World Tourism Blog

You will be surprised by all the fun things to do in Cleveland. Truly there is something for everyone from the youngest to the oldest, from the Rocker to the museum goes.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Explore the Cleveland sound. In 1998 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened a new wing dedicated to honoring those artists, producers, songwriters and other industry professionals who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Cleveland lobbied hard to be chosen, citing the facts that one-time Cleveland disc jockey, Alan Freed, is widely credited with promoting the new genre (and the term) of “rock and roll.” The multi-media presentation features the honorees and their music that range from Elvis Presley to Black Sabbath.

Jazz up your stay with an evening at Nighttown, one of several excellent jazz clubs. For over 40 years Nighttown has been delivering great food and great music featuring well known entertainers. It is the only club in Ohio on Down Beat’s list of The Best Jazz Clubs in the World.

Great Lakes Science Center, Museum of Art, and More

“Blink your eyes.” In the time it takes you to blink light has traveled two times around the world. Amazing! And so is the Great Lakes Science Center where visitors learn about the Theory of Relativity, the human body, and exploring all phases of flight from gliders to landing the shuttle. Plus, there is a great view of the lake.

The Museum of Art has one of six statues of Rodin’s The Thinker. It is unique in that the feet are missing due to a bomb attack in 1970. The museum is in the midst of a massive building project and a side benefit is they are currently Impressionist and Modern Masters from the museum’s collection. Excellent docent tours.

From our position in the vastness of the universe to a Field Guide to Humans that explores to the mysteries of our bodies, the Museum of Natural History unravels life of the present, past, and future. Stop by to say “Hello” to Balto, the Alaskan sled dog that brought serum to the people of Nome, and to Happy, the 70-foot-long Haplocanthosaurus delfsi, the oldest sauropod on exhibit anywhere.

All cemeteries are places of history and art, and Lake Side Cemetery is no exception. Founded in 1869 and modeled after the great garden cemeteries of Victorian England and France it is the final resting place of the 20th President of the United States, James A. Garfield and his wife. Leave a dime on the John D. Rockefeller monument in a hope for financial success.

Learn about the city’s Architectural treasureson a tour with City Prowl. From the palatial grandeur of The Arcade, American firs indoor shopping mall built in 1890, in the city center to St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral with its onion domes and ornate interior in the Tremont neighborhood, the architectural are many.

Botanical Gardens and Zoo
The spiny desert of Madagascar with strange-looking baobab tree and the tropical rainforest of Costa Rica with the strangler fig tree topped with a canopy viewing platform are just two diverse aspects of the Botanical Gardens. Wander the herb, rose, and woodland gardens, relax by the lily pond and restorative garden then let the children explore their own special garden.

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and The RainForest is open all year and home to more than 3000 animals representing 600 species and home to the largest collection of primate species in North Americ. Their botanical garden, demonstrates the relationship between plants, animals and humans.

Christmas Story and more
Everyone is familiar the quote, “You’ll shoot your eye ou!” But most people don’t realize that a major portion of the movie was filmed at the house now known as the Christmas Story House. Across the street the museum highlights some of the favorite episodes from the film and the museum shop sell iconic items from the film: the Leg Lamp, Red Ryder B-B Gun, and Life Boy soap. Open all year

Sports is huge in Cleveland. Football fans cheer for the Cleveland Browns at their namesake lakeside stadium. Jacobs Field is the home field of the Cleveland Indians, the 2007 American League Central Champs. The Quicken Loan Arena is home to NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and the AHL hockey team, the Lake Erie Monsters.

There is more, much more to experience. Explore Cleveland’s connection to the lake by taking a lake or a river cruise, then visit the museum steamship, the William G. Mather, moored nearby, or the U.S.S. COD Submarine Memorial the last remaining WW-II Fleet Submarine to retain her original configuration. Stop by the West Side Market for a cup of coffee with an eclair or a falafel with tabouli.

By Sandra Scott

Cleveland Zoo

The number of skier visits in the state will increase by an estimated 3 percent in the 2009-10 season to about 4.1 million, the president of industry group Ski Utah said Tuesday.

That would provide a boost to a struggling state economy increasingly dependent on tourism, and mark a turnaround from last year when the economic downturn hit.

Nathan Rafferty, Ski Utah president, said recent signs of economic growth in the national economy should lead to more destination travelers vacationing in the state than last year, when skier visits declined by 6.5 percent from the record-setting previous year.

“Last season was a little different for everybody,” Rafferty said. “The economic issues that we faced last year — the timing couldn’t have been worse.”

The economic crisis started when most people normally book vacations and got worse as the season went on, he said.

Rafferty’s comments come as most of Utah’s 13 ski areas prepare to open within the next two weeks.

The lift lines started forming at Solitude Mountain Resort last week, the first to open. Solitude, like many other resorts, developed new season pass and lodging deals this year in an effort to increase visitation.

“If you’re a skier or snowboarder, you’re seeing the best deals that you’ve seen in a decade,” Rafferty said.

Last year was the first since the 2001-02 season that the state’s ski industry didn’t experience any growth, mirroring a national trend that saw skier visits nationwide decline 5.5 percent from the record 60.5 million visits the season before.

Resorts near major metropolitan areas, particularly those on the East Coast, fared better than many destination resorts in the West last season because of an uptick in lift ticket and season pass sales bought by those who live within driving distance of ski areas.

“We hope that we’re going to see some pent up demand for skiing for the West,” Rafferty said. “There were a lot of people that stayed home, traditional skiers that maybe would have traveled out to Utah or Colorado that just said ‘You know, we’re going to stay in the car. We’re going to ski somewhere in Vermont or Maine.’”

Early indications are that more people are willing to travel.

Rafferty said the Denver-based research group Mountain Travel Research Project has reported that lodging reservations in Colorado, Utah, California and British Columbia for January are up 17 percent from last year and 7 percent for February.

Ski Utah’s Web site has also seen traffic increase 9 percent compared with the same period last year. Hard money training