Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On PinterestVisit Us On InstagramVisit Us On Linkedin
  • Homeschool
    • Book Lists
    • How Do We Do That?
    • Notebooking
    • Subjects and Styles
    • Unit Studies
  • Travel
    • Europe
      • Benelux
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • London
      • Porto
      • Prague
    • USA
      • Chicago
      • Georgia
      • Hawaii
      • Ohio
      • Utah
      • Yellowstone and Teton
  • Family
    • Celebrations
    • Frugal
  • Military Life
    • Deployment
    • PCS
  • Health
    • Recipes
    • Essential Oils
    • Fitness
    • Mental Health
    • Natural Living
    • Natural Beauty
  • Faith
  • About Me
    • Favorite Resources
    • Advertising and Sponsorship
    • Policies
  • Reviews

© 2023Jennifer Lambert · Copyright · Disclosure · Privacy · Ad

You are here: Home / Travel / USA / Ohio / Cleveland Trip

Cleveland Trip

This blog may contain affiliate links: disclosure.
Please see my suggested resources.

August 21, 2023 By Jennifer Lambert 8 Comments

We haven’t had a family vacation in a long time!

We’d heard that Cleveland was a great place to visit and it’s far enough away that we needed to stay a few days. The kids were involved in planning what they wanted to see and do.

We drove from Dayton to Cleveland for a five-day trip to see some museums and Lake Erie.

The House

We direct-rented a little 3-bedroom house a block or so away from Headlands Beach State Park.

It smelled like wet dog when we arrived, even with an air purifier running.

I had to sprinkle essential oils on tissues and place them around the house and crack the bathroom window for a while to get rid of the smell. I developed an ear infection that I really don’t know if it had to do with any allergies in the house or not.

The decor was confusing: industrial shabby chic lake cottage vibes. We assume they bought a rundown house, gutted it, and remodeled as cheaply as possible for a rental income. I loathe open shelving.

The kitchen/dining room was nice and it was funny to have the same dining table that we own at home! We were excited to have a gas stove. The sofa was comfy. The beds were comfy.

I really do try not to be picky. We like renting houses or apartments for our larger family so we can eat breakfast and sometimes dinner instead of dining out every meal. It’s cheaper and more convenient than hotels for us.

The refrigerator had a water/ice dispenser, but the filter sensor was flashing red and we had no ice. There was a Brita pitcher inside the fridge. We bought ice.

All the drinkware was plastic except for tiny ceramic coffee mugs. There was not a serving platter at all. There was no foil, and only one dish tab for the dishwasher. We bought some.

There were only 1.5 bathroom tissue rolls in each of the two bathrooms for five people for five nights. We had to go buy more. It’s not a huge deal and maybe this is expected? But for the price of the rental, I would expect more.

Day 1

We stopped in Mt. Vernon to see the fountain!

Everyone seems to rave about this fountain in all my Ohio travel groups.

I mean, it’s super cute, but so much smaller than I expected, and not worth driving too far out of the way for. We snapped a few photos and drove on to our destination.

The little town didn’t have much and we moved on.

We stopped at Das Schnitzel Haus in Parma for a very late lunch/early dinner. Wow, is that a great place! Best German food we’ve had since leaving Europe. They brew their own beer across the street at Schnitz Ale Brewery and offer bar foods there. They were out of the Kölsch, but the Hefeweizen and Pilsner were lovely.

I don’t have a single picture of the food. It was amazing and we scarfed it all down!

We checked out our rental house and ran to Meijer to stock up on a few things, like actual drinking glasses and some food items we didn’t bring in our coolers.

We walked along the beach, looking for neat rocks and glass.

Day 2

We went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This is where Tori really wanted to go. Honestly, the rest of us didn’t much care about it.

We parked in the garage at the Great Lakes Science Museum.

I think it’s pricey, loud and bright. It got very crowded about halfway through for us, and I’m glad we were able to quickly finish up our tour.

One of the escalators is very narrow and shallow and I had an anxiety attack going up to the 4th floor to see the Pink Floyd Wall.

There are some nice history exhibits and famous items.

Elvis and The Beatles have huge areas with info about how they changed the music industry.

