Getty Images/Flickr Open

Cleveland

Cleveland wears its Rust Belt badge with honor. While smoke-belching steel mills no longer rule the scene, the city still wafts an evocative industrial look. Railroad tracks, vertical lift bridges and stark warehouses pepper its shores on Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, only now stylish eateries, breweries and galleries fill the old factories, and bike trails have emerged along the waterways. Star attractions include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum of Art, but the best action is in Cleveland’s walkable neighborhoods. Meander around Ohio City, Tremont, Collinwood or Asiatown and you’ll be among locals in the markets and corner taverns. Sit for a pint and hear about generations-deep businesses started by Slovenian grandparents, about epic sports team grudges and about how the city clawed its way back from financial and environmental ruin. Rust Belt realness is Cleveland's calling card.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum

Cleveland

Cleveland's top attraction is like an overstuffed attic bursting with groovy finds: Jimi Hendrix's Stratocaster, Keith Moon's platform shoes, John Lennon…
Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland

Cleveland's whopping art museum houses an excellent collection of European paintings, as well as African, Asian and American art. Head to the 2nd floor…
Money Museum

Cleveland

Pop into this small gallery inside the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, and you'll emerge richer than when you entered. Literally, since the Money…
Rockefeller Park Greenhouse

Cleveland

The 1905 hothouse bursts with cacti, orchids, ferns and irises. On cold days the sultry rooms provide a sweet refuge, and you’ll likely have the place to…
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland

Cleveland

The shiny building impresses, with four stories of geometric black steel, though there's not a lot to see inside. The 2nd and 4th floors have the…
Whiskey Island

Cleveland

Whiskey Island floats at the edge of downtown, where the Cuyahoga River empties into Lake Erie. The area consists of a boat-filled marina, a raucous bar…
Edgewater Park Beach

Cleveland

This wide swath of shore is a local hot spot. It has lifeguards, cabana rentals (per day $20), paddleboard rentals (per hour $20), pick-up volleyball…
Christmas Story House & Museum

Cleveland

Remember the beloved 1983 film A Christmas Story, in which Ralphie yearns for a Red Ryder BB gun? The original house sits in Tremont, complete with leg…