Cleveland was added to our travel list this year when DC friends of ours invited us to their wedding. Not hearing much about the city before our trip, Ashlee and I were pleasantly surprised.
Cleveland has this old city feel. It reminded me of a mix between Chicago and Philadelphia. The city appears to be going through a downtown revitalization that was evident in the new restaurants, bars, and retail stores.
For this post, I’ll cover everything that we did in Cleveland. I’ll also add in coffee shops, restaurants, and bars that were on our list but we did not have time to check out.
Credit Cards to Use for your Trip to Cleveland
For our trip to Cleveland, the majority of our spend was at restaurants. The good thing about restaurants is that there are plenty of credit cards with restaurants as a bonus point category.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is my go-to card for dining and travel spend. It earns 3X on dining and travel. The card also has excellent travel coverage. Another card to consider is the American Express Platinum (Learn More Here). This card earns 5X on flights booked with the airline and offers Centurion Lounge and Delta Sky Club (when flying Delta) access.
The Chase Ink Business Preferred is great for business owners. This card earns 3X points on travel expenses. An alternate card to consider is the the American Express Business Platinum (Learn More Here). The Business Platinum earns 5X on flights booked with the airline, gives you 35% of your points back when you book award flights, and offers Centurion Lounge and Delta Sky Club (when flying Delta) access.
How to Get to Cleveland
Cleveland (CLE) is served by the major US airlines in American Airlines, Delta, and United. The low cost carriers in Allegiant, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, and Spirit also offer flights from a number of destinations.
We opted to fly Southwest because of the Companion Pass. For those not familiar, the Companion Pass allows you to book a 2nd Southwest flight for free when you book a Southwest cash or points flight.
When you fly into Cleveland, the airport is 20 minutes from downtown. We had no problem getting a Lyft/Uber both to and from the airport. Even when we flew out of Cleveland early Sunday morning, we were able to easily get a ride.
In short, you’ll have plenty of options to use points and miles to fly in to Cleveland. The airport is close to downtown giving you even more time to explore the city.
Where To Stay in Cleveland
There are plenty of hotel options for your trip to Cleveland. Choice, Club Carlson, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, and Wyndham have properties in and around the downtown area.
We opted to stay at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland for 12,000 points per night. The property is located inside The Arcade, a Victorian-era building with a five-story arcade. The arcade is actually an indoor mall with retail shops on the first and second floors.
All in all, the Hyatt Regency Cleveland was perfect. The staff was friendly, the rooms were nice, and the location was ideal. We could easily walk or take a short Lyft/Uber to anywhere in the city.
Top Things to Do in Cleveland
Our trips are primarily focused on food and drink. We’ve found that our favorite way to explore a city is through the coffee shops, bars, and restaurants in and around the downtown area of a city.
Friday
For our trip to Cleveland, we started off at the West Side Market, a public market in Ohio City since 1912 that has vendors offering meat and produce. There’s not many restaurant options in the market so we opted for lunch at Great Lakes Brewing Company. The brewery has tasty food that we enjoyed with our beer flight.
We needed a pick-me-up after an early flight so we walked from Great Lakes Brewing Company to duck rabbit coffee. It’s a quiet coffee shop next to Forest City Brewery that you may also want to check out.
From there, we walked to the Flats so that I could take pictures of downtown Cleveland with my drone. We ended up finding these adirondack chairs near Rivergate Park that are great to relax in. The chairs have this cool view of the Cuyahoga River with the downtown landscape set behind it.
Friday ended at Luca Italian Cuisine, the restaurant where our friend’s had their rehearsal dinner. This restaurant would be a spot we’d go back to next time we visit Cleveland.
Saturday
We started Saturday off at Pour Cleveland, a coffee shop in downtown near the Hyatt Regency. From Pour Cleveland, we walked by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to Voinovich Bicentennial Park. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating or else the views of Lake Erie from here would be have been extremely nice.
Lunch was next on our agenda and we opted for The Greenhouse Tavern. The food was delicious and if you want to sit outside, this place would be ideal as it sits along busy East 4th Street. Butcher and the Brewer was next where we enjoyed a refreshing flight of beers. The afternoon was capped off at Cathy’s: Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches. If you’re looking for ice cream in Cleveland, this place is your spot.
Other Things to Do in Cleveland
As I mentioned earlier, our trips are focused on where to eat and drink. With that said, here are the coffee shops, restaurants, and bars we didn’t have time for but plan on checking out on our next trip to Cleveland.
For coffee shops, swing by Phoenix Coffee and Rising Star. Both of these companies have multiple locations in Cleveland, including locations in the downtown area near the Hyatt.
On the restaurant front, consider going to Larder Delicatessen and Bakery, Flying Fig, Parallax, Lola, Cowell & Hubbard, and Fire Food and Drink. From walking around the city, you can’t go wrong with restaurants near East 4th in Downtown and West 25th in Ohio City.
Porco Lounge & Tiki Room, Vault, and Quintana’s are cocktail bars we’ll go to next time we’re in Cleveland. Each of these places is unique and would be great places to grab a drink while getting a feel for the city.
Conclusion on the Best Things to Do in Cleveland OH
Cleveland is making a turn-around and that was evident by walking around the city. The historic buildings, its proximity to the lake, and the food and drink scene make it a place that’s clearly trying to attract a younger crowd in addition to visitors.
What about you? Have you been to Cleveland? What are your top things to do in Cleveland? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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