July, 2026
Since this was our first time visiting Cleveland, Ohio, I did a bit of research. What I learned was that Cleveland would make more sense to us when we learned what it used to be, what it lost, and what it is trying to become these days. That did help; ChatGPT helped me summarize what I learned, and it is located here.
Hyatt Regency Hotel
I am usually not overly impressed with the hotels we stay in. Cleveland was different… We stayed at the downtown Hyatt Regency. The hotel is not just “in” an old building — it is inside The Arcade, one of Cleveland’s great architectural landmarks. Staying there turned out to be more interesting than simply checking into a hotel!
The Arcade is a five-story glass-roofed atrium that opened in 1890 as one of America’s earliest indoor shopping centers. With its iron balconies, sweeping stairways, and soaring atrium, it feels less like a lobby and more like a Gilded Age stage set!
And actually, it turns out that it was a set… for the 2025 Superman Movie!! The movie used downtown Cleveland as Metropolis, and the Hyatt Regency is one of the recognizable filming locations. Although we have not watched the movie yet, we will look for the “final airborne” romantic scene, which took place pretty much outside of our room!
The Arcade was built when Cleveland was confident, wealthy, and eager to show it. Backed by some of the city’s biggest industrial names, including John D. Rockefeller, it connected two streets with a covered shopping passage inspired by European arcades (like Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which we have visited). Over the years, downtown retail faded, and the building struggled, but instead of disappearing, it was restored and reborn as the Hyatt Regency in 2001!
So there we were, not just staying downtown, but sleeping inside a piece of Cleveland history. It is always a bonus when the hotel itself becomes part of the sightseeing! But the real bonus… daughter Pam and the three grandkids met us there for a couple of days of fun!
Downtown Cleveland
Walking around downtown Cleveland, we could not help but notice how many buildings seemed empty, giving a slightly haunted feeling—not abandoned, but waiting to be. As in other big cities, department stores closed, offices changed, shoppers moved elsewhere, and remote work reduced the number of people who once filled these streets.
From what I have read, however, some may be buildings “between lives.” The city has become known for converting old offices and department stores into apartments, hotels, and new mixed-use spaces. Downtown Cleveland feels like a place where the past is still very visible, but where the future is being negotiated, like our hotel—one old building at a time!
Civil War Memorial
The imposing Civil War memorial in downtown Cleveland is the Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. It honors 9,000 men from Cuyahoga County who served the Union during the Civil War.
The 125-foot granite column is topped by the Goddess of Freedom, holding the Shield of Liberty. Around the base are four large, realistic bronze battle scenes representing Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, and the Navy.
They depict the confusion, danger, and suffering of battle. The stone bands around the tall column carry the names of Civil War battles in which local troops participated.
The small Memorial Room inside holds marble panels listing the names of approximately 9,000 local veterans. There are busts of military leaders, decorative mosaics, and 14 stained-glass windows honoring the service members.
The interior feels like a small chapel, offering a striking contrast to the busy streets and modern buildings immediately outside. This was a nice addition to the Civil War sites we have visited on this trip.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Three generations, many floors, one loud reminder that rock and roll is still very much alive!
Today we visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Pete’s daughter Pam and the three grandkids. I am happy to report that rock and roll appears to be in no immediate danger of dying. In fact, judging by the noise level, the crowds, the music, and the energy inside the building, it may be healthier than ever!
The museum was loud, packed, and full of people moving from floor to floor. Everyone seems to find a piece of music that belongs to them. One generation stops for the Beatles, another for hip-hop, another for Motown, or for a guitar once held by someone legendary. This was part museum, part concert, and part memory lane!
Surprisingly, no matter our age, we all enjoyed it. The grandkids had plenty to look at and hear, while those of us who were older found ourselves reconnecting with songs, performers, clothes, album covers, and moments we thought we had tucked away in some dusty corner of memory.
We worked our way through all the floors, taking in the exhibits, costumes, handwritten lyrics, instruments, video clips, and the stories behind the music.
We also watched the film about the inductees, which tied the whole visit together. Seeing clips of so many performers being honored reminded us that rock and roll was never just one sound. It has roots in blues, gospel, country, rhythm and blues, soul, folk, punk, metal, hip-hop, and pop.
By the time we left, our ears were a little tired, but our spirits were not. This turned out to be a perfect multi-generation stop: enough history for the adults and enough sound and spectacle for the kids.
Rock and roll may never die — especially if museums keep playing it at full volume. And we noticed on our way out that this museum will only expand in the near future! So we will need to return, but we enjoyed this initial visit so much.