One of the Cleveland signs is right behind the Rock Hall and it has a lovely city backdrop.

North Coast Harbor sign

We walked downtown to see some sites.

It was so hot and sunny that day, more than any other day of our trip!

The Arcade

We ate a late lunch at Geraci’s Slice Shop.

This was the only thing my son really wanted to do.

I imagine the pizza is best fresh. There are pizzas in a window and they heat up a slice like at a mall from the 1980’s. We showed up about 2 PM, so it was ok.

They have two free table top video games!

We stopped at Heinen’s and bought some steaks to cook for dinner.

It’s a very nice local grocery chain. I wish Dayton had some better quality stores!

Cleveland Main Library has a very fun Floral Immersive Exhibition by British Artist Rebecca Louise Law. We surprised our artist Akantha with a stop and to enjoy the air conditioning.

We were exhausted after walking in the city in the heat. Everything took so much longer than I expected.

Day 3

We went to the Cleveland Museum of Art.

This was the main event for Akantha, but Tori and I love art museums too.

I looked up online lots of reviews and expectations for how long it would take and most said a couple hours. I don’t know what people do in art museums, but we were there for a looooong time. This place is huge!

Lots of Asian and African art, as well as some lovely Byzantine, Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern pieces.

We ate an early dinner at Guarino’s and they let us dine on their lovely patio – even though we didn’t have a reservation!

Free valet parking. It’s the oldest restaurant in Cleveland. Lovely service – they didn’t even rush us. It was delicious! The best Italian food I’ve had since leaving Europe.

Alex got chicken piccata. Tori and I got two veal dishes and shared. Akantha got lasagna. Aaron got ravioli.

Great cocktails. Great salad and soup.

The proscuitto wrapped shrimp appetizer is divine. We got emotional about it.

We got gelato at Rosso. It was ok. No cones, only cups.

We drove through Lake View Cemetery.

It’s very lovely and easy to navigate. Signs point to the main sites and they’re available on online maps.

We thought these deer were statues until one licked his nose. Wow.

Harvey Pekar

It was along day and we did everything on my list!

Day 4

We drove to see the longest covered bridge. I guess we should’ve packed lunches and done a bridge tour.

It was hot and there were lots of wasps flying around.

We drove through the strip at Geneva-on-the-Lake. I’m sure I’m going to hurt some feelings, but that place was awful.

We counted two axe throwing bars, a gun range, several 21+ night clubs, and a Nazi biker bar. There was one little arcade with Eddie’s and a DQ. There were two gravel-covered paid parking lots. Lots of little slummy motels and tiny cabins. We didn’t think it was worth it to stop and eat at Eddie’s.

The beach was small and crowded. We didn’t check out the Lodge and I’ve never been able to make a reservation for our large family; they’re always booked and very expensive anyway.

We were very disappointed since everyone seems to rave about how cute Geneva is. We weren’t very impressed with any of the lake towns we saw. Maybe the ones between Cleveland and Toledo are better?

We stopped at Sam’s Club for burger patties and grilled those for dinner and later walked along Headlands Beach and found a ton of glass after a storm!

The water was receded more tonight and we could walk on soft sand barefooted. It was a lovely evening.

Day 5

It was pouring rain when we woke up.

Aaron didn’t want to go fishing and Alex was very disappointed.

We went to the Cleveland Aquarium.

It was actually delightful even though they’re all teens. We all still do love zoos and aquariums.

We got to have the most adorable little shrimp crawl all over our hands.

The aquarium was super cute, in the old Foundry building.

Just when we thought we were maybe halfway through, there were sharks, then the gift shop. It was small, but we had fun.

We drove to West Side Market and got some lovely pasties and pies at an Irish vendor for lunch. I bought some sausage, figs, and mangos to bring home.

We walked to see the Guardians at Hope Bridge.

The Guardians symbolize progress in transportation. Each Guardian holds a different vehicle in its hands: a hay wagon, a covered wagon, a stagecoach, and a 1930s-era automobile, as well as four types of motorized trucks used for construction.

They’re magnificent.

My husband and son drove to see some some other Cleveland signs, The Christmas Story house (and bought a leg lamp Xmas ornament), and went to the Guardians and Blue Jays baseball game.

Akantha didn’t want to do any of that and Tori decided to stay with us. We were a little disappointed we didn’t get to see the house or game.

I took my other two kids out to dinner at Brennan’s in Fairport Harbor. They don’t have to advertise. It was lovely.

Overall, this wasn’t our best or most memorable trip.

It’s getting difficult traveling with teens who have so many different preferences and interests – even when I make sure each one has a day and tour they prefer.

We are not all that impressed with Ohio, but we keep exploring.


Linking up: Randomosity, Eclectic Red Barn, Artsy Fartsy Mama, Gay NYC Dad, Life Tales Books, Perfectly Imperfect, Growing Garden, Joanne Viola, Fluster Buster, Ridge Haven, Try it Like it, InstaEncouragements, Grammy’s Grid, My Life Abundant, Slices of Life, Anita Ojeda, Silverado, Random Musings, Esme Salon, Mostly Blogging, Suburbia, Jenerally Informed, LouLou Girls, 2Chicks, Answer is Choco, Momfessionals, Lisa Notes, Modern Monticello, Katherine’s Corner, Pam’s Party, Pieced Pastimes, Shelbee on the Edge, CreatewJoy,

Share
Pin5
Share
5 Shares
You might also like:

Filed Under: Ohio, Travel Tagged With: familytravel, ohio, travel

Recent Posts

  • How Preventive Dental Care Supports Your Long-Term Wellness
  • Creating a Cohesive Home Aesthetic: Shopping Tips for Every Room
  • Going Home for the Last Time
  • Best Books of 2024
  • How to Plan Burial and Funeral Services While Grieving

Comments

  1. Nancy Andres says

    August 21, 2023 at 11:15 am

    Thanks for sharing your honest opinion about recent trip to Cleveland. Saw it at SSPS#275. I shared posts #54 through 58. Wish you’d check them out. Nancy Andres @ Colors 4 Health

    Reply
  2. Joanne says

    August 21, 2023 at 1:46 pm

    I try to get my boys involved in the planning as much as I can so at least everyone gets to do or see one thing they really want but it can be harder travelling now then they were little in that respect.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Lambert says

      August 22, 2023 at 9:47 am

      oh, the kids were very involved in planning everything. It was just a disappointing trip. I think we are spoiled with the way we used to travel before COVID.

      Reply
  3. Jennifer Wise says

    August 23, 2023 at 12:41 pm

    What an interesting and fun trip! I love the variety that you saw–covered bridge to art museum to a beach. Too bad about the rental property. I agree with you–you can kind of extend some grace and not be too picky, but only to a point. I wouldn’t have been able to handle the smell. I would love to have tried that German restaurant, too! Thank you for sharing this post at the Will Blog for Comments #4 linkup. See you again next week!

    Reply
  4. Esmé Slabbert says

    August 24, 2023 at 5:41 pm

    Yes, it’s not always possible to satisfy everyone every day, but I think you did an awesome job and trust that all in all you still had fun from time to time.
    Thank you for sharing your various links with us at #275 SSPS Linky. Hope to see you again next week.

    Reply
  5. Patrick Weseman says

    August 26, 2023 at 10:18 am

    Very nice. Great pics. That is a city that I have always wanted to visit.

    Reply
  6. Laura Thomas says

    August 26, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    Sounds like a fun trip—I’m exhausted just reading about it! I know nothing about Cleveland so this was really interesting. :) Stopping by from #letshavecoffee

    Reply
  7. Esmé Slabbert says

    August 27, 2023 at 8:34 pm

    Congratulations, your post will be featured on Monday at SSPS #276. Thanks for sharing and I hope to see you at the next Party on Monday!

    Reply
Please see my suggested resources.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Suggested Resources.COM for just $5.98 at NamecheapRakuten Coupons and Cash Back

Archives

Popular Posts

10 DIY Gifts with Essential Oils10 DIY Gifts with Essential Oils
Natural Remedies for HeadacheNatural Remedies for Headache
10 Natural Remedies to Keep on Hand10 Natural Remedies to Keep on Hand
Homemade SunscreenHomemade Sunscreen
Henna Hands CraftHenna Hands Craft
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT