CLEVELAND (September 20, 2024) – As the temperature drops and vibrant colors pop in the "Forest City," autumn in The Land is a favorite for both outdoor lovers and culture buffs. Whether leaf peeping along the 325 miles of urban, lakefront or wooded hiking trails or engaging with a thought-provoking new museum exhibit, there's plenty to dive into this season.

All Aboard for Fall: Scenic Railroad & Hundreds of Miles of Trails Bring Visitors Outdoors

Recently named one of the best spots in the country to catch fall foliage, Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Cleveland Metroparks are easy to get to and budget-friendly, perfect for visitors looking to explore and enjoy the season's peak beauty.

• Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Adds Historic Locomotives: This year, more visitors can soak in the fall scenery of Cuyahoga Valley National Park by hopping on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's two historic locomotives from the Grand Canyon Railway. The Scenic Railroad offers a variety of featured fall excursions, including Cocktails on the Rails, Murder Mystery and weekend brunch rides. 

• Fall Forest Fest at Holden Arboretum (Oct. 5-13): Visitors can revel in nature's glory at Holden Arboretum's annual celebration of the season, offering wagon rides, s'mores, food trucks and “Flannels and Flights” – a tasting event of seasonal beers – all set to the backdrop of the park's gardens, trails, lakes and meadows.

Cleveland Museums Address Political & Cultural Conversations with New Exhibits & Spaces

Cleveland's internationally renowned museums continue to push boundaries through their new exhibits and ongoing expansions and invite visitors to be part of a larger national dialogue.

• Cleveland Museum of Natural History Announces Opening Date for $150 million Transformation (Dec. 2024)
  • The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has announced an opening date of December 15 for its $150 million transformation project, one that is already making headlines for its innovative, climate-focused architecture and work to make modern science accessible to every individual. The project will open completely reimagined exhibits throughout the Museum's more than 375,000 square feet and more than 2 acres of outdoors visitor areas.
• Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Picturing the Border (through Jan. 2025): Picturing the Border presents photographs of the US-Mexico borderlands from the 1970s to the present taken by both border residents and outsiders. They range in subject matter from intimate domestic portraits, narratives of migration, and proof of political demonstrations to images of border crossings and clashes between migrants and the US Border Patrol.
  • Strata by Native American artist Rose B. Simpson (permanent exhibition): Two monumental figurative sculptures by nationally prominent Native American artist Rose B. Simpson were recently installed in the museum's expansive, light-filled atrium for permanent display. The sculptures were inspired both by the city of Cleveland and Simpson's own Indigenous heritage.
  • Reinstallation of Krishna Lifting Mount Govardham (opening Oct. 12): The monumental sculpture of Krishna Lifting Mount Govardhan is back in the permanent collection galleries for the first time since its reconstruction was finished in 2021. To go along with this major addition, 13 stone and bronze pieces from India, Cambodia, and Indonesia are also on display.

• Cleveland History Center: Race for the Presidency Exhibit (through Nov. 2024): This timely exhibit draws attention to Ohio's prominent position as a political powerhouse in the 19th and 20th centuries, with seven Ohio men holding the presidency between 1869-1923. Visitors can view one of the largest collections of presidential campaign memorabilia in the nation, with the earliest pieces being created soon after George Washington left office in 1797.

• Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa): “Message from Our Planet” (through Dec. 2024): This moving exhibit brings together artworks from 17 international artists working at the forefront of digital and electronic art, proposing that past and present media technologies offer distinct ways for artists to communicate with future generations. Themed like a global time capsule, the group of artworks reflect the artifacts and ambitions of contemporary life.

Cleveland's Performing Arts Organizations to Bring a Star-Studded Lineup to 2024-25 Seasons

Visitors can always expect to be seriously entertained with a trip to the land of rock and roll. A jam-packed season of critically acclaimed performances kicks off this fall, and the popular Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony comes back home. Artists from all genres will light up stages and venues across Cleveland.

• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
  • 2024 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony (Oct. 19)
    • The Induction Ceremony returns to Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to welcome a new group of inductees into the esteemed Hall of Fame, including performers Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest.
    • Local venues and musical acts will also get in on the fun with a series of special events the week leading up to the ceremony.
  • Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Expansion Underway (expected completion 2026)
    Cleveland's top-visited attraction, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is undergoing a $135 million expansion that will increase its footprint by a third, expected to be complete by early 2026. When done, visitors can expect a newly designed entrance and expanded exhibit hall, as well as new indoor and outdoor event spaces.
• Cleveland Orchestra 2024-25 Season (Sept. 19, 2024-April 8, 2025): The Orchestra's 2024–25 season at Severance Music Center begins this fall as Music Director Franz Welser-Möst's final series with the organization. Renowned performers and composers expected to join the Orchestra include Tan Dun, Academy Award-winning composer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Oct. 31); Pianist Yuja Wang (March 22 and 23, 2025 for an all-Tchaikovsky program); and traditional klezmer violinist Itzhak Perlman (April 8, 2025 for In the Fiddler's House).
• Playhouse Square 2024-25 Season (Oct. 8, 2024-Aug. 3, 2025): As the country's largest performing arts center outside of New York City, Playhouse Square is a premier Broadway touring partner, presenting the 2024-2025 KeyBank Broadway Series. The season begins with the Neil Diamond Musical “A Beautiful Noise” and goes on to include “Some Like It Hot,” “Life of Pi,” “Parade,” “& Juliet,” and “Shucked.” It concludes with the 5 Tony® Award-winning production of “Kimberly Akimbo.”
• Karamu House 2024-25 Season (Sept. 27, 2024-May 18, 2025)
  • Karamu House, the nation's oldest Black producing theater, kicks off its 2024-25 season with Ossie Davis's energetic classic, Purlie Victorious, fresh off its Broadway run. This December, the holiday favorite Langston Hughes' Black Nativity returns to Playhouse Square, followed by Weathering, a powerful drama about birth trauma among Black women, before wrapping up the season with Choir Boy.
  • The theatre recently completed the third phase of its $5.2M renovation project, which to date includes upgrades to two theatres, interior and exterior renovations, a new marquee, the addition of a bistro and a fully enclosed pavilion.

New Food & Drink Establishments Focus on Authenticity and Atmosphere

Whether you're craving the perfect local hot dog creation or a creative, locally sourced dish from a James Beard-award-winning chef, Cleveland's latest restaurant openings show off The Land's obsession with great food.

• Scorpacciata (June): The opening of this Italian-focused eatery on the artsy Larchmere Blvd. recently brought prominent local food writer Douglas Trattner to rhapsodize about his scratch-made orecchiette dish, stating “not only is it the best pasta I've eaten all year, it's one of the best dishes I've eaten in ages.”

• Wine Dive (July 2024): This come-as-you-are wine bar toes the line between dive bar and wine bar, with a neighborhood gathering space vibe and a menu that serves wines from Ramey Cellars in Healdsburg, Trefethen in Napa Valley and Pride Mountain Vineyards alongside low-brow beers by the can.

• STEAK Cleveland (August): The opening of this new steakhouse by local restaurateurs and partner and past Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona hits the sweet spot between casual dining options like Outback or Texas Roadhouse and pricier, upscale steakhouses.

• 3 Roses Winery (August): This winery and tasting room sits in the heart of Cleveland's popular Little Italy neighborhood. Owner Michael Penrod's Italian and Sicilian heritage, family history in Little Italy and a personal interest in winemaking inspired the tasting room, which offers wines by the glass and bottle.

• Artis Restaurant (August): This steakhouse by Chef Andrew Mansour channels an old Miami Art Deco glamour with a focus on local and high-quality ingredients.

• Charter House Grille (August): This new bistro will serve elevated and playful American fare in a storied restaurant space just east of Downtown. Diners can start with duck-fat fries with Béarnaise, an egg roll version of a Philly cheesesteak or deep-fried, dinosaur-shaped chicken rillette nuggets

• Sacred Vortex Teahouse and Kombuchery (September): From its new location in Ohio City, this teahouse will offer beverages that aim to aid rather than impair personal health and wellness. The shop is the first Kombuchery/botanical soda brewery in the Cleveland area and one of only a few Kratom kombucheries in the United States.

• Kiln (Fall): Award-winning Chef Douglas Katz will soon open a “modern take on a classic European bistro” on the east side of Cleveland. Katz's other popular restaurants currently include Amba and Zhug.
• Birdietown Mini Golf and Lounge (Fall): The two-level, 12,000-square-foot venue will offer 18 holes of indoor, adult-only putt-putt, two bars and a restaurant, with a menu designed by James Beard-nominated Chef Jill Vedaa of Salt+ and Poppy.

To keep up to date on new developments and activities, please visit www.thisiscleveland.com or follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

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ABOUT DESTINATION CLEVELAND: Destination Cleveland is Cleveland's destination marketing and management organization. The private, non-profit organization's mission is to stimulate economic growth by attracting people and connecting them to experiences that illustrate Cleveland's diversity, creativity and contagious passion. In 2022, visitation increased 12% over the year prior to 17.9 million visits. For more information, visit www.thisiscleveland.com.