Museum of Illusions
The Museum of Illusions is a lively, hands-on attraction—not a traditional museum where you quietly read labels! We stepped into optical illusions, mirrored rooms, and perspective tricks that made us appear enormous, tiny, tilted sideways, or multiplied endlessly!
Some of the most entertaining exhibits include a vortex tunnel that makes a stationary walkway feel as though it is moving, an Ames room where one person appears much larger than another, a life-size kaleidoscope, holograms, mirror effects, and staged photo illusions.
There were more than 50 interactive exhibits, and much of the fun came from taking pictures of one another…. In fact, it seemed as though a mobile phone was a necessary part of the experience.
The grandkids really enjoyed this place where we all became part of the exhibits. There was plenty of laughter and some wonderful—or wonderfully ridiculous—family photographs!
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University Circle
University Circle is Cleveland’s big cultural district — museums, gardens, Case Western Reserve University, medical institutions, and public spaces all clustered together. It is about 5 miles east of downtown, but it feels very different from the lakefront/downtown area.
We said goodbye to Pam and the grandkids, who had to return to Granville to get ready for their week of summer activities (really mind-boggling organizational skills on Pam’s part!). We had such a marvelous time with them. Then…. we drove east to University Circle.
Case Western Reserve University Campus
We spent an hour walking around and taking in the beauty of the Case Western Reserve University campus. Its leafy walkways, handsome older buildings, and striking modern architecture gave the area a lively but graceful character. With museums, hospitals, and cultural institutions surrounding it, the campus felt naturally woven into University Circle rather than set apart from the city.
Cleveland Museum of Art
Also part of University Circe is the Cleveland Museum of Art. We only had an hour, which does not even begin to do justice to one of the country’s great art museums. Still, even a short visit turned out to be well worth it.
We began in the museum’s enormous glass-roofed atrium, a bright, dramatic space that connects the older museum building with its newer additions. Sunlight poured in from above, and the atrium felt almost like a grand indoor town square—part museum entrance and part gathering place,
With limited time, we stayed close to the atrium and wandered through several nearby galleries, moving from ancient objects to paintings and sculpture. There was no time for a careful study of labels, but there was still plenty to admire… We simply followed whatever caught our attention.
The Cleveland Museum of Art is large, elegant, and clearly deserving of a much longer visit. Our short visit was enough to understand why the museum is so highly regarded.
Rockefeller Park and the Cultural Gardens
On the way to and from the Art Museum, we drove through nearby Rockefeller Park, one of Cleveland’s beautiful green spaces.
The park itself owes its name to John D. Rockefeller, who donated the land to the city in the late 1800s. Today, it serves as both a peaceful green corridor and a reminder of how many cultures helped shape Cleveland.
The park is home to the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, a collection of landscaped areas created by the city’s many ethnic and cultural communities. Each garden has its own character, with statues, fountains, stonework, inscriptions, and plantings honoring important figures from that culture… small outdoor memorials arranged along a long, shaded boulevard, and each telling a different piece of Cleveland’s immigrant story.
I found myself wishing we had more time to park the car and wander from garden to garden. But even a drive through the area was worthwhile. It was quiet, attractive, and very different from the busy downtown streets. The gardens added another layer to our understanding of Cleveland—a city known not only for industry and music but also for the many communities that called it home.
Headlands Beach
Next, we headed further east to Headlands Beach State Park for a walk along Lake Erie—and what a beautiful choice it turned out to be.
The day was absolutely gorgeous: blue skies, sunshine, a pleasant breeze, and Lake Erie sparkling before us. The beach was broad and sandy, and with the water stretching all the way to the horizon.
We wandered along the shoreline and then a hiking path, enjoying the waves and the fresh air.
We continued walking toward the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse. It looked quite manageable from a distance…but the closer we got, the more we realized that “walking out to the lighthouse” was a bit more ambitious than simply strolling along the beach. Still, the views made every step worthwhile, and we were proud of the almost six miles we put in for the day!!
There was no museum to tour, no schedule to follow, and no ticket to buy. Just a beach, a sandcastle, a lighthouse, and one of those perfect summer days on Lake Erie, the last Great Lake we will visit on this trip.
Like the other Great Lakes we have visited on this trip, it definitely seemed more like an ocean!!
We had not arrived in Cleveland with particularly high expectations, but the area was a bit of a surprise. Between the architecture, museums, parks, lakefront, historic neighborhoods, and the energy of downtown, it was a good visit. Cleveland felt like a city with more beauty, culture, and character than I had anticipated—and I was glad we had taken the time to explore it rather than simply pass through.