Kids in The Land
Cleveland Museum of Art. Visitors of all ages can learn about art together at Cleveland Museum of Art. Emerging technology gives families the chance to use movement and play to connect with CMA’s collection and explore further with the country’s largest multi-touch MicroTile screen. Parents of toddler-age children can enlighten younger ones while taking part in one of the museum’s Stroller Tours.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock Hall strikes a chord with generations of music fans. The showstopping memorabilia ranges from legends like The Beatles and David Bowie to contemporary artists like Lady Gaga and The Black Keys. In The Garage, visitors can play, mix and record their own hits on more than 15 drums, bass guitars and keyboards.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History. From the bones of a mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex to the feel of a real earthquake, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History will fascinate and educate little ones with incredible hands-on exhibits and interactive displays. Guests can take in a show at the Shafran Planetarium, visit the toddler friendly Smead Discovery Center or head outdoors to the Perkins Wildlife Center for an up-close look at bald eagles, foxes, bobcats and coyotes.
Greater Cleveland Aquarium. Adventurers can come nose-to-nose with sharks at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. With nothing but a pane of glass standing between visitors and the ocean’s sharp-toothed friends, brave souls can walk through the 175-foot underwater SeaTube, a glass-enclosed tunnel, to see sharks, moray eels, stingrays and grouper. Getting to pet sea creatures at the 11,000-gallon Touch Pool amps up the aquarium adventure even more.
Great Lakes Science Center. Kids can be hands-on at the Great Lakes Science Center by constructing a parachute to float in a wind tube, taking a virtual flight on the Sky Glider and using their fingertips to make light dance under a plasma ball. At the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, guests can look inside the actual 1973 Skylab 3 Apollo Command Module, see artifacts from John Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission and check out a real moon rock from Apollo 15.
Children’s Museum of Cleveland. Younger visitors are engaged at every turn at the Children’s Museum of Cleveland with an environment designed to excite, enrich and inspire. Located in an historic mansion near downtown, the museum features a Wonder Lab with water tables and magnetic walls, a space to create in the Arts & Parts room and the interactive fun of Adventure City.
A Christmas Story House. Fans of the holiday movie classic “A Christmas Story” can revisit the spirit of the holidays as they reminisce on a walk through the famed A Christmas Story House. Among the props and costumes on display are Ralphie’s Red Rider BB Gun, toys from the Higbee’s department store window, Randy’s snowsuit, the chalkboard from Miss Shields’ classroom and the family car.
Get Active & Outdoors
Professional Sports. Professional sports reign in Cleveland. With the Browns, Guardians and Cavs all anchored in Downtown Cleveland, each team’s venue offers a variety of kid-friendly activities to keep little ones burning energy while the adults enjoy the game. For example, the Kids Clubhouse at Progressive Field lets kids peek inside the Guardians locker room through a virtual tour and step into the batter’s box for an authentic virtual reality home run derby experience.
Cedar Point. Adventure-seeking families need not travel far from Downtown Cleveland to find thrills. Located 60 miles to the west, visitors can experience the ultimate rush of adrenaline with some of the world’s tallest and fastest roller coasters at Cedar Point Amusement Park.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Visitors to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo can feed lettuce to giraffes from the African Savanna; come within inches of an Amur tiger in the Rosebrough Tiger Passage or visit snow leopards, red pandas and takins at the Asian Highlands exhibit. During the winter months, families can warm up inside the two-story indoor RainForest, where it’s always 80 degrees. Seasonal events keep visitors coming back year-round, including the Asian Lantern Festival and Wild Winter Lights.
Cleveland Botanical Garden. The Hershey Children’s Garden at the Cleveland Botanical Garden teaches kids about gardening and nature in a kid-scaled environment. Small benches are hidden in foliage, archways are sized just right for little ones, and tiny water pumps and plastic buckets are available for children to water plants. After tending to the plants, kids can climb up to the treehouse for treetop storytelling. For rainy day fun, little ones will also love the new Ron and Lydia Harrington Perennial Playspace, filled with more than a dozen sensory activities to immerse children in the world around them.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park covers 33,000 acres of woods, water and wildlife along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron. Visitors can climb aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, one of the oldest tourist excursion railways in the country, to experience a train ride through the national park.
Lake Metroparks Farmpark. Piglets, sheep and cows—oh my! After cautiously milking a 1,600-pound cow, petting the fuzzy wool of a herd of alpacas and trying their hand at grinding corn, visitors to Lake Metroparks Farmpark get a little taste of the life of a farmer. Located just east of Cleveland, the park is open year-round.
Beyond the Kids Menu
The Corner Alley. Pub grub and a rousing game of bowling can be found under one roof on East 4
th Street in Downtown Cleveland. At
The Corner Alley, families can tie up their laces and munch on a mound of pulled chicken nachos, fried buffalo eggrolls and bbq pork pizza while serving up a strike.
Happy Dog. Visitors to
Happy Dog can enjoy an all-beef hot dog topped with everything from house-made sloppy joe and SpaghettiOs to caramelized onions or garlicky escarole. For a sweet treat, adventurous eaters can add Froot Loops, too. A side of tater tots dipped in Happy Dog’s top-secret fry sauce or topped with a sunny-side up fried egg makes the meal complete.
Melt Bar & Grilled. Mom’s grilled cheese is all grown up at
Melt Bar & Grilled, where visitors can order hilariously themed sandwiches including the locally named Parmageddon, which features potato and onion pierogi,
Napa vodka kraut, sautéed onions and sharp cheddar cheese.
Mitchell’s Ice Cream. On hot summer days and cold winter nights, the handcrafted flavors at
Mitchell’s Ice Cream are sure to satisfy sweet tooths. From Blue Cosmo ice cream cones for kids to scoops of vegan-friendly salted caramel pecan for those craving a sweet treat without the guilt (or lactose-induced belly aches), a stop at Mitchell’s Ohio City scoop shop and production facility will keep everyone happy.
b.a. Sweetie Candy Company. A rainbow of flavors can be discovered at
b.a. Sweetie Candy Company, the largest candy store in North America. Visitors can find nostalgic favorites such as wax lips, PEZ and gourmet jellybeans, have a root-beer float at the 1950s style soda shop parlor or play a 36-hole round of mini-golf at Sweetie’s Golfland Park.
Ball Ball Waffle. Tucked inside a shopping center in the AsiaTown neighborhood, visitors to
Ball Ball Waffle enjoy Hong Kong-style bubble waffles. Crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, each waffle is made fresh and topped with sweet or savory toppings like Oreos, peanut butter, matcha or bacon and cheese.
Tabletop Board Game Café. Featuring almost 1,000 different games including kid classics like Clue, Guess Who? and Jenga,
Tabletop Board Game Café serves up friendly competition with its food and drinks. While awaiting turns, kids can munch on locally made Campbell’s Extreme Dichotomy Popcorn Mix while parents sip white or red wine smoothies.