Itineraries
Family Fun Itinerary
In Northeast Ohio, Cleveland is a nexus of horticulture and child-friendly museums, and the surrounding countryside offers plenty of hands-on activities to entertain serious gardeners and rambunctious children alike.
DAY ONE:
Cleveland’s University Circle is a great location to start a long weekend filled with flowers and family fun.
The Cleveland Botanical Garden in University Circle showcases the flora of Costa Rica and Madagascar in a stunning glasshouse that kids will love. Butterflies alight on visitors in the Costa Rican cloud forest, and exotic creatures, such as the hedgehog-like tenrec delight children of all ages in the Madagascar spiny desert, a landscape so fanciful, Dr. Seuss could have designed it. The Garden also has ten acres of outdoor rose, Japanese and woodland display gardens, including the Hershey Children’s Garden – a fun place for kids to climb in the tree house, run and learn about the world of plants, earthworms and insects.
Within a mile of the Cleveland Botanical Garden, 15 more museums and cultural arts organizations provide a variety of family-friendly experiences. The Children’s Museum of Cleveland features a fun, interactive space in which kids learn through hands-on activities. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a repository for dinosaurs and other fossils kids love. June 3 – September 3, 2006, the museum features Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall, an engaging, interactive exhibit that traces the history of Goodall’s research activities.
Additional stops in the area could include the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum and the nearby HealthSpace Cleveland.
Glidden House Inn former home of the Glidden Paint family, is located in University Circle and is within easy walking distance of a majority of the above-mentioned sites.
DAY TWO:
Today is the day to experience the hustle and bustle of downtown Cleveland and to let the kids set out on a learning adventure.
On Cleveland’s lakefront, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum stands as a testament to America’s favorite homegrown art form. With collections ranging from James Brown to Britney Spears, there’s a piece of pop culture memorabilia for every generation. From May 20 – September 4, 2006, the featured exhibit is Bob Dylan’s American Journey: 1956-1966. Next door, the Great Lakes Science Center is a perfect place for kids to learn in a fun environment. Through 340 interactive exhibits and an OMNIMAX theater, it’s the perfect place to spend an afternoon.
Kids will love the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, which houses 600 species of animals and dozens of gardens featuring endangered plants of the Midwest, medicinal plants and butterfly- and hummingbird-attracting flowers. The zoo’s Rainforest houses more than 10,000 plants and 600 animals from the jungles of Asia, Africa and the Americas.
The Radisson Hotel at Gateway offers affordable rooms in the center of downtown Cleveland’s sports zone.
DAY THREE:
Today, head out into the country for a different side of northeast Ohio’s horticultural bounty. Kids will love the wide-open spaces and hands-on fun waiting outside the city limits.
A few miles east of Cleveland along Interstate 90, Holden Arboretum in Kirtland is beloved by visitors from around the world for its 25-acre collection of rhododendrons, which are at peak bloom in May. Lilacs, viburnum and dozens of varieties of trees can be seen in the 3,400-acre arboretum’s miles of walking trails or by tramcar.
Nearby, families will find acres and acres of scenic landscapes to roam at Lake FarmPark and dozens of scientific wonders to explore. The park features fields of heirloom crops, 50 breeds of farm animals and a learning center where kids can discover what makes tomatoes grow.
A trip a few miles east along Route 20 through the towns of Perry, Madison and Geneva will uncover dozens of nurseries selling some of Ohio’s best perennials, shrubs and trees. Bluestone Perennials in Madison is one of the nation’s largest mail-order nurseries. North Shore Reservation in North Perry is another stop kids will love. This park is filled with massive rhododendrons, walking trails, giant climbable sculpture and one of the best-kept secret beaches in Ohio.
The Lodge & Conference Center at Geneva State Park offers stunning views of Lake Erie and packages including breakfast.
For more family fun experiences and events in northeast Ohio, visit:
Convention & Vistiors Bureau of Greater Cleveland
Ashtabula County Convention & Visitors Bureau
For a downloadable version of this itinerary in .pdf format, click here.
