What's In Cleveland?

I have been going crazy wanting to go on a trip lately. Since one is not in my near future, we decided a short weekend get-away was really the only option. So.. Cleveland it was. Being from Michigan we were kind of like "What's in Ohio?" But with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame there, I figured maybe it could be a fun trip. Working for a travel management company, I get discounts on Marriott hotels so we stayed at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center. It was the perfect location for everything we did. We walked everywhere and nothing was too far away. The top places we wanted to hit initially were Great Lakes Brewing Company, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and House of Blues. Unfortunately there was a private event at House of Blues and we couldn't go. BUT we found so many cool restaurants in the downtown historic district.

Stop #1: Great Lakes Brewing Company. We both love craft beer and Great Lakes has always been one of my favorites and definitely my favorite Oktoberfest beer. Since this wasn't walking distance to the hotel, we stopped there on the drive for lunch. The beer, food, and atmosphere were all everything I expected and better. I highly recommend it!

Stop #2: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I didn't think I would be that into this to be honest, and it is safe to say my boyfriend was far more interested than I was, but it wound up being a lot cooler than I thought it would be. If you end up in Cleveland, I would go whether you're interested in Rock and Roll or not. It isn't only the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but it is also a museum with non-rock artists as well. There were a lot of different outfits and memorabilia from current, top chart artists now.

Stop #3: The Wonder Bar. This was the first place we went when we found out we couldn't go to House of Blues. The beer options were average, we split an appetizer that was good but average. It was a simple hole in the wall type of bar with decent service. If you don't have time to stop in, you aren't missing much.

Stop #4: The Greenhouse Tavern. I LOVED this place. If you're big on simple beer and typical bar food, this is not the place for you. It has a very unique, healthy menu and great beer choices. There are bikes hanging from the ceilings, multiple floors, an open kitchen on one level, old VHS movies fill shelves on the wall. I want a place like this in Grand Rapids. The service was fantastic and like I said, good beer, different food and overall just a very urban, hipster atmosphere.

Stop #5: Flannery's Irish Pub. GO HERE. This was both of our favorites. We only split Nachos but they were the best nachos we've ever had. The beer, again, was great. This was a very fun place, good atmosphere, great staff. I would definitely recommend this and would like to go back myself.

Stop #6: Horseshoe Casino. We went to the casino just because What the Heck? But, we spent $3 and left. So I have no news for you on whether it was a good time or not!

We stopped at a couple other, not-to-noteworthy places along the way. The Butcher and the Brewer was way too crowded so we left, but that was one place I would like to go to if I end up back in Cleveland. My favorite part about downtown Cleveland is how close everything is. All of this places were very close walking distance, if not right next to each other. We got to go to such a variety of places in just a short weekend. So there you have it, this is what I saw in Cleveland.

Thanks for reading!

-Kait-