Fun Things to Do in Cleveland, Ohio

A Christmas Story House

• Step into Ralphie Parker's home and wander through the familiar rooms featured in the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story." The house was restored to its original film appearance and opened to the public in November 2006. Tours are offered every half hour. The Christmas Story House Museum, located across the street, contains costumes, original props including the family car and hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos. The house and museum are open year round. Visit the website below for current hours of operation and admission information.

  A Christmas Story House
  3159 W. 11th St.
  Cleveland, OH 44109
  (216) 298-4919
  http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

• See reindeer, grizzly bears, lemurs and condors at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, which also functions as a botanical garden. The zoo, which first opened in 1882 as Wade Park, contains more than 600 animal species including several endangered ones such as golden lion tamarins and snow leopards. Hundreds of plant species can be found in the zoo's themed gardens, which include an endangered plants of the Midwest garden, hummingbird and butterfly garden, alpine rock garden and oriental plant garden. The zoo also features the 2-acre RainForest exhibit, which houses more than 600 animals and 6,000 plants. The zoo is open daily. Visit the website below for additional information.

  Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
  3900 Wildlife Way
  Cleveland, OH 44109
  216- 661-6500
  http://www.clemetzoo.com/

Discovery Dive Charters and Tours

• Explore shipwrecks, cruise around Lake Erie or fish for walleye and perch. Discovery Dive Charters and Tours offers a variety of diving, sightseeing and fishing charters. Diving expeditions range from beginner to advanced levels and provide access to several of Lake Erie's shipwrecks. Public, private and six-passenger fishing charters are available from April through November. Sightseeing tours, which run for a minimum of three hours, offer scenic views of Cleveland's downtown area and ports. Visit the website below for schedules and pricing information. Call 216-481-5571 to make reservations.

  Discovery Dive Charters and Tours
  Wildwood State Park
  16975 Wildwood Dr.
  Cleveland, OH 44119
  216- 481-5571
  http://www.discoverydive.com/index.html

Great Lakes Science Center

• Reach inside a tornado, build a spacecraft and lift a crushed car at the Great Lakes Science Center. Interactive exhibits focus on biomedical technology, alternative energy, regional technologies, moon landings, weather, electricity, optics and sound. Visitors can also tour the 1925 steamship "William G. Mather" from May through October. The Polymer Funhouse offers more than 90 interactive exhibits, including a ball pit and paddlewheel steamship, for kids 7 and under. The center is open daily year round. Visit the website below for admission information and hours of operation.

  Great Lakes Science Center
  601 Erieside Drive
  Cleveland, OH 44114
  216-694-2000
  http://www.glsc.org/