Terminal Tower

Known as the “Family Reunion Day of the Year,” Independence Day (and the days surrounding) are some of the most active for families in Cleveland Plus.  With fireworks, parades, burgers and dogs galore, check out some of the area’s red, white and blue happenings.

DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND

Star Spangled-Spectacular Community Concert and Festival  – July 2
Considered one of the world’s greatest orchestras, The Cleveland Orchestra puts on a heck of a show every summer to celebrate Independence Day.  In fact, more than 80,000 people visit Public Square to watch this free concert that includes a program of patriotic favorites and popular classical repertoire.

Since 2003, the event has included a pre-concert festival featuring performances by Cleveland-based musical groups in the hours leading up to the Orchestra concert. And this year is no different, with acts like 7 Mile Isle steel drum band and What’s Next Quartet performing throughout the day.

In addition to the musical performances, Tower City Center offers a free arts festival inside the mall from 10am – 7pm featuring handmade works of local and national artisans.

The music begins at 5pm and ends with a spectacular display of fireworks set against the Cleveland skyline.

The Cleveland Orchestra has delivered an outstanding Fourth of July show for almost 20 years. The backdrop of fireworks is simply the icing on the cake.

Fireworks Cruise on Goodtime III – July 4, 7pm-11pm
Don’t miss the boat this year, see Cleveland shoreline fireworks on a boat. The Goodtime III Fireworks Cruise is available with or Without Dinner on Saturday, July 4th.  Celebrate America’s Birthday aboard GOODTIME III. Reservations call 216.861.5110 or 888.916.7447.

The state budget is being negotiated right now and your legislator is in a position to make important decisions regarding the future of tourism in Ohio.

We are not opposed to investigating a change from state-funded travel and tourism marketing to a public-private partnership model.  We caution, however, there is much that can be lost without a thoughtful transition that can guarantee continued success.

The proposed structure is not a public-private partnership if the public brings nothing to the table. Leaving the Ohio Tourism Division with $400,000 and no marketing budget would have an almost immediate negative impact on the State’s hospitality industry at a time when convention and visitors bureaus are already facing the challenges of declining business travel and more conservative leisure tourism. From the rural charms of Amish Country and wine trails to the museums and eateries of urban centers, Ohio’s hospitality industry is a revenue generator.

We need to learn from the missteps of others. In 1993, Colorado eliminated its $12 million tourism promotion budget. (In comparison, today Ohio’s budget is $6.8 million.) Even with its natural lure of skiing and other tourism adventures, Colorado’s domestic market share plunged quickly and dramatically, falling 30% in just two years. Over time, the revenue loss increased to well over $2 billion annually. Clearly, Ohio is in a position to lose its niche markets and the revenue that comes with them if promotional funding is discontinued. 

Should there be a gap in marketing Ohio, the State could lose much of the $1.6 billion in direct state taxes that tourism generates each year, while local governments would inevitably struggle with a dip in the $1.1 billion per year visitor spending brings them in tax revenue. Any significant decline in visitor numbers would inevitably cost a State in crisis even more jobs.  The hospitality industry directly employs the equivalent of more than 452,000 full-time positions. The decision to effectively decommission the Ohio Tourism Division will have a negative impact on every destination in the state.

Representing travel and tourism in Ohio’s major urban centers, the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dayton-Montgomery County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Destination Toledo, Experience Columbus, Positively Cleveland and Cincinnati USA do hereby express support for the Ohio Tourism Roundtable’s assertions below. We urge concerned parties and our hospitality partners to contact as many of these representatives as you can as soon as you can, preferably by noon on Wedneday, June 24, 2009.

Cutting the budget for the Ohio Tourism Division will only cost Ohio money, not save it. A public-private partnership must be carefully designed and adequately funded from the start in order to be successful. 

Sincerely,

Susan Hamo, Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau

Jacquie Powell, Dayton-Montgomery County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Dave Nolan, Destination Toledo

Paul Astleford, Experience Columbus

Dennis Roche, Positively Cleveland

Dan Lincoln, Cincinnati USA

 

Glidden House in University Circle

For many, going someplace is more than simply being there. Lots of international travelers to Cleveland are looking for B&Bs (of which we have plenty, click here) and inns. While the hotels located in and around downtown are chains, many have unique designs that makes them have the feel of boutique hotels.   In fact, Cleveland is just the place for travelers wanting to stay someplace that doesn’t feel like a cookie-cutter hotel, but is in close range of major attractions.

The downtown Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites on Euclid Avenue, for instance, offers its expected brand of reliability and affordability but makes its home in the renovated 19th century Guardian Bank Building in Cleveland’s financial district. It boasts nine styles of rooms and easy walking access to the restaurants and entertainment of East Fourth Street like House of Blues and The Corner Alley as well as a prime location along the city’s new HealthLine public transportation route, which makes all the city’s east side attractions just a smooth ride away.

For that bustling, in-the-middle-of-things feel, there’s Marriott’s Renaissance Cleveland, which overlooks the city’s famous Public Square from its anchor spot in Tower City Center, a hub of shopping, transportation and dining. Movies, sporting events and concerts big and small happen daily in the blocks and neighborhoods around the Renaissance, and nearby restaurant menus range from the quick and hearty to the elegant and lauded. With its vaulted ceilings and iconic marble fountain, the 91-year-old Renaissance is a landmark of Cleveland architecture as well as part of its civic lifeblood. Here, visitors can’t help but feel a part of the city themselves.

