"A Christmas Story" may have been set in Indiana, but key scenes from the beloved 1983 film had a Cleveland shooting location that has taken on a life of its own as perhaps few other such locations ever have. Film fans eager to revisit Ralphie Parker's world of Red Ryder air guns and kitschy leg lamps can visit his house during the holidays, then get all wrapped up in present-day Cleveland's abundant Christmas festivities once they step back into the real world.
"A Christmas Story" may be the richest single source of film trivia ever, from the Christmas movie quote of quotes -- "You'll shoot your eye out!" -- to a "triple-dog-dared" boy freezing his tongue to a flagpole. Seen annually in holiday TV marathons, the story of hapless Ralphie was inducted in 2012 into the Library of Congress National Film Registry. In Cleveland's west-side Tremont neighborhood, the house used for exterior and limited interior shots has been redesigned to match how it appeared, inside and out, in the film. Find free parking on the street; pay your admission, and take the tour. Then head to the adjacent gift shop and museum, which holds original props and costumes from the film along with behind-the-scenes photos. With the exception of major holidays, the site is open year-round, but a holiday season visit seems especially appropriate.
Light up with Cleveland as it kicks off the holidays in late November at its annual Winterfest on Public Square. Past daylong activities have included carriage rides, gourmet food trucks and prize giveaways. After the lighting ceremony and fireworks show, join a jolly Santa for cookies and cocoa at the free after-party treat table. At the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, get lost in "Glow," its annual holiday extravaganza of lights, music and whimsy. Decorate your own gingerbread house; visit the Wishing Tree; then prop up your feet for a Christmas train-ride rest. Courtesy of GE Lighting's World Headquarters, an enchanting light display has been mounted at Nela Park since 1924. Vignettes, more than 125 trees and a replica of the White House National Christmas tree -- decked out nowadays in LEDs -- stop traffic annually along Noble Road about 15 minutes east of downtown Cleveland.
The ghostly visitors in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" haunt stages the world over during the holidays, Cleveland included. Join Scrooge and the gang at the Ohio Theatre on PlayhouseSquare for a beautifully mounted annual production by the Great Lakes Theater Festival, the region's professional classic theater company. You can find a unique holiday theatrical experience at Cleveland's Karamu House, which mounts Christmas plays and productions that give theater-goers a fresh look at traditional stories. Past productions have included the Langston Hughes play, "Black Nativity," and "Christmas Is Comin' Uptown," a musical take on "A Christmas Carol" set in Harlem.
At the end of a 30-minute drive south of Cleveland you'll be transported to Christmas Eve 1861 at Hale Farm & Village. Staff dressed in authentic Civil War-era costumes interact with guests of this outdoor living history museum made up of 32 historic buildings and a working farm. Follow your guide on a 90-minute lantern-lighted walk to visit homes welcoming you with food, music, Christmas trees and hosts eager to share their 19th-century Christmas with 21st-century guests. Then party like it's 1861 over hot cocoa and cookies at the festive Jonathan Hale House post-tour soiree before you head back to the future. Tour reservations are required; admission is charged, and dressing for both indoors and outdoors is wise.
