The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum was clearly a cornerstone in the Cleveland comeback that began in the mid-’90s, but the now-iconic lure can sometimes overshadow some of the city’s other wonders.
These offerings include some well-established cultural magnets showcasing both the visual and performing arts, plus a gamut of new venues and experiences of all kinds.
“With nearly $3 billion in visitor-related infrastructure development, the city is seeing a resurgence with the amount of new group-friendly restaurants and venues opening up throughout the area,” says Jane Tougouma, group tour sales manager for Destination Cleveland. “Through the combination of the city encompassing plenty of group-friendly hotels, world-class attractions and restaurants along with the easy accessibility of getting here, Cleveland is no longer a pass-through city, but a destination.”
In addition to all of this new growth, Tougouma adds that Cleveland will have the honor of hosting the American Bus Association’s Marketplace in 2017, in her opinion currently the biggest and the best show in the group tour industry.
With some invaluable input from the staff at Destination Cleveland, here’s a look at some of the locale’s best off-site settings for group outings and event hosting, including ample new offerings.
Unexpectedly Artsy
Planners new to hosting a Cleveland event might not realize what a hotbed of captivating culture the city extends. A huge hot spot for these happenings is Playhouse Square, a performing arts hub that proclaims itself the nation’s largest performing arts center outside New York.
A dynamically diverse array of performances runs the gamut from concerts to plays to film. Beginning in the 2016-’17 season, for example, a KeyBank Broadway Series will offer top-tier live performances ranging from The Phantom of the Opera to Steel Magnolias. Rentable event spaces are aplenty, including numerous theaters with stages in addition to studios and classrooms; free tours are also on the docket, though groups of 10 or more should reach out in advance.
Meanwhile, the city’s robust University Circle provides an entire neighborhood of cultural possibilities, all within one square mile just waiting to be explored. Lures include the Cleveland Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Severance Hall—home to the famed Cleveland Orchestra. The iconic MOCA is particularly group-friendly, with special lunch/tour combinations, special events like free First Saturday receptions each month, and a diversity of cool spaces for rent, from lounges to commons to classrooms and beyond.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, meanwhile, is buzzing over the impending addition of the new Perkins Wildlife Center & Woods Garden, slated to debut in early 2016. The immersive, cutting-edge “living collection” will allow visitors to be fully surrounded by nature while examining creatures like foxes, otters, coyotes and countless bird species. Its hillside setting will showcase a unique, elevated trailway system allowing for up-close views of birds in flight and Earth-bound critters as well.
Animal Magnetism
Feathered and furry friends are also on display elsewhere, including at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, showcasing a world of watery wonders that includes a walk-through Shark Sea Tube. The vibrant venue is host to plenty of family-focused special events, in addition to grown-up gatherings like pirate-themed parties complete with rum tastings.
The Cleveland MetroParks Zoo is a sprawling oasis showing off more than 3,000 types of animals in colorful settings ranging from a Wallaby Walkabout to Monkey Island. Most impressive is the Rainforest Atrium, boasting a jungle-like environment hallmarked by a diversity of monkeys and a 25-foot-tall cascading waterfall. It’s a great place to escape any cold snaps, as the temperatures are kept balmy for the benefit of the animals—many of them are used to more equatorial climes.
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The zoo also extends special group rates and is home to an endless array of leasable event spaces that can host affairs ranging from 50 attendees to 500.
Seize the Night
For groups in search of evening fun, the city is rife with opportunity.
The Horseshoe Casino, in the heart of downtown, is a one-stop haven of diversions, including table games, nonstop poker and video poker, among other activities. The culinary options range from an acclaimed buffet to casual Italian fare at Rosie & Rocco’s, and the property is also surrounded by a host of other restaurants. If your group is raring to rock, the resort’s Vintage 51 features live music on Friday and Saturday nights. And when they’re ready to roll, the trendy Corner Alley down the block blends a 16-lane bowling venue with a handsome martini bar and steakhouse.
East 4th Street is a beckoning night magnet as well, and offers memorable entertainment venues ranging from a House of Blues to Pickwick & Frolic, a singular dinner-theater venue serving up comedy, cabaret and both fine and casual fare.
The Flats nightlife neighborhood has been a Cleveland standby for years, and now the Flats East Bank is taking off as its own hive of evening intrigue. At the heart of the fun is a branch of The Big Bang, a rollicking ‘dueling piano bar’ that will have attendees standing, cheering and stomping their feet. New to the scene is the colorful Punch Bowl Social, a colorful enclave of old-time arcade excitement, bowling and creative pub fare. The venue also provides special menus available for groups and a variety of spaces that can also include a full buyout.
The burgeoning neighborhood is also adding a movie theater and retailers to build on its current culinary and nightlife landscape.
Good Sports
Cleveland also boasts a solid spectator sports scene, with teams on display in all three of the major sports. LeBron James gave the city a huge boost with his 2014 return to the NBA’s Cavaliers, and baseball’s Indians and football’s Browns hold some serious group appeal.
With the NFL season upon us, FirstEnergy Stadium—home of the Cleveland Browns—presents fun that goes beyond just football thrills. Attendees can take a behind-the-scenes tour, have an event of their own at a gamut of spaces, and partake in unique experiences, such as bursting through the tunnel and out onto a real NFL field just like it was game day.
No Stone Unturned
Of course, you can’t bring a group to Cleveland and ignore the iconic and electrifying Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. One possibility is a slate of special group packages for parties of 20 or more. The options include a corporate package complete with a rockin’ scavenger hunt, and even a special combo package blending a group tour with a Lake Erie outing aboard the Goodtime III party boat. mf
