Have a nightcap at Velvet Tango Room
Except for the neon pink sign, the outside doesn’t look like much. But one step inside this tiny haunt, and you’ll find a swanky lounge with old-school drinks that makes you think you’ve discovered a little drip of cocktail heaven. With a menu as thick as a textbook filled with favorites such as a French 75 and a Ramos Gin Fizz, the bartenders put love and care into crafting your libation. On weekends, owner Paulius Nasvytis personally makes bananas Foster tableside. 2095 Columbus Road, Cleveland, 216-241-8869, velvettangoroom.com
Get a bird’s-eye view from the Terminal Tower
The 708-foot-tall Beaux Arts outline of the Terminal Tower has defined Cleveland’s skyline since it opened in 1930. So the sights from the 42nd floor observation deck are the best 360-degree view of Cleveland $5 can buy. When it’s open from mid-April through mid-December, you can see about 30 miles out — as far as Avon Lake to the west, Perry Nuclear Power Plant to the east and Parma Heights to the south. Alas, at just more than 50 miles north, Canada is polite enough to stay just out of sight. 50 Public Square, Cleveland, towercitycenter.com
Tour A Christmas Story house
A Christmas Story House lets you relive so many moments from every Clevelander’s favorite holiday movie. You can don pink bunny ears while standing on the stairs or place a salacious hand on the leg lamp in the big front window. But only the hard core get down and dirty, hiding under the sink a la Randy, who feared for his brother Ralphie’s life at the hands of the Old Man. ϑ Bonus ϑ Head across the street to the gift shop and buy your own life-size leg lamp. 3159 W. 11th St., Cleveland, 216-298-4919, achristmasstoryhouse.com
Shuffle Your Listening Experience
You can almost hear the history in its walls. Legendary acts such as U2, Bruce Springsteen and Lou Reed gained their first big exposure on the Agora’s stage in the ’60s and ’70s. Today catch metal, punk or synth-rock bands such as Orgy and hip-hop groups such as Twiztid here. 5000 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-881-2221, agoracleveland.com
With two stages to suit your indie musical mood, the Beachland Ballroom & Tavern is a Waterloo Arts District staple known to bring in acts as large as indie-pop artist Sufjan Stevens while keeping it local with soul band Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites. 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, 216-383-1124, beachlandballroom.com
Nighttown, a swanky 50-year-old joint, serves good food, great drinks and even better jazz. Count Basie Orchestra played here and Stevie Wonder even showed up for an impromptu performance on the baby grand. 12387 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-795-0550, nighttowncleveland.com
Cheer from the stands at a St. Edward-St. Ignatius football game
The Dawg Pound doesn’t hold a bone to the roiling student sections when the Eagles and Wildcats tangle. Bred at family gatherings and on grade school playgrounds, the annual rivalry divides cousins, friends and even brothers. The battles were so intense that the game took a 14-year hiatus beginning in the 1950s. With this year’s Holy War slated for Halloween night, expect all the crazies to be out.
Place your bets at the Horeshoe Casino
This $350 million gaming house went all in on paying tribute to the iconic Higbee Co. store that occupied the space for most of the 20th century. The store’s original floor-to-ceiling columns were updated and restored while chandeliers modeled after the ones that lined Higbee’s main aisle give off an encouraging glow. So risk it all (or at least a couple hundred bucks) at the blackjack table or one of the 1,600 slots. 100 Public Square, Cleveland, 216-297-4777, horseshoecleveland.com
Splurge at Big Fun
This jumbo-size toy box of a store is bursting at its 3,400-square-foot seams with vintage toys, video games, gag gifts and more. Bring your allowance to this Cleveland Heights landmark, because you might just find that Millennium Falcon or Kung Fu Grip G.I. Joe that’s been eluding you for 40 years. Bonus: Buy a “Cleveland You’ve Got to Be Tough” bumper sticker. 1814 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-371-4386, bigfuntoystore.com
Wait in line for Slyman’s corned beef
It’s Cleveland’s version of the velvet rope: the doorman at Slyman’s Restaurant. On a 45-degree day in March, he’s wearing a camo jacket and sheriff’s stocking cap while keeping watch, ushering in those who want a table, organizing the line alongside the squat brick building for those waiting to order takeout. One in. One out. Behind the counter, the slicers go almost continuously — like this family-run place has for more than 50 years. Excessive? Maybe. But when 14 ounces of shaved-against-the-grain beef on three pieces of Jewish rye tastes this good, it deserves VIP treatment. 3106 St. Clair Ave. NE, Cleveland, 216-621-3760, slymans.com
Brunch at Lucky’s Cafe
Trying to score a chair inside Heather Haviland’s popular 45-seat Tremont spot during the weekend rush is a practice in patience. With an hour- to two-hour wait to taste her cheddar scallions biscuits topped with scrambled eggs and sausage gravy or thick-cut bacon coated with crushed pecans and brown sugar, it’s almost too much to digest. Lucky for us, Haviland is also a skilled pastry chef so pass the time snacking on her flaky scones or buttery cookies from the bakery case. 777 Starkweather Ave., Cleveland, 216-622-7773, luckyscafe.com
Get your hike on at the Cleveland Metroparks Hinckley Reservation where a 1.25-mile loop trail will lead you through the awe-inspiring 350-foot-high sandstone formations known as Whipps Ledges. clevelandmetroparks.com
It’s a 220-mile round-trip bicycle ride along the Towpath Trail. But if you like your cycling adventures in smaller amounts, you can hop on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad at seven different stops for a quick $3 lift. cvsr.com/bike-aboard
There’s more than 33,000 acres of forest, meadow, lake and land to discover in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Spend a night under the open sky at one of its five primitive campsites. nps.gov/cuva
