Ideas for a fun date in Cleveland, April 11-13?
March 30, 2010 12:04 PM   Subscribe

If anyone lives in Cleveland, I'd like hear your suggestions for a fun date.

I travel to Akron, OH once or twice a month for business. On my last trip I went on a blind date with a friend of a friend, and it went well so I'm going to see her again when I'm there April 11-13. I want something fun & entertaing so we can talk - we're still getting to know each other, so now is not the time for an overzealously romatic date. A fun (not classical) concert, outdoor festival, or something similarly social would be ideal. Something on 4/11 would be ideal, but the 12th and 13th are possibilities (and if there's something amazing on the 10th, I could even look at changing my travel schedule).

She had to plan the date last time, and I want to plan it this time so she's not always the one who has to plan. I'd like to find something fun that takes a couple of hours and would let us talk - so dinner and a movie is out :).

I've been on cleveland.com and clevelandmagazine.com, but I can't find exactly what I'm looking for. Right now the best I can find is the Cirque du Soleil: Alegria show - sure, there wouldn't be much talking during the show, but Cirque shows are really fun and could lead to good conversation after the show, so I'm going with that if we can't find anything more social.

Expense isn't a big consideration - I'm willing to pay for something entertaining like the Cirque show. Thanks in advance for your ideas!
posted by Tehhund to Grab Bag (18 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
The Indians home opening is on the 12th. Good place to talk in a relaxed way and also to be entertained (fill any silences) too.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:15 PM on March 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


The Cleveland Botanical Gardens are lovely and would be a fun place to take a date.

Coventry has a lot of fun shops and cute restaurants.

Little Italy has super yummy restaurants and a nice ambiance.

This design guide to Cleveland also has a lot of ideas for restaurants and places to visit in Cleveland.

Best of luck on your date! My husband courted me in Cleveland and I miss the city dearly.
posted by shesbookish at 12:22 PM on March 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Lakeview Cemetery would be a wonderful place to explore while chatting.
posted by susanvance at 12:30 PM on March 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Drive-By Truckers are playing on the 11th at the Beachland Ballroom. Never seen them live, but I like their albums. Could be a fun show.
posted by backwards guitar at 12:44 PM on March 30, 2010


The Cleveland Museum of Art is great, but may not be your kind of thing. If you've never been there, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is great, although I know a few people in Cleveland who think there's not much "new" there.
posted by QuantumMeruit at 1:13 PM on March 30, 2010


Depending on your inclinations, La Cave du Vin may be the best bar in Cleveland. There's something magic about walking down a nondescript staircase and through an office-like hallway, opening an ordinary-looking door and coming into a stone-lined, wood-framed reproductions of a pastoral French wine and beer cellar. They have truly preposterous selection of drinks, and a friendly and informative staff. The music isn't too loud, and on the rather tasteful side of rock (well, tasteful compared to all the other bars in Cleveland).

It's on the corner of Euclid Heighs Boulevard and Coventry, very close to the Grog Shop (a good concert venue), the Cedar Lee theatre (indie movies and alcoholic slush puppies), and some good restaurants.
posted by Jon_Evil at 1:17 PM on March 30, 2010


Do you have any interest in stuff in Akron?
posted by box at 1:28 PM on March 30, 2010


Response by poster: Wow, thanks for the great ideas everyