10 Best Museums in Cleveland

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is among the most iconic music museums in the world, offering a look at the entire history of rock, pop, and other music. Here you can see such amazing things as Jimi Hendrix's guitar, outfits worn by the Beatles and instruments they played, handwritten lyrics from legendary artists, and a wealth of rock memorabilia from physical artifacts to photographs and ephemera. The building itself is also iconic, in the shape of a pyramid from the ground but resembling a record on a turntable from the air.

If you have any interest in music and music history, you'll see things here you can't find anywhere else. It's in the heart of downtown.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is a historic institution that is among the most visited in the nation, with a permanent collection ranging from ancient Egypt to the modern day. It was endowed in 1913, and the front façade is in the grand neoclassical style. The full collection spans over 45,000 items with several thousand on display at any one time. Not only can you see original paintings from Renaissance masters and sculptures from the ancient world, but you can also see such unusual artworks as medieval weapons and armor.

In addition, the museum houses one of the most important and largest art libraries in the United States. It's only 12 minutes northeast of downtown Cleveland.

The A Christmas Story House is the home used for exterior and interior shots in the iconic film and is stocked with authentic period furnishings and decor. Across the street is a museum filled with artifacts, props, costumes, and more. You can spend the night in the house as a B and B, then check out the famed Red Ryder BB gun and leg lamp at the museum, plus a number of other unique props and costumes.

If you are a fan of Ralphie, Randy, Mom, and Pop from the famed holiday film, this quirky museum is an unforgettable spot to visit. It's just 10 minutes south of downtown.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a historic institution offering a complete look at world history from 225 million years ago through to the modern day. The museum recently celebrated its centennial anniversary. It's famed for its mascot stegosaurus sculpture named "Steggie" and for its vast collection of dinosaur fossils and ancient human skeletons. You can also see the taxidermied remains of the famed husky Balto and explore a full planetarium to learn about astronomy and the future of space exploration.

This museum is a science and history wonderland for adults and kids alike. It's also only 13 minutes northeast of downtown Cleveland.

The Great Lakes Science Center is a science and technology museum with dozens of interactive and hands-on exhibits exploring the history of science from the wheel to space exploration. Kids will be thrilled to learn about the development of machines and technology while exploring steam-powered machinery from the 19th century and the development of computer technology from Babbage's Difference Engine through to modern-day mobile devices. You can even visit the Skylab 3 Apollo Command Module and other space exploration artifacts.

The dozens of galleries here include hundreds of photos, documents, and items to educate and thrill kids of every age, including grown-up kids. It's right in the heart of downtown.

The Children's Museum of Cleveland is located in a historic mansion offering art rooms, a 2-story play area, water tables, and dozens of interactive exhibits for fun and education. Kids will learn how to socialize with others and make friends while they play in gigantic dollhouses and miniature dioramas, and view exhibits that enable them to build, engage creativity, and learn about things like science and technology all while playing pretend.

This is a place where you can bring the kids and spend all day learning through play, and many of the exhibits are as adult-friendly as they are kid-friendly. It's on the former Millionaires' Row just 10 minutes east of downtown.

The USS Cod Submarine Memorial is a genuine World War II-era submarine and museum that lets you learn what life was like on a submarine during the war. You can climb aboard the sub and explore the entire ship. It's among the best-preserved submarines in the nation and was in active service from 1943 to 1971. It received a whopping 7 battle stars for its service in the Second World War. It also features a memorial to the nearly 4,000 servicemen and women who gave their lives serving aboard submarines.

If you're remotely into military history, this is a moving tribute to all those who put their lives on the line for our nation. It's right downtown.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, or moCa, is an ultramodern, sleek gallery featuring unique and diverse exhibits showcasing the most important artists of our day. Not only is it filled with sculptures, paintings, drawings, photographs, and multimedia, but it also offers educational programs, guest speakers, and even performance art all housed in an edgy steel building that unto itself is a work of modern art. The exhibits change regularly, so you'll almost always find something new to see, all hosted in open, airy spaces that don't feel crowded, even at the busiest times.

The museum is open 6 days a week. It's also just 15 minutes northeast of downtown Cleveland.

The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick is one of the more unique and unusual museums in town, focused on New Age religions and magical practices. The collection has been carefully cultivated by an iconic practitioner of modern witchcraft, Raymond Buckland, whose "Complete Book of Witchcraft" is an essential tome for many practicing New Age philosophies today. This is the first museum in the U.S. to celebrate witchcraft and occult sciences and philosophy, and the surrounding cultures. Exhibits include photographs, documents, artifacts, and memorabilia tracing the history of witchcraft throughout the ages.

The museum features multiple rotating exhibits, and visitors are often surprised to learn that these philosophies aren't what they thought. It's only 12 minutes south of downtown Cleveland.

The Crawford Auto Aviation Museum explores the entire history of transportation both on land and in the air with a vast collection of vehicles from bicycles to spacecraft. The collection includes over 205 vehicles and artifacts, with around 170 cars, 12 aircraft, and 3 antique carriages. You can see vehicles originally built in Cleveland as well as get up close and personal with a classic P-51 Mustang aircraft just like those used in World War II. The oldest car on display is an 1897 Panhard et Levassor.

This unique museum allows you to see the full history of transportation and connect to it in a personal, tactile way. It's 13 minutes northeast of downtown.