November 11th, 2009 | permalink
A Very Cleveland Christmas
The follow is a list of things to do, places to go, things to buy and events to attend around Cleveland during the Holiday Season. After living here in Cleveland for almost five years, we have been lucky enough to do most of these things and are looking forward to some of these things that we have not tried or done yet.
Cultural Happenings
All sorts of activities in University Circle.

University Circle is one of our favorite areas of the city. We are truly lucky to have all of the great Arts and Cultural Institutions that we have all housed within its neighborhood. During the holidays, the area is bustling with activities. On Wade Oval an Ice Skating Rink is set up and the annual Holiday Circle Fest is the main event of the season. One of the best and most creative events is the Gingerbread House Display at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.
Old Timey
We have heard great things about these Country Lights tours at the Lake Farm Park. This year we got tickets to see for ourselves.
Our children love the Lake Farm Park (and all of the animals there, Sheldon is still in the prayers). We went to the Haunted Hayride for Halloween this year and decided that We could not miss the Country Lights. It entails horse drawn carriage rides, lots of lights and the kids even get to make their own wooden toy in Santa’s Workshop at the end.
Good Food
Cleveland is one of the best food cities in the country, support our local independent restaurants.

The holidays are a time to eat, drink and be merry, so why not help out fellow Clevelanders while you partake? Cleveland Independents makes it easy by offering gift certificates to these restaurants. Give them as gifts, or keep them for yourself. I can’t wait to hit The Greenhouse Tavern and L’Albatros and try some new local establishments.
Crafts & Shopping
There are a slew of local shops and craft fairs around the holidays with great gift ideas.

Mark your calendars for Made in the 216, Bazaar Bizarre and Shoparooni and mark your maps with Banyan Tree, Room Service. You can probably do 90% of your holiday shopping at these locations. I am sure that there are more events and shops that we should hit. Please feel free to add in the comments.
Decadence
Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate.
If you have not tried Lilly’s Handmade Chocolates in Tremont yet, you are missing out. This would be the perfect treat to take to a holiday gathering or to savor sitting by a fire with a nice port, wine, champagne or beer which they also sell at the shop. We will be picking up some of these little beauties for our holiday parties.
Light it up like Vegas
So many light-up nights and holiday events. Here are my picks.

Last year, we were very pleasantly surprised by the events at Tower City Center. There are many events including a Toy Soldier and Fairy Godmother show, Higbee Window Holiday Display, Holiday Express Train Ride, The Twigbee Shop, Gingerbread Lane and Kringle’s Inventionasium. Kringle’s Inventionasium is an attraction that features visits and photos with Kris Kringle, and where you’ll also meet his entire staff of brilliant toy inventors and take a tour of their wacky and wonderful workshop.
We also plan on hitting the light-up night in Downtown Cleveland and Legacy Village.
Beverage
With many local breweries to choose, there is no shortage of beverages.

I think we may be the luckiest beer drinking region in America. Not only do we get the best beer from the east coast and the west coast, but we also have some of the best beer in the country here in the Great Lakes region. To top it all off, we have a good helping of local breweries: Great Lakes Brewing Company, Hoppin Frog, Thirsty Dog, The Brew Kettle, Brew Keeper, Buckeye Beer Engine and Indigo Imp. All of these beers and more are available locally at Warehouse Beverage and Heinen’s.
Offbeat
You’ll shoot your eye out.
We still have not gone to A Christmas Story House. This is the house that the movie was filmed in and it has been retrofitted to look like the set. I have heard mixed reviews but still think it would be a fun thing to do.
Clothing
All about the C.L.E.

The perfect gift idea for that ex-Clevelander on your gift list: t-shirts from C.L.E. Clothing Company. Nicely designed t-shirts that focus on everything from the Cavs to Dead Man’s Curve. I have to admit we own a few of these shirts. Looking forward to kids versions too. Strangely enough, met the founder at Lollapalooza in Chicago while wearing one of his shirts.
Well that is it, my Very Cleveland Christmas list. I am sure I have missed some items but I thought I would share some of the finer things that Cleveland has to offer. Again, please add anything that I may have missed in the comments. Happy Holidays.