Ideas for this weekend.. (Columbus, Cleveland: rent, houses, theater)

[teacherdad]

Looks like snow from Friday to Monday. My evenings are covered, but with the snow, I'm looking for any day activities.

Staying downtown.

I have Uber and RTA to utilize.

My kid likes ice skating. Was thinking sledding, but Brandywine may or may not open this weekend.

Museums are fine and we can get to the Oval area.

Not sure of other snow type day things to do since it has not snowed my last two Dec. visits.

Ideas welcomed.

Rob

[citymama]

Originally Posted by teacherdad

Looks like snow from Friday to Monday. My evenings are covered, but with the snow, I'm looking for any day activities.

Staying downtown.

I have Uber and RTA to utilize.

My kid likes ice skating. Was thinking sledding, but Brandywine may or may not open this weekend.

Museums are fine and we can get to the Oval area.

Not sure of other snow type day things to do since it has not snowed my last two Dec. visits.

Ideas welcomed.

Rob

Honestly, we usually just do our normal activities! Whatever fun stuff you had planned will be fine if it is snowing. There is new set up at the Natural History Museum with a new, short outdoor animal walk that's raised high above ground.

There is an ice rink at public square now!

[teacherdad]

Ice rink at P Sq. YES!!! That'll be a sweet photo spot as well.

Thanks!

[L2DB]

There are also some nice lights down in the square so maybe check it out after dark at some point also.


+1 to Natural History Museum - there's an ice rink in the circle there as well (bigger than the one at Pub Square).


The toboggan chutes are open if you can get down there:


Toboggan Chutes | Cleveland Metroparks

[WRnative]

From University Circle, take a Uber ride to check out the Nela Park lights in East Cleveland. You don't want to get stranded there, so prepare to pay the Uber driver to stay with you. One good thing about an Uber visit to Nela Park, you all could get out and walk while the Uber driver kills some time before picking you up again.

See post 6 here:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/cleve...ga-county.html

The West Side Market can be memorable on a holiday season weekend. You can visit using the West 25th Red Line station or buses from near Public Square. The WSM now is open on Sundays. Get there before 2 p.m. Take a walk down Lorain Ave. to Farkas Bakery & Pastries, if open during your visit. It's probably the best Hungarian bakery in Cleveland. Dine at Nate's Deli, just north of the WSM and visit the Mitchell's Ice Cream plant nearby (there's additional seating on the 2nd floor, stairs or elevator, with a view of the factory floor). The Great Lakes Brew Pub also is great.

Farkas Bakery & Pastries | Cleveland Ohio | Napoleons (Krémes), Ludlab, Tortes, Dobos, Linzers, and More European Hungarian Desserts

Check out the Festival of Trees at the Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare.

Festival of Trees | Cleveland Play House | 216.241.6000

The Play House's "A Christmas Story" has become a unique annual Cleveland tradition, and Great Lakes Theater's annual offering is a superb "A Christmas Carol." The Clevealnd Jazz Orchestra offers its annual holiday concert this weekend at the Hanna Theatre at Playhouse Square. The Santaland Diaries would allow you to check out the Outcalt Theatre, one of the nation's few flexible theaters.

Events | PlayhouseSquare

There are no bad seats at the Allen or Hanna Theatres. These are superbly intimate performances spaces reconstructed within classic vaudeville houses, especially evident at the Hanna. Read about them here:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g...usesquare.html

Public Square skating and events:

Home | Cleveland Public Square

One of the best holiday experiences in the nation is a holiday show with the Cleveland Orchestra and choirs at Severance Hall. Don't pass it up if you can get tickets. As an alternative, check out the Christmas Brass Quartet at 11 a.m. on Saturday so you can see Severance Hall decorated for the holidays.

https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/calendar/index.aspx

Glow is at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

http://www.cbgarden.org/

[WRnative]

Stan Hywet should be magical this weekend with snow on the ground if you can get there. This looks like our annual pre-Christmas storm, although the only meaningful snow will be east of Cleveland. Punderson State Park, Ohio's designated winter snow park, has a lighted sledding hill and is in the middle of the snow belt if you can get a sled(s). Check out Chardon Public Square while in Geauga County.

Alpine Valley also is in Geauga County and should have lots of snow by Saturday.

Alpine Valley Ohio | Polar Blast Snow Tubing

Geauga County is forecast to get 6-15 inches of snow by Saturday noon, much more than in most of the rest of Greater Cleveland. Travel conditions should be good by Saturday afternoon as the snow belt knows how to handle snow storms. Perhaps you could rent a zip car at University Circle, or a car from the airport.

If you go to Brandywine for tubing, you could sled at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

| Boston Mills Brandywine

[L2DB]

Nela Park is not worth the trip there, IMO.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by L2DB

Nela Park is not worth the trip there, IMO.

Agreed. There is nothing even close to it that would merit heading out there for. I'm sure every city has some spot that is particularly well illuminated this time of year. I wouldn't worry about making time for East Cleveland for a short stay.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by L2DB

Nela Park is not worth the trip there, IMO.

It depends upon how one feels about holiday lights.

GE Lighting devotes considerable resources to the annual display, which includes a miniature version of GE's National Christmas Tree. If there's a more beautiful Christmas tree in Greater Cleveland, I'm not aware of it.

I think persons in Cleveland are a little jaded simply because they've grown up with the Nela Park display. It's not a mammoth display, but it's a very high quality display compared to the likes of Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo or the gigantic display at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, and it's free and a relatively short investment of time.

I do consider Stan Hywet Hall a little more magical with its garden setting.

However, Nela Park's holiday lights display is an historic annual Cleveland tradition, which isn't certain to continue given changes at GE Lighting, corporate cost-cutting, etc. And this weekend, there will be snow on the ground.

Nela Park holiday lights, Hower House Museum display and recycle holiday lights: Home and Garden News | cleveland.com

It's also worth a visit for those interested in Cleveland history just to see the world's first industrial park.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nela_Park

Personally, having visited large lighting displays for decades, I appreciate marveling at the high quality and Cleveland-themed Nela Park display, especially given an opportunity to get out of a car and walk the few blocks. I'm no longer as excited to spend hours looking at Christmas lights, often just thrown up rather than carefully arranged.

Having said that, Stan Hywet Hall and Oglebay are certainly worth visits at least once in a lifetime to see the holiday lights. Oglebay has other great attractions, especially for those who enjoy glass creations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oglebay_Park

Oglebay has great Cleveland roots, given its association with the once Cleveland-based Oglebay Norton.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogleba...on_Corporation

[franky44022]

The Cleveland Museum of Art has its Second Sundays.

Make memories at the Cleveland Museum of Art
Every second Sunday, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Family Day at the CMA

Wonderful age-appropriate activities for the young ones. A great opportunity for the young ones to learn to love and appreciate their world-class museum

Winters in Cleveland are a great opportunity to experience all of the natural wonders that NEO has to offer. My and the kids' snowshoes and X-C skis are ready. Hope it snows A LOT here in Geauga county.