Explore Cleveland
Explore Cleveland off the beaten track and visit the coolest neighborhoods in the city.
Get out and explore what Cleveland has to offer! With great festivals, events, and neighborhood hotspots of eateries and retail, it’s a wonderful place to visit. With amazing sunsets, abundant greenspace and a beautiful lake, Cleveland is a fantastic place to linger. And with unbelievable affordability, phenomenal residential opportunities, walkable neighborhoods, and proximity to everything, it’s a great place to live!
Visitors to Cleveland looking for something off the beaten path will be happy to discover that beyond the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame there are many bohemian and arty neighborhoods in the city, each with its own unique character and charm.
To top this all off, you can now dock your water craft at North Coast Harbor Transient Marina and spend your day in our great Downtown.
Cleveland is a diverse city with many ethnicities and the neighborhoods of Cleveland reflect this. Here are a few cool, arty and ethnic neighborhoods to explore on your visit to Cleveland.
Waterloo Road in Collinwood
Cleveland’s Newest Arts and Entertainment District
Waterloo Road in Collinwood has been recently transformed into a funky arts and entertainment district, thanks mainly to the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern. Opened by Cindy Barber and Mark Leddy 10 years ago on this once-desolate street, Beachland has become the place for live music in Cleveland.
It has been named by Esquire Magazine as one of the 100 bars in America, its jukebox is a Cleveland legend, and local and national bands line up to perform on its stage. Since the advent of the Beachland, the area around it has become alive with shops, art galleries, and coffee houses.
Waterloo is a great place to buy music and vinyl. Music Saves caters to the fans of Indie rock, while Blue Arrow Records offers a huge selection of used records. They have so many that they have even tiled their floor with the covers.
Other shops and galleries along Waterloo Road include Arts Collinwood with a neighboring cafe, The Head Shop, Star Pop Vintage, and This Way Out.
Tremont
Home of Art Galleries and Historic Churches
Located just south of downtown Cleveland, Tremont is a historic neighborhood that is home to trendy restaurants, parks, Victorian architecture, and a number of historic churches that reflect the ethnicity and diversity of the neighborhood.
Visitors to Tremont can enjoy shopping at its many art galleries, as well as the independent bookshop, Visible Voice. Restaurants in the neighborhood range from the bistro-style Lolita to Sokolowski’s University Inn, which serves authentic Polish cuisine.
Tremont is home to five beautiful and historic churches. Both Russian and Greek Orthodox have represented as well as three historic Catholic churches, including St John Cantius at the heart of the Polish District.
Tremont gained minor fame when it was chosen as Ralphie’s neighborhood for the film A Christmas Story. Today, the house used for the film has been restored and converted into a museum devoted to the film.
Events in Tremont include monthly art walks, the Taste of Tremont festival in July, and the Tremont Arts and Cultural Festival in September.
Ohio City
the West Side Market and More
A historic neighborhood dotted with interesting architecture and old churches, Ohio City is an ethnically diverse area that was originally home to Irish and German immigrants. It is also home to the famous West Side Market, a huge indoor food market selling a wide variety of meat, produce, cheeses, and ethnic foods.
A number of eclectic and diverse shops and restaurants have sprung up near the West Side Market and include The Great Lakes Brewing Company, a Cleveland institution, as well The City Buddha, a shop selling Indonesian furniture, jewelry, and artwork. Other restaurants in the neighborhood include The Flying Pig, Heck’s Cafe, and Johnny Mango.
Ohio City is also home to a number of art galleries including the Glass Bubble Project where visitors can watch glass blowing and take tours. The Metropolitan Art Gallery is a retail gallery and auction house for art and antiques. Spaces Gallery is a contemporary art gallery hosting exhibitions, programs, and artist residencies.
In the summer, Ohio City hosts an open-air market on Market Square, as well as various other musical events and city tours throughout the year.
Coventry
Cleveland’s Hippie Hangout
Once the haven of Cleveland hippies, Coventry today remains a funky, bohemian retreat from the city. Located near University Circle, the neighborhood has a small-town feel that attracts students, families, and elderly immigrants, as well as old hippies. It is home to an eclectic mix of shops selling art supplies, vintage toys, records, books, and ethnic clothing and jewelry.
Coventry is home to a number of diverse restaurants. Keeping with its hippie spirit, the most popular Coventry restaurant is Tommy’s, a large friendly restaurant that serves mostly vegetarian cuisine. Other Coventry restaurants include BD’s Mongolian Barbecue, Hunan of Coventry, and the Winking Lizard Tavern.
There is plenty of nightlife in Coventry with several music venues including the Grog Shop, which hosts up and coming bands.
A number of street fairs and farmer’s markets in the summer take place over the summer in Coventry. Located in the Cleveland Heights area, it is also close to Cleveland’s Little Italy, the best place in Cleveland for authentic Italian food, and the Cedar Lee art house movie theatre.
Cleveland’s Neighborhoods – Diverse and Rich in History
Visitors to Cleveland will be pleasantly surprised by its diversity and rich history, which is reflected in its many neighborhoods. Take some time to explore Cleveland’s neighborhoods on your visit to get a feel for this interesting, if often derided, post-industrial city.