I have been to Cleveland three times in my life. Each of the visits has been great and had me saying I will be back. The last two visits have also expanded past the city limits, to what the Positively Cleveland’s Convention and Visitors’ Bureau refers to “Cleveland Plus.” Our recent visit centered on some attractions that are not only going “green”, but were also a lot of fun. While not everything we did, had a green theme, many attractions that you wouldn’t think of as “green” were doing their part to cut down on their carbon footprint.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has honored a number of artists who are not only rock in the music world but who also have done their part to protect the environment.  The Hall’s Director of Communications, Margaret Thresher notes, how the preservation of so many personal effects, many times by the artists’ mothers, such as childhood artwork and report cards, has also meant a greener planet by eliminating clothing and mementos from being deposited in a landfill. At the Hall you can see everything from Michael Jackson’s famous glove to the first vehicle, a Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, that “The Boss”-Bruce Springsteen purchased in 1975 for $2,000.

The Hall of Fame also considered the environment with the construction of its new library and archives building. Located on the campus of Cuyahoga Community College’s Metropolitan Campus, in downtown Cleveland, the building will open later this year to the public. Thresher says the building will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental design) certified with a silver certification. The building will house two dimensional artifacts including items such as, birth certificates, records and posters.

Reknowned environmental advocates, Bono and his U2 band, are featured in a new 3D digital film that brings the audience as close as they can get to the band without going to the stadium.  Shot in South America, during their “Vertigo” tour, tickets for the show are just $3, in addition to your admission ticket to the museum.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Cleveland Downtown, located just a short walk from The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Great Lakes Science Center.  The hotel chain supports historical preservation across the United States, Canada and Latin America and since 2000, the company’s Save-a-Landmark program has restored attractions and helped preserve history. Sites, such as Robert Frost’s Farm and Lincoln’s log cabin home, along with the Washington House in Wisconsin, which was the location for the country’s first ice cream sundae, have all been projects the company has tackled.

After exploring the city we headed out to a Lake County Captains baseball game to see the Captains–Cleveland Indians Single-A minor team.  The evening was fun and entertaining and offered multiple ways for youngsters to be a part of the excitement of the night.  Shannon O’Boyle, a ticket sales account executive for the team, is their “green” guru and has the responsibility of encouraging fans to go green.  On August 28^th and 29^th the team will team up with the Lake County Solid Waste District, by doing a giveaway of sets of baseball trading cards made from recycled materials. “Go Green Awareness Day,” held that Saturday, will also include local businesses showcasing green options to the fans. Players have done their share by participating in a video which encourages fans to recycle. The team recycles the frying oil it uses and it also recycles all of its cardboard. They also use green cleaning products. The water irrigation used on the fields is also water efficient.

Something worth seeing of  historical value while visiting Cleveland is the house featured in the cult classic “The Christmas Story.”  Exteriors for the cult classic were filmed on West 11^th Street and the ever famous scene of Ralphie and Randy’s dad receiving the infamous leg lamp was actually filmed inside 3159 West 11^th Street. Purchased by Brian Jones, more than 15 years ago on eBay for $150,000, the house has been replicated to look just like the sets constructed for the film, another example of how recycling can be beneficial. After purchasing the home, Jones took great care in transforming the interior to match its movie counterpart. He searched high and low to also duplicate the littlest items so there is a mirror image of what fans have come to love. Don’t worry about sitting on the couch or touching the leg lamp they are all replicas, but you wouldn’t know it. The guide in the house will not only take your picture with a replica of the BB gun, but will hand the mom in your group a blue bowling ball to hand off to the dad, near the Christmas Tree. Two additional homes have been purchased on the street. One houses a museum, featuring costumes and even the chalkboard seen in the movie while the second, is home to a gift shop where fans can purchase their own leg lamp or box of fudge.  Visit A Christmas Story House for more information.

This summer’s visitors are in for a huge treat. Actor Ian Petrella, who will forever be immortalized as the adorable 8-year old Randy Parker, will actually be living in the home and giving tours. He will also be available to dine with groups for a special Chinese Dinner reminiscent of the dinner the Parker family shared. Another fun free activity will be the showing of A Christmas Story as part of Cleveland Metroparks Drive-In Movie II at the Ledge Pool and Recreation Area in Hinckley on July 16^th at 8 p.m. If you want to watch in comfort inner tubes will be available for rent.

Julie Cotnoir is a freelance writer from Connecticut. She is a special contributor to World Footprints and she writes regularly for The Hartford Courant and Cape Cod Life Magazine.

Tags: A Christmas Story House, Bono, Cleveland Tourism, Ian Petrella, Kalahari Resort, Ohio Tourism, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sandusky, U2

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 11th, 2010 at 5:56 pm and is filed under Family Travel, Hotels and Accommodations, Responsible / Sustainable Travel, Travel Tips, US Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.