From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland's exotic botanical gardens and lake front setting, here are 7 reasons why Cleveland rocks.

By Kendra L. Williams & Don McLeese

7 Reasons

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006)

Drew Carey isn't the only one who thinks Cleveland is worth singing about. Sure, it may have seemed like a joke in the late '90s when the comedian with old-school glasses and a crew cut opened his hot sitcom with the anthem "Cleveland Rocks." Wasn't this the city once dubbed "The Mistake by the Lake"?

But a lot of people have decided Drew had a point. From 1994 to 2003, the number of annual visitors doubled from 4.4 million to more than 9 million. What are all those visitors doing? Listening to music, eating, shopping, cheering on sports teams, going to theaters and visiting museums. Cleveland, frankly, may surprise you.

And just as one neighborhood gets a facelift and cash registers start ringing, another project across town begins. The results give visitors reasons to keep coming back. Here are seven of our favorites:

1. Music-lover's mecca

The most significant symbol of Cleveland's transformation is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Since opening in 1995 on the Lake Erie shore, the $92 million glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei has brought fans to Cleveland from all over the world, giving the city a new energy and cementing its identity as one of rock's birthplaces.

Why here? Area clubs played pivotal early roles in the sound's evolution. Then, Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed popularized the term "rock 'n' roll" in 1951. When cities were lobbying to be chosen as the Rock Hall site, 600,000 fans signed a petition in favor of Cleveland. The museum has done the genre proud with exhibits showcasing thousands of artifacts tracing all of rock's roots-not just the careers of 225 Hall of Famers. Visitors could spend a weekend at the Rock Hall and not see it all.

There's a jukebox-style display of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" and a room featuring stage costumes from Elton John, Cher, Mick Jagger and others. Glass cases preserve Elvis Presley's first contract and handwritten lyrics of the Beatles' "Hey Jude." A film on three huge screens spotlights the inductees and their music. Special exhibits explore the work of legends such as Tom Petty and Roy Orbison. Fans can plan visits around annual programs celebrating an artists' works or even attend free monthly rock 'n' roll "night school."

2. Natural appeal

A $37 million expansion in 2003 enables the Cleveland Botanical Garden to offer some of the world's most exotic habitats. Located on Cleveland's University Circle, the garden's three-year-old Glasshouse houses the spiny desert of Madagascar and the cloud forest (and butterflies) of Costa Rica. The 10-acre grounds include herb and rose gardens and a woodland walk that seems too dense to exist in the middle of the city.

Overall, 16 major city parks comprise more than 20,000 acres in Cleveland and encircle the city with an "Emerald Necklace." Downtown, Willard Park includes a controversial piece of pop art: Claes Oldenburg's and Coosje van Bruggen's Free Stamp, a huge, red metal rubber stamp that rests just east of City Hall.

And just a half-hour south of the city, free-admission Cuyahoga Valley National Park encompasses 33,000 mostly wooded acres surrounding the Cuyahoga River Valley.

3. Vibrant nightlife

In the Warehouse District, brick buildings boarded up as recently as the mid-1980s now house many of the city's hottest nightspots. Some of the newest options include D'Vine Wine Bar, which offers outdoor tables for sipping wine. Farther east, House of Blues opened in 2004 and has hosted Pat Benatar, the BoDeans, the John Mayer Trio and Los Lobos. Pickwick & Frolic opened in 2002 with a restaurant, cabaret dinner theater, martini bar and comedy club.

Downtown, the reborn movie palaces of Playhouse Square Center host Broadway productions including Chicago and Wicked. The eight stages also show classic movies (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and Roman Holiday) and hold concerts (Bonnie Raitt, Tony Bennett and the Cleveland Pops).

Not all of Cleveland's nightlife is downtown. Years before the Rock Hall opened, the Agora was the first name in Cleveland rock. Several bands got their big breaks there in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Grand Funk Railroad, the Outlaws, ZZ Top, the James Gang, Foghat and the Raspberries. Located in a comeback area two miles east of Cleveland State University, the club continues to host live music.

4. Shopping options

Across the Cuyahoga River, the indoor/outdoor West Side Market in Ohio City is a great place to stroll and shop. Nearly 200 booths offer meats, baked goods, fresh fruit, herbs and seafood.

Downtown, Tower City Center has transformed Cleveland's second-tallest skyscraper, a local landmark, with shops, a Ritz-Carlton hotel and movie theaters. The Arcade, an 1890 marvel of ornate ironwork with an immense glass skylight, houses a Hyatt Regency and more shops.

In Lyndhurst, a few miles east of the city, the outdoor Legacy Village created buzz when it opened in 2003. Some 50 shops and a dozen-plus restaurants line the brick sidewalks of the complex, which was designed to look like a vintage town.

5. Upscale ethnic eateries

Cleveland's increasingly diverse dining scene is a welcome change for local restaurant critic Elaine T. Cicora. "There are more people in Cleveland now either who moved here or who are traveling here on business who have eaten at fine restaurants all over. They seek out the best dining," Elaine says. "Fortunately, we've moved beyond the days when Italian and Chinese were the most ethnic restaurants in town."

At University Circle, Sarava brings a Brazilian touch. Samba accompanies specialties such as feijoada (a traditional black-bean stew with rice and sausage) and shrimp baiana (pan-seared with garlic and coconut milk).

Equally intriguing is Momocho in Ohio City, where specialties such as goat cheese guacamole star on the modern Mexican menu. Last summer, celebrated restaurateurs Michael and Liz Symon launched Lolita, a Mediterranean bistro, in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood.

6. Sports crazy

Among the key players in the city's comeback are the new sports facilities downtown. Since the mid-1990s, the city has financed new homes for its baseball, basketball and football franchises. Jacobs Field, home of Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians, has features of a classic baseball park, along with contemporary amenities (including a huge scoreboard with a TV screen) fans expect.

Next door, basketball's Cavaliers (including megastar LeBron James) play in 12-year-old Quicken Loans Arena. It also hosts big-name concerts throughout the year. On the lakefront, 12-story Cleveland Browns Stadium now houses the second coming of that storied football franchise (and its rabid "Dawg Pound" fans). Long-time Browns fan Jim Arenschield says, "It's not one of these shiny, polished palaces. The name isn't after some company. That's kind of like Cleveland. It's rough, smashmouth football, win or lose."

7. Great Lake

Some of the city's top attractions cluster on the lakefront, including Browns Stadium, the Rock Hall, the U.S.S. Cod (a World War II submarine turned museum), the steamship William G. Mather (now another museum), the International Women's Air and Space Museum and the Great Lakes Science Center, all along the North Coast Harbor.

Even with all that in place, the city is launching a massive 50-year development plan that would bring housing, shops, restaurants and parks to the North Shore District, making it into the city's next hot spot. The project should help visitors realize Cleveland, in fact, has a lakefront-which tourists often don't know before their arrival, says DeAnn Hazey, director of communication for Cleveland's Convention & Visitors Bureau. That understanding-along with the city's reputation-is changing.

Related Links: