FAQ #13: What Is There to Do Around Cleveland?

I've mentioned a few places that I've gone and seen since I've come to Cleveland, but here's a single post about some of the things to do around Cleveland. Please realize that I've only been here for three and a half months, and I don't have tons of free time. So my knowledge of Cleveland is admittedly limited.

Parks: There seem to be a lot of parks you can visit here, and you can even go to the beach at Lake Erie. I've already mentioned the Emerald Necklace, which is a series of parks that surrounds the city. I've only been to Brandywine Falls, and it was really nice. Some of my classmates have been to the beach, but I haven't gone yet. Maybe I'll make it over there next summer. You can find a lot of information about Cleveland recreation opportunities online. I've also gone to some smaller recreational parks in some of the areas just east of campus. There was a preserved one-room schoolhouse that we saw in Cleveland Heights, but unfortunately we couldn't go inside because it was by appointment only.

Neat Areas of the City: I recommend checking out University Circle (lots of things to do there, and it's really close by), Shaker Square (cute, quaint), and Cedar-Fairmount. There is a grocery co-op near the Case campus that I have visited once. I'm sure there are some other cool areas too that I don't know about.

Museums: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame gets all the publicity, but there are a lot of other museums here, including an art museum, a science museum, and a football museum. There is a botanical garden at University Circle too. You can read more about the Cleveland museums here. Cleveland also has a famous orchestra which plays right on the Case campus at Severance Hall. Even better, students can sign up for cheap tickets. The Case medical library has a really neat medical history museum in it. They were running an exhibit about the history of contraception last summer when I went there, and it was just fascinating.

Politics: Ohio is a battleground state, so no matter what your political persuasion, you're bound to find others who share your views here. I've seen signs for both student Democrat and student Republican groups on the Case campus. However, I'm not really up on local politics, so I'm afraid I can't tell you much more than that. Well, I can tell you that based on the level of nastiness in the radio ads I've heard, it looks like the governor's race here is going to be pretty ugly.