Eliot Ness was not a native Clevelander, but he did live here in the 1930s and ’40s. Ness is most famous as the federal agent who led “The Untouchables”–a group of law enforcement officers credited for bringing down Chicago gangster Al Capone–in the 1930s. (Capone was actually convicted of income tax evasion.) Ness was transferred to Cleveland in 1934. And then, after leaving the FBI in 1935, he became Cleveland’s Safety Director. For seven years he fought crime and corruption in Cleveland before resigning in 1942. During his tenure as Safety Director, Ness declared war on the mob and oversaw the hunt for the Cleveland Torso Murderer, a serial killer who terrorized the city from 1935-1938. More information on this infamous case can be found at the Cleveland Police Museum.

Ness moved to Washington, DC in 1942, where he worked for the federal government. But he would eventually return to Ohio (and Cleveland) in 1944 when he became chairman of the Diebold Corporation. He then ran for mayor of Cleveland (unsuccessfully) in 1947. He finally retired to Pennsylvania. And, before his death at age 54, he coauthored the book The Untouchables with Oscar Fraley.

The Blossom Music Festival is a series of concerts performed by The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center. Blossom Music Center is located about 25 miles south of Cleveland, within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which protects 33,000 acres along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron. The architecturally pleasing outdoor music venue lies within the city limits of Cuyahoga Falls, an Ohio community first settled in the early 1800s.

Ferrante Winery

“We have a group interested in a ‘wine tasting’ themed overnight package at a nice property. If you could send some information and options, that would be great.”
 
Regarding a golf resort close to wineries, here are two recommendations:
 
Quail Hollow Resort (1/2 hour east of Cleveland)
11080 Concord-Hambden Road
Concord, OH  44077
Contact:  Jennifer Veselko, Director of Sales
800.792.0258
176-room hotel with spa available. Home of two 18- hole championship golf courses; Devlin Von Hagge and Weiskopf Morrish. Less than ½ hour away are several wineries ranging from upscale (Ferrante Winery and Ristorante) to small and quaint (St. Joseph Vineyards, in a former country church). 
 
The Lodge at Sawmill Creek (1 hour west of Cleveland)
400 Sawmill Creek Drive W.
Huron, OH 44839
Contact:  Leslie Schick, Group Sales
800.729.6455
240 deluxe guest rooms, 18-hole Tom Fazio Golf Course, shops, Marian, Charter Fishing, Spa Wine Tours are available at Firelands Winery in Sandusky or Mon Ami  Winery on Catawba Island Peninsula.
 
And, link here to Ohio Wine Producers . Click on “Our Trails” to view the various winery tour trails available in the area.  –Kathy Toth, Manager, Group Tour/Motorcoach Sales

 

The NASA Glenn Visitors Center is a free attraction for families.

Family reunions and Cleveland go together like like mom and dad or burgers and buns.

 

 

First and foremost, reunion planners, please, please order the matching T-shirts.  It’s only right!  (The Johnsons Rock Cleveland!  The Smiths Flee to the Cleve!  The Malloys Invade Ohio!) And don’t forget to pick a headquarter hotel for the unlucky relations who don’t snag Aunt Suzy’s couch or Grandma Gertrude’s guest room.

 

Many planners use a family-friendly checklist: 

• easy highway access
• free parking
• a pool for the kiddos, and
• reservable rooms for meet-and-greets and banquets

The Clarion and Hilton hotels in Beachwood are two examples that fit the bill.

Here are several options for late-night coffee and eats:

My Friends Deli & Restaurant
11616 Detroit Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44102
216.221.2575

Dianna’s Deli & Restaurant
1332 W. 117th Steet
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216.521.9393

Sidewalk Café in Euclid
27101 Euclid Avenue
Euclid, OH 44132
216.289.1211

This question came in from a mom specifically asking what “the boys” could do since the family was coming up for Mary Poppins.

Mary Poppins takes the stage July 17, 2009 through August 9, 2009 at the State Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. If you’re headed to Cleveland to see the show about the British nanny and want to make a day or weekend trip out of it, read on for more family-friendly events and exhibits to enjoy while you’re here . (By the way, tickets went on sale April 20th.  Scoop them up now. It’s looking like a very popular show.)

From paying homage to rock and roll legends to soaking up some major league excitement at Progressive Field, home to the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland has a lot of family activities that the whole family is sure to enjoy.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum offers Dad the chance to share the soundtrack of his life with the kids. They’ll find current artists they like too in the more than 50 exhibits, dynamic cinema presentations plus the largest single collection of rock and roll artifacts. (Right now, check out the Bruce Springsteen exhibit, the first ever devoted to “The Boss.”)  Just across the way is the Great Lakes Science Center . . . you can’t miss it with the enormous wind turbine in front. The science center has 400 hands-on exhibits and demonstrations about science phenomena, environment and technology, plus the region’s only OMNIMAX Theater. And, while you’re there, stop by Burke Lakefront Airport to see the Amelia Earhart exhibit at the International Women’s Air & Space Museum. (The story has fascinated generations and the museum is entirely free to the public.)

In Cleveland’s University Circle, you can bond over classic automobiles and historic planes at the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum or see dinosaur bones and constellations at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. And, if you have real little ones in tow, you don’t want to miss The Children’s Museum of Cleveland.

The HealthLine links downtown Cleveland with the arts and culture of University Circle.

Two words: Public transportation.

Visitors who don’t want to drive their cars this summer should know that Cleveland Plus has a focus on accessibility. The Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (RTA) service area covers 59 municipalities and more than 460 square miles. In addition, Lake County boasts Laketran, which was recently recognized for its “Go Green. Get on Board.” campaign.  Add to this that passengers presenting a valid transfer from Akron Metro RTA, Laketran, Lorain County Transit, Medina County Transit, PARTA or Brunswick Transit are entitled to one free boarding on any connecting RTA service.

What does this mean to you? Well, travelers can be transported virtually anywhere in Cleveland Plus without destroying the environment – or their bank accounts.

And “anywhere” includes some of these great Cleveland Plus destinations: