Discover Cleveland: Waterfront, Theater and Science

Cleveland brings together a variety of reasons to visit: at Edgewater Park, a waterfront setting, beaches and cycling come together, while Playhouse Square offers theater history and the Great Lakes Science Center makes science an interactive experience. There is also a botanical garden, a greenhouse and a historic market. As you plan your trip, consider whether nature and outdoor activities, the performing arts or scientific topics should take center stage.

Waterfront and outdoor activities at Edgewater Park

Edgewater Park is the westernmost park in the Cleveland Metroparks Lakefront Reservation. Its shoreline stretches for 9,000 feet, and it also has dog beaches and swimming beaches. The different beach areas give a visit a clear focus on the water, while cycling and biking offer more ways to get active in the park. So if you would also like to experience Cleveland outdoors, this named park offers several things to explore: the waterfront, the beach and cycling. As you plan, you can weigh these interests alongside the city’s cultural and scientific attractions.

Theater history and market tradition

Playhouse Square is located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and is the world’s largest theater restoration project. Its five original venues are the Mimi Ohio, Connor Palace, KeyBank State, Allen and Hanna; they were built in the 1920s. Playhouse Square is therefore notable both as a large-scale restoration project and for the history of these five venues. Free historical tours led by volunteer guides are offered on select Saturdays. If you’re interested in theater and the history of a cultural landmark, this is another way to get to know Cleveland.

The West Side Market offers a different historical perspective. It opened to customers on November 2, 1912, and is Cleveland’s oldest continuously operating public market. Its opening date and distinctive place among public markets give it a clear place in the city’s history. Playhouse Square and the West Side Market therefore represent different subjects: one is a theater restoration project with venues dating to the 1920s, while the other is a market with a continuous history of operation since 1912.

Hands-on science

The Great Lakes Science Center is located in downtown Cleveland. It features hundreds of hands-on interactive exhibits and is home to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center. For visitors who enjoy exploring and trying things for themselves, these offerings differ from a traditional theater tour: the center focuses on interactive exhibits and a NASA visitor center. In the Dynamic Earth Wing, visitors can explore the 4.6-billion-year history of our planet. Those interested in Earth’s development will find this a distinct thematic experience alongside the interactive exhibits.

Another place to visit is the Rockefeller Park Greenhouse, a municipal botanical garden and greenhouse in Cleveland. Nature lovers can consider it another facet of the city alongside the waterfront experience at Edgewater Park. The Visitor Hall at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is free and open to the public. The free CircleLink shuttle also passes by the entrance to this museum at Wade Oval. These two details give you specific points of reference as you consider visiting a museum and taking the shuttle.

Explore Cleveland according to your interests

If you’d like to combine different interests, you can weigh the options as you plan and then tailor your search for a vacation rental accordingly, without assuming a particular type of trip.

More local pages

For further orientation, you can also explore Fairview Park, Strongsville, Mayfield Heights, North Olmsted, Westlake, Warrensville Heights, Independence and Beachwood.

For the broader travel overview: Cuyahoga County.