The Flats have come back to life thanks to a multi-million-dollar makeover to both its east and west banks. This waterfront neighborhood now features restaurants, bars, shops and a boardwalk with complementary green space. (The area's famous water taxis will even take you from one side of the Flats to the other to help you explore.) For decades, the land's proximity to the Cuyahoga River, Lake Erie and railroad tracks have made it the central locale for the manufacturing, coal and shopping industries. If your timing is right, you can still see huge freighters navigating the river's sharp oxbow turn.
3 Must-Do Things
- Make friends with fish and memories with friends at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, located inside the historic Powerhouse on the Flats West Bank. Featuring more than 5,000 underwater sea creatures, visitors are able to discover aquatic life from all over the world.
- See your favorite artist perform at Jacobs Pavilion, the open-air amphitheater on the West Bank of The Flats.
- Gather a group of close buds at Punch Bowl Social and toast one another with local beer, spirits or a large (spiked) punch bowl of drinks. Chat the night away and indulge in some friendly competition with a round of darts, bowling or even shuffleboard.
To learn more about The Flats, take a look here.