CLEVELAND - Brief Article

Travel America, July, 2000 by Christina Victor

Seen the city? Then head on out for the following attractions (shown with approximate mile distances from city center)

Cleveland rocks! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the world's only facility dedicated to the heritage of rock and roll music. The adjacent Great Lakes Science Center has more than 350 interactive science, environment, and technology exhibits as well as an OMNIMAX theater. The new Cleveland Browns' football stadium is also in the neighborhood. The University Circle area is home to Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Museum of Art, Western Reserve Historical Society, and other cultural attractions. Also visit the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, especially the RainForest and Wolf Wilderness.

15 Take a dip with a dolphin and say hello to Shamu the killer whale at SeaWorld Cleveland or choose from more than 100 wet and dry rides at Six Flags Ohio Lake amusement park, both in suburban Aurora. More fun awaits at Chardon's Pioneer Waterland Wet and Dry Fun Park. Ohio's agricultural heritage is celebrated at Bath's Hale Farm and Village, a working farm and restored mid-1800s village, and Kirtland's Lake Farmpark. Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, located in Metroparks' Huntington Reservation near Bay Village, has live animals and a planetarium.

35 South of Cleveland, the city of Akron is a destination in itself. Don't miss Inventure Place, a hands-on tribute to inventors and the process of invention; Quaker Square, the renovated buildings of the original Quaker Oats Company, now encompassing restaurants, shops, a hotel, and historical displays; and Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, a 65-room manor house built by the founder of the Goodyear Rubber Company. Nearby, the 33,000-acre Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area preserves and protects a variety of natural and cultural resources including Native American sites, a 20-mile section of the Ohio and Erie Canal, and 19th century farms. Two college towns worth visiting are Kent, home of Kent State University, where a memorial commemorates the 1970 killing of four student protesters by National Guard troops; and Oberlin, where students from Oberlin College's renowned Conservatory of Music give frequent concerts, and Oberlin Heritage Center has displays on the underground railroad and the development of aluminum, both important events in the town's history.

60 Sandusky, on the shore of Lake Erie, is home to Cedar Point, one of the best amusement parks in the world with more roller coasters than anywhere. Canton has the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as the McKinley Museum of History, Science, and Industry and its McKinley National Memorial, dedicated to the United States' 25th president. The National McKinley Birthplace Memorial is in Niles. Ashland is the gateway to the Charles Mill Lake and Pleasant Hill Lake recreation areas.

At A Glance

Show business celebrities who grew up in Greater Cleveland include Paul Newman, Bob Hope, Phil Donahue, Halle Berry, Drew Carey, and Henry Mancini.

Get set for an unforgettable weekend as the Cleveland National Air Show Takes off September 2-4 at downtown's Burke Lakefront Airport.

Established in 1870, Cedar Point in Sandusky is the nation's second oldest amusement park and boasts a record 14 roller coasters, including some of the planet's tallest and fastest.

For more information, contact: Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland (TravelAmerica Magazine), 3100 Terminal Tower, 50 Public Sq., Cleveland, OH 44113, (888) 837-6441, www.travelcleveland.com; and Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism (TravelAmerica Magazine), (800) BUCKEYE.