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Overview

Introduction

Cleveland, Ohio, has transformed itself, complete with new and refurbished tourist attractions, into a solid travel destination. Besides the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the city is filled with culture, restaurants and amusements. And the Cleveland scene—especially its revitalized downtown—is helping shape its future.

Once the city's tourism and entertainment hub, the Flats is experiencing another redevelopment and changing its look with apartments, restaurants and bars. The Cleveland Aquarium draws crowds, and water taxis ply the canal to carry visitors to either side. The Warehouse District features trendy dance clubs, restaurants, and wine bars among other destinations of its own.

Just across Public Square, fast-developing East Fourth Street has likewise morphed from a dreary side street to the see-and-be-seen district of blues, comedy and dining spots. The Cleveland Metroparks and Cleveland Museum of Natural History are also well-liked by visitors. The popular Gateway District is home to the stadiums for the Guardians (baseball) and the Browns (football), and an arena for the Cavaliers (basketball).

Cleveland looks toward the future, but the city still shows off plenty of links to its past, including busy neighborhoods with more than 80 ethnic groups and more than 60 languages. Little Italy, Slavic Village, Old Brooklyn, Ohio City and the Tremont area are just a few of the richly diverse neighborhoods that enhance the Cleveland tourism experience.

Cleveland's numerous mechanical bridges lift, swing and jackknife to let Great Lakes freighters make their way up the Cuyahoga River to the steel mills. These bridges—dazzling when illuminated at night—are symbols of the roll-up-your-sleeves attitude that lingers from the blue-collar days.

Must See or Do

Sights—The West Side Market, an old-world-style bazaar; the panoramic view of downtown from Lake View Cemetery; the Frank Gehry-designed Peter B. Lewis Building on the campus of Case Western Reserve University.

Museums—The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum; the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, with its planetarium and dinosaur-filled Hall of Prehistoric Life; the Cleveland Museum of Art, with one of the largest acquisition funds of any museum in the country.

Memorable Meals—A meat-and-potatoes-lover's dinner at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse; tangy shrimp coconut milk at Minh Anh.

Late Night—Soaking up the atmosphere at Velvet Dog after hitting some of the breweries in town.

Walks—Strolling along the Towpath Trail through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park; following any of the trails in the Cleveland Metroparks system; guided summer walking tours of the downtown districts; relishing a gorgeous Lake Erie sunset as you walk the Edgewater Park path; walk-and-shop the West Side's funky vintage shops.

Especially for Kids—The Children's Museum of Cleveland; the Great Lakes Science Center; exploring the USS Cod Submarine Museum; the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and RainForest.

Geography

A major port on the St. Lawrence Seaway, Cleveland sits on the southern shore of Lake Erie at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, which winds through the city's downtown neighborhoods. Public Square is the city center and the focal point of its downtown business district. The historic Terminal Tower, once the tallest building outside of New York City, also is there.

The Flats, located to the northwest and on the riverfront, is a rebuilt neighborhood of restaurants, condos and office space. Perched just above the Flats, near Public Square, is the Warehouse District, where the uberchic frequent upscale restaurants and clubs.

On the east side of downtown, sports and entertainment options mix in the Gateway District, in the shadow of the city's professional sports facilities. University Circle, east of downtown, is the city's cultural mecca. World-class medical facilities dot the area.

History

After the Revolutionary War, the Connecticut Land Co. reserved more than 3 million acres/1 million hectares in northeastern Ohio. In 1786, the company sent Moses Cleaveland to help sell it. Two months after his arrival, plans for a town called Cleaveland were completed.

Cleaveland grew slowly at first, but it began to flourish after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, linking Lake Erie to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Ohio Canal in 1830, connecting the Ohio River to Lake Erie.

The city, whose name was shortened to Cleveland so it would fit on a newspaper's masthead, continued to grow as the railroads increased commercial and industrial activity. Another canal, now known as the Sault Locks, was opened in the mid-1850s between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, making Cleveland a shipping hub for lumber, copper, iron ore, farm produce and coal.

Throughout the 1920s, Cleveland was one of the most important steel and shipbuilding centers in the world. John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil, and others made their millions there. But by the early 1970s, many of the steel mills had closed, and the city fell on hard times. The situation reached a crisis in 1978, when the city government defaulted.

New jobs in the service, medical research and other sectors have breathed fresh life into Cleveland, although heavy industry continues to be an essential component of its economy. The city has experienced a major transformation during the past few decades. Buildings have undergone facelifts, and much of the downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods have been rebuilt and revitalized.

Potpourri

The Cuyahoga River begins far south of Cleveland and twists and winds for more than 100 mi/160 km before emptying into Lake Erie—the shallowest of the Great Lakes.

After putting away Al Capone, lawman Elliot Ness went to work reforming the Cleveland Police Department. Ness' ashes were placed at his burial site in Lake View Cemetery in 1997.

Eons ago, all of Ohio was covered by a prehistoric sea. Some of the astonishing creatures that lived there then are now on display (as fossils) at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and at Rocky River Reservation.

It was Cleveland, not Detroit, that was America's original "Motor City." The Winton Motor Carriage Co. was the first, in 1898, to sell a gas-powered car. Other Cleveland "firsts" include the steering wheel, windshield wipers, shock absorbers, electric traffic signal and automobile club.

Cleveland is hardly Hollywood, but the city has a growing presence in film and television, with parts of the Spiderman, The Avengers and Captain America: Winter Soldier movies filmed there, as well as many commercials. The house used as the inspiration for and set of A Christmas Story is now a museum.