Enjoy a Snowy Hike

One of my favorite things to do is to go to a park I love right after a fresh snowfall. The crisp air, the quiet surroundings, the crunch of the snow as you walk. Everything is coated and looks so pretty. This kind of hike might take a little more energy from you, but it’s so worth it. Here are some of my favorite spots to visit when its snowy:

• Cuyahoga Valley National Parks Ledges and Brandywine Falls
• Lake Metroparks: Hogback Ridge, Big Creek at Liberty Hollow
• Cleveland Metroparks: Rocky River and Bedford Reservations

Go On A Night Hike

Chapin Forest at Lake Metroparks

Each winter the Chapin Forest Reservation lights up a mile of trail with lights for a night hike on the Arbor Lane Loop Trail. If you don’t mind a little bit of night chill and love a good walk, this is a fun experience. Once announced, the hike times will run from dusk until the park closes.

Have An Ice Day Out on The Rink

Check These Rinks Out: Cleveland Foundation Skating Rink in Public Square, The Rink at Wade Oval

Whenever I think of ice skating, I think of the 1992 classic movie The Cutting Edge, in the scene where figure skating darling Kate has to teach ex-hockey player Doug how to figure skate so they can win the Olympics and he learns about the toe pick. It’s a riot, check it out. But anyway, back to ice skating rinks–there’s gonna be several of them around town so even if you have a love/skate relationship with the ice, you should get out there and have fun this season, and don’t forget about the toe pick.

Visit a Frozen Lake Erie

Best Views: Edgewater Beach, Huntington Beach, and the Lake Erie Bluffs.

I absolutely love it when Lake Erie freezes over. The Lake takes on a magical appearance where everything is frozen in time. Some more adventurous people will walk way far out on the frozen lake, and others like me will step out on it close to the shore just to have the novelty of saying they walked on a frozen Great Lake. Others just admire the sheer beauty of the chilled landscape.

Whatever you choose to do, please be safe and note I do not recommend walking out on the frozen lake as there is no way to know how sturdy and thick the ice actually is. You do so at your own risk.

Rock Out and Cool Down at Brite Winter

Mark Your Calendars: 02/21/25-02/22/25

An annual winter festival is held each February in Cleveland’s West Bank of the Flats. This festival brings together people of all ages to celebrate live music, art, and much more.

Cleveland Kurentovanje

Mark your calendars: 03/01/25

Cleveland Kurentovanje is a local event that was founded in 2012 and inspired by the celebrations in Ptuj, Slovenia. The Kurent Jump kicks off the week-long celebration, which includes food, dancing, and drinking as well as Slovenian-inspired events around history, food, and more.

I also talk about Cleveland Kurentovanje in my blog post on 4 Exciting Ways to Celebrate Mardi Gras in Cleveland. Read more here.

Stroll the Cleveland Museum of Art

Mark Your Calendars: Open Year Round

This world-class museum is one of the top museums in the country and it’s free for everyone! This is perfect when you want to brighten your gray winter day with incredible works of art.

You Wont Believe Your Eyes at the Museum of Illusions

Mark your calendars: Open Year Round

We visited this museum earlier this year and it was so much fun! Walk through dozens of optical illusions, puzzles, and interactive fun. Be sure to bring a fully charged camera as around every corner is a photo op!

Enjoy The Indoor Beauty at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens

Mark Your Calendars: Open Year Round

On the drabbest and coldest days of winter a visit to the Botanical Gardens is just what you need. Stroll the Madagascar or Costa Rican Glass houses for a burst of warmth and beautiful views.

Visit the Cleveland Public Library Downtown

Mark your calendars: Open Year Round

This is such an incredible library, you’ll find floors and floors of books, unique art, and interactive exhibits. In addition, they even have a workspace area that allows people to use 3D printers and other unique tools. Plus, don’t forget to check out my favorite area-the photo archives! We had fun perusing our neighborhood through the years in photos!

Also, there’s a sneaky view of Cleveland from the 10th floor, check out my Instagram Reel for more on that.

Immerse Yourself in the Natural History Museum

Mark Your Calendars: Open Year Round

If you haven’t been to the newly renovated Natural History Museum in Cleveland, you’re in for a treat. Stroll through the history of earth and Ohio with plenty of interactive fun.

Have a Ball at Super Electric Pinball

Mark Your Calendars: Open Year Round

This is such a fun space in the Gordon Square Arts District within the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood. For a flat fee of $6 per person you can play unlimited pinball on old and new machines. It’s so much more fun when you don’t have to keep feeding it quarters! They have some snacks and a bar, and you can also bring your own food, too. A perfect, light-filled way to spend an evening.

Need more ideas of what to do in Detroit-Shoreway? Check out my blog post on 25+ Things to do in Detroit Shoreway

• Lionheart Coffee – Downtown: They’re known for their coffee and themed menus but their hot chocolate? It’s delicious.
• The Judith – Detroit-Shoreway: This was such a tasty cup of cocoa, thoughtfully made, rich and creamy.
• Lekko Coffee – Hingetown: I love heading over to get some work done in this cafe while sipping on some of their cocoa during the winter
• Rising Star Coffee – Hingetown, Various: A tasty cup of cocoa that isn’t too sweet but not too bitter, just right.

My Favorite Bookstores in Cleveland

Bonus

Roadtrip Worthy Bookstore: Black Cat Books & Oddity

Immerse yourself in a literary wonderland at this Medina, Ohio bookstore just 45 minutes from Downtown, Cleveland. Explore two houses and multiple rooms thoughtfully themed to align with the book genres that fill the shelves in each space. Step into Narnia or be swept up in the romance of Pemberly. Enter Frankenstein’s Lab to find your next spooky read, or explore The Shire for your fantasy series of choice. There are several more rooms to explore, and this is the perfect place to dream away and find your next book when it’s chilly and dull outside. Visit today.

There you have it, some of my favorite ways to spend winter in Cleveland. A good mix of outdoors, education, and ways to get cozy. Hope you find some inspiration!

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