinking the first Japanese destroyer lost in the war while in command of USS S-37, a tiny World War I-era submarine.  She is now permanently moored as a museum ship in Cleveland and is open to visitors.

# 3 THE GREAT LAKES SCIENCE CENTER   A museum and educational facility in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Many of the exhibits document the features of the natural environment in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The facility includes signature (permanent) and traveling exhibits, meeting space, a cafe, and an IMAX Dome theater. Great Lakes Science Center is funded by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, grants, funds, and corporate and individual gifts. The museum opened in July 1996. The center's exhibits support STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) with exhibits including the BioMedTech Gallery, advanced energy, science phenomena and space. The Science Center is home to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, one of only 11 such Visitor Centers in the country. Also, the Science Center staff conduct daily science demonstrations. 

# 4 STEAMSHIP WILLIAM G. MATHER MARITIME MUSEUM  The Steamship William G. Mather is a retired Great Lakes bulk freighter now restored as a museum ship in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four in the Great Lakes region. She transported cargo such as ore, coal, stone, and grain to ports throughout the Great Lakes, and was nicknamed "The Ship That Built Cleveland" because Cleveland's steel mills were a frequent destination.

# 5 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME (CANTON, OH about 1 hour away)   The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened in 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coaches, franchise owners, and front-office personnel, almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League; the Hall inducts between four and eight new enshrinees each year. The Hall of Fame's Mission is to "Honor the Heroes of the Game, preserve its history, promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE."

# 6 NAUTICA QUEEN (Lunch or dinner cruises)   Nautica Queen’s unique adventure combines the best of dining and sightseeing in Downtown Cleveland. Enjoy a lavish buffet while cruising under historic bridges and touring along the lake and riverfront. All cruises include an unlimited buffet meal, coffee, tea or iced tea, and musical entertainment. While aboard the Nautica Queen, you’ll cruise under historic bridges and experience the breathtaking view of Downtown Cleveland’s skyline. When your relaxing cruise ends, more adventure awaits at the dynamic, year-round Nautica Entertainment Complex which includes the restored FirstEnergy Powerhouse, which is home to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.

Public Square Activities 

# 7 SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' MONUMENT   The Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a monument to Civil War soldiers and sailors from Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Located in the southeast quadrant of Public Square in downtown Cleveland, it opened July 4, 1894. It was designed by architect Levi Scofield, who also created the monument's sculptures. F.F. Schnitzer was the supervising architect who oversaw the creation of the structure. The monument is regularly open to the public free of charge

# 8 CLEVELAND ARCADE   The Arcade in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, is a Victorian-era structure of two nine-story buildings, joined by a five-story arcade with a glass skylight spanning over 300 feet, along the four balconies. Erected in 1890, at a cost of $867,000, the Arcade opened on Memorial Day, and is identified as one of the earliest indoor shopping malls in the United States. The Arcade was modified in 1939, remodeling the Euclid Avenue entrance and adding some structural support. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975.

# 9 JACK CLEVELAND CASINO   Jack Cleveland Casino is a casino in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, owned and operated by Jack Entertainment. Jack Cleveland Casino is located in the former Higbee Building at Tower City Center in downtown Cleveland. It has 100,000 sq ft of gaming space. The casino has 1,609 slot machines, 119 table games, and 35 electronic table games. The casino is accessible from Public Square but is also accessible from the Terminal Tower and the Tower City Center shopping mall. The casino has teamed with the Renaissance, the Ritz-Carlton, and the Marriott at Key Center to offer rooms to its guests, and Rock Ohio Caesars purchased the Ritz-Carlton from Forest City Enterprises. The casino is open 24 hours a day and is completely smoke-free, compliant with Ohio law. Since the casino has limited dining options, it has partnered with nearly a dozen downtown Cleveland restaurants.

#10 CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST   The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is a historic Roman Catholic church building locate 1007 Superior Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. Completed and consecrated in 1852, it is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. Numerous renovations have changed some aspects of the cathedral, but it remains essentially the same since its construction.

#11 TERMINAL TOWER   Terminal Tower is a 52-story, 235 m, landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Built during the skyscraper boom of the 1920s and 1930s, it was the second-tallest building in the world when it was completed. Terminal Tower stood as the tallest building in North America outside of New York City from its completion in 1930 until 1964. It was the tallest building in the state of Ohio until the completion of Key Tower in 1991 and remains the second-tallest building in the state. The building is part of the Tower City Center mixed-use development, and its major tenants include Forest City Enterprises, former owner of the building, which maintains its corporate headquarters there, and Riverside Company.

#12 OLD STONE CHURCH   Founded in 1820, Old Stone has served the city of Cleveland for nearly 200 years from the heart of Public Square. As a historic church with a contemporary spirit, we welcome and host hundreds of worshippers, weddings, tours, and visitors each year from around the globe. As Cleveland has grown in size and importance, OSC has kept pace as a symbol of spiritual and civic leadership through events, mission projects, volunteerism, and more.  OSC occupies the oldest building on Public Square and has played a pivotal role in Cleveland’s ongoing evolution. Leaders and members of the church have helped establish many of the city’s great institutions, including Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, the YMCA of Greater Cleveland, and other local initiatives in education, healthcare, social services, and commerce

University Circle District (10 min east of downtown)

#13 CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART   An art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 45,000 works of art from around the world. The museum has remained historically true to the 1913 vision of its founders, keeping general admission free to the public. With a $755 million endowment, it is the fourth-wealthiest art museum in the nation. With about 705,000 visitors annually (2016), it is one of the most visited art museums in the world.

#14 CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY   The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum located approximately five miles east of downtown Cleveland, Ohio in University Circle, a 550-acre concentration of educational, cultural and medical institutions. The museum was established in 1920 by Cyrus S. Eaton to perform research, education and development of collections in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, astronomy, botany, geology, paleontology, wildlife biology, and zoology.

#15 CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA   Based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall. As of 2017, the incumbent music director is Franz Welser-Möst. In 2012 Gramophone Magazine ranked the Cleveland Orchestra number 7 on its list of 20 of the world's greatest orchestras.

#16 CRAWFORD AUTO-AVIATION MUSEUM   The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum is a collection in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Part of the Western Reserve Historical Society and housed at the Cleveland History Center, it was founded by industrialist Frederick C. Crawford of TRW and opened in 1965. The collection began as the Thompson Products Auto Album, which was also founded by Crawford.

Individual Activities

#17 GREAT LAKES BREWERY   Three of the six buildings that make up the brewing complex were stables and a warehouse for the Schlather Brewing Company at the turn of the 20th century; they've been restored to expose the grandeur of their gabled roofs and cork walls. The two-story brewhouse has full glass walls so you can see the brew masters at work, while the tap room houses artifacts excavated from the old Schlather Brewing Company site—including the building's hallmark keystones, beer bottles, and brass serving plates. The restaurant and bar attached to the brewery is smoke-free, a testament to the owners' renowned environmentally friendly practices. Tours leave on the hour.

#18 LITTLE ITALY    Historic Little Italy in Cleveland, Ohio is located adjacent to the city’s cultural district, University Circle. Case Western Reserve University, museums, our world-famous symphony, and botanical garden are within walking distance to Little Italy. Thousands of visitors and loyal patrons come to dine, shop and be entertained.  Little Italy businesses are open year-round.  Known for its Art Galleries and the finest Italian cuisine, Little Italy is host to the City’s famous Art Walks, The Feast of the Assumption, the Columbus Day Parade, Taste of Little Italy, Bocce Ball Tournament and incredible Affesco Summer Nights! 

#19 PLAYHOUSE SQUARE   A theater district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It is the largest performing arts center in the United States outside of New York. (Only Lincoln Center in New York City is larger.) Constructed in a span of 19 months in the early 1920s, the theaters were subsequently closed down, but were revived through a grassroots effort. Their renovation and reopening helped usher in a new era of downtown revitalization in Cleveland, and was called "one of the top ten successes in Cleveland history." It is also home of the world’s largest outdoor chandelier.

#20 CEDAR POINT   Cedar Point is a 364-acre amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. Opened in 1870, it is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the United States behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point is owned and operated by Cedar Fair and is considered the flagship of the amusement park chain. Known as "America's Roller Coast", the park features a world-record 72 rides, including 16 roller coasters – the second-most in the world behind Six Flags Magic Mountain. Its newest roller coaster, Steel Vengeance, opened in May 2018.

#21 “THE HOUSE WHERE SUPERMAN WAS CREATED”   The Home of Superman creator Jerry Siegal. A sign and Superman logo can be seen on the fence, commemorating the birthplace of the Man of Steel and his creator.  In the past, the city has not given Clark Kent and his alter ego much attention, even though he was invented by two boys on Cleveland’s East Side. But that is changing, as the city is slowly beginning to recognize its role in creating the superhero who stood for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.” In 1933, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster dreamed up the comic strip hero with superpowers.

#22 CLEVELAND GUARDIANS – PROGRESSIVE FIELD   The Indians, Cleveland's boys of summer, play the past time at downtown Progressive Field between April through September. If they are available, consider grabbing tickets on the lower levels down the right- or left-field lines, where the seats are angled toward home plate. The bleachers offer decent views of the action, too.  

#23 CLEVELAND METROPARKS ZOO  The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is a 183-acre zoo in Cleveland, Ohio. The Zoo is divided into several areas: Australian Adventure; African Savanna; Northern Wilderness Trek, The Primate, Cat & Aquatics Building, Waterfowl Lake, The Rain Forest, and the newly added Asian Highlands. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has one of the largest collections of primates in North America, The Zoo is a part of the Cleveland Metroparks system.

#24 HOUSE OF BLUES  House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. The first location opened at Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1992. The chain has been a division of Live Nation Entertainment since July 2006, and there are 11 locations throughout the United States as of July 2020.  Features live music and dining.

#25 GREATER CLEVELAND AQUARIUM  The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is an aquarium in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Occupying the historic FirstEnergy Powerhouse building located on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River in the city's Flats district, the aquarium, which opened in January 2012, consists of approximately 70,000 square feet of exhibition space and features 55 exhibits over 9 thematic concentrations representing both local and exotic species of fish. The facility is the only independent, free-standing aquarium in the state of Ohio and ended a 26-year period that the city lacked a public aquarium.