# Cleveland with kids - what to do?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [March 15, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466 "2008-03-15T17:08:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@8675309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/8675309)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/1 "2008-03-15T17:08:34Z")
My husband and our two boys, ages 9 and 10, will soon be flying to Cleveland to visit his side of the family. They have not been in 5-6 years and really have done nothing besides visit family while they are there.
Do any of you Cleveland Dopers have any ideas? Our kids are pretty easy travelers. They enjoy anything from parks, to sporting events, to museums, to local tourist trap stuff (world’s largest ball of STRING)!
I know it’s going to be cold and they won’t be used to that. They are from Texas and anytime we go somewhere cold, it is usually to go snow skiing.
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/2 "2008-03-15T17:19:06Z")
It has been a while, but I enjoyed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Cleveland Museum of Art as a slightly older kid. The Cleveland Symphony is outstanding as well.
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### Author:  [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/3 "2008-03-15T20:47:45Z")
[Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.](http://www.clemetzoo.com/) Even if it’s cold and nasty out, you can still go to the Rainforest.
[Great Lakes Science Center](http://www.glsc.org/index.php)
[Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum](http://www.wrhs.org/index.php/crawford)
[Cleveland Museum of Natural History](http://www.cmnh.org/site/)
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### Author:  [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/4 "2008-03-15T23:39:01Z")
BTW, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s current blockbuster exhibit is [Arms and Armor from Imperial Austria.](http://www.clevelandart.org/exhibcef/armsarmor/html/) I haven’t seen it, but it’s gotten great reviews. I think a couple of boys aged 9 and 10 would probably find it cool as all get out.
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### Author:  [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/5 "2008-03-16T02:08:58Z")
Since no one has mentioned it, the science center is right next door to the R&RHOF. I think there’s a Great Lakes ore ship right there that you can tour, too. Spend the entire day on the lakefront!
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### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2008, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/6 "2008-03-16T07:04:35Z")
I think the toboggan run in the Metroparks is still open. And the Indoor Amusement park at the IX Center is going on.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2008, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/7 "2008-03-16T07:18:55Z")
I third the Great Lakes Science Museum. All of **freckafree** ’s suggestions are good.
It’s basketball season, and kids like the LeBron. And it’s also…[Indoor Football](http://www.clevelandgladiators.com/) season! 🙂
If they do go to a Gladiators or Cavs game, I suggest scheduling a little time to go hang out at [Tower City](http://www.towercitycenter.com/) beforehand, which is just a mall but it has some neat stores and the Hardrock Cafe. They can walk through a special walkway to get to the arena right from there.
Depending where in “Cleveland” they’ll be, they can come out to [Fun 'n Stuff](http://www.fun-n-stuff.com/) for arcade/laser tag action. That’s more for if they’re out in the southeast. In the northwest there’s [Swings-n-Things](http://www.sntfun.com/). I don’t know what people in the northeast or southwest do for fun 😉
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### Author:  [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2008, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/8 "2008-03-16T07:41:25Z")
Cleveland? Well, you’ve got Middlesbrough and Hartlepool. I am not sure how interesting that is, really, but you could play football or hang innocent little monkeys. Or both, of course. 😃
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### Author:  [@8675309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/8675309)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2008, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/9 "2008-03-16T09:29:25Z")
Shoud they go see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, or are they too young for that?
They usually do well at children’s museums and to a certain extent, some art museums.
I didn’t realize Cleveland had a Museum of Natural History. They will probably love that!
Cleveland Dopers coming through, as expected. The grandparents live in Willoughby, but I’m not sure what part of Cleveland that is???
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### Author:  [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2008, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/10 "2008-03-16T12:02:38Z")
Willoughby is east and north of Cleveland. It will be very easy to get to University Circle, which is where the art, natural history, and auto museums are, from there.
Personally, I think they’d be bored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Unless you’re familiar with the music and the musicians, I don’t think it’s all that interesting.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-with-kids-what-to-do/441466/11 "2008-03-16T17:54:48Z")
I looked it up and apparently the kids up in the northeast go to [Scores](http://www.scoresfuncenter.com/) for their arcade, laser tag and cosmic bowling. Definitely something to consider if the kids get stir-crazy.
I agree that they’d be bored by the Rock Hall. But, it shares a courtyard with the Great Lakes Science Center so they can at least snap some pictures of the cool-looking building.