Cleveland's zoo is home to more than 3,000 animals representing some 600 species. The newest exhibit at the zoo is the five-acre African Elephant Crossing, a state-of-the art elephant habitat containing a deep-water swim channel, a shallower swim area with a waterfall, and a kopje rock feeding station offering nose-to-trunk viewing windows. In the African village (modeled after the villages of Botswana), your kids will find a meerkat display, an aviary featuring 10 species of birds native to Africa, and large wildlife viewing decks. The Crossing also exhibits naked mole rats, an African rock python, and a type of miniature antelope known as Kirk's dik-dik.
Another very popular area here is the two-acre, two-story Rain Forest exhibit, which shows off 600 animals and more than 10,000 plants from the jungles of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Here, your kids will meet a troop of orangutans, endangered ocelots, and Asian small-clawed otters, among other creatures. Watch for the tropical rainstorm, which goes off every 12 minutes. In Northern Trek, you'll view cold-climate animals like polar bears, Amur tigers, reindeer, and harbor seals. This area boasts one of the largest collections of bear species in North America. Finally, be sure to check out the Australian Adventure, with its 55-foot-high, Yagga-tree play area. The zoo tram provides free transportation around the zoo, and parking is free, as well.
Cleveland Attractions
 | Cleveland Metroparks Zoo 3900 Wildlife Way Cleveland , OH Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Cleveland Museum of Natural History 1 Wade Oval Drive Cleveland, OH Steggie, a life-sized Stegosaurus, stands guard at the front entrance of this interactive natural history museum. He's not the only dino you'll see here. The museum also displays the oldest sauropod on exhibit anywhere in the world (nicknamed Happy), a 360-million-year-old fish (a dunkleosteus-terrelli nicknamed Dunk), as well as replicas of a triceratops and a T Rex. While dinosaurs take a big bite out of the exhibit space, the museum also houses the largest collection of modern human and non-human primate skeletons in the world (including a skeletal cast of the famous 3.2-million-year-old Lucy, an early hominid found in Africa). The gems and minerals section shows off more than 1,500 sparkly specimens, and the 2.2-acre Perkins Wildlife Center & Woods Garden highlights plants and animals that are native to Ohio. If your kids are into stargazing, you'll want to check out the planetarium, as well. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Great Lakes Science Center 601 Erieside Avenue Cleveland, OH Your kids will completely lose themselves in the hundreds of hands-on exhibits at the Great Lakes Science Center, allowing them to explore the concepts of light, optics, sound, resonance, motion, mechanics, electricity, magnetism, and weather. They can touch a tornado, stand on the Bridge of Fire (a static generator that will make their hair stand on end), and watch their own shadow freeze on the wall in the Shadow Room. Space exploration is a key theme here, especially appropriate because the science center is also the home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center. Space shuttle and lunar lander models, flight simulators, and even the Apollo command module that was part of the 1973 Skylab 3 mission are on display. The center's BioMedTech section delves into medical technology and engineering (and even lets you view the inside of a stomach with an endoscopic camera). The Polymer Funhouse, designed for kids 7 and under, includes a creative play area made from recycled plastics designed to look like a fanciful paddlewheel steamship. The science center also allows visitors to explore a real steamship -- the William G. Mather, a 618-foot restored Great Lakes freighter. An OMNIMAX theater rounds out the offerings at the Science Center. Money-saving tip: On Tuesdays, the Science Center is free to all kids under 18 (accompanied by an adult; does not include the OMNIMAX theater or the William G. Mather steamship). Also, note that the science center's parking garage is not available on days when the Browns play. You can park in surface lots in the area, but you'll pay higher fees than usual, so you'll probably want to use public transportation or plan your visit for another day. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Greater Cleveland Aquarium 2000 Sycamore Street Cleveland, OH Cleveland's newest attraction is the aquarium, which opened January 2012. It's housed in the 100-year-old Powerhouse building, a national historic landmark that once provided the power to the city's streetcars. Animals from Ohio's lakes and rivers are highlighted, as well as the traditional ocean creatures. Expect to see seven-foot sand sharks, stingrays, piranhas, crocodiles, octopus and many other animals. Don't miss the SeaTube, a 145-foot, walk-through clear tunnel that gives you the impression that you're strolling underwater. At the Interactive Coastal Zone, your kids can pet a shark, a stingray, a crab, or a starfish. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1100 Rock and Roll Boulevard Cleveland, OH The first rock concert in the U.S. took place in Cleveland in March 1952, and today the city is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Spanning six decades of rock history, the hall showcases the world's largest single collection of rock memorabilia in an I.M. Pei-designed glass building right on the Lake Erie shoreline. Exploring its six floors, you'll enjoy the memories, and your kids will gain a greater understanding for how rock came to be and how it influenced the world. The six interactive listening rooms alone are worth the price of admission. On display, you'll find Jimi Hendrix's handwritten lyrics to "Purple Haze," Mick Jagger's flag cape, Janice Joplin's hand-painted psychodelic Porche, John Lennon's Sgt. Pepper jacket, Stevie Wonder's harmonica, one of Michael Jackson's glitter-studded gloves -- even Jim Morrison's childhood Cub Scout uniform. You'll also see film clips and interviews of some of the biggest stars in the business. By the way, the hall of fame celebrates not just the rock stars themselves, but also the songwriters, producers, and deejays who were an equally indelible part of rock's history. Money-saving tip: You'll get a discount on parking at the Great Lakes Science Center Parking Garage if you get your parking pass validated at the Hall of Fame's information desk. Best For: Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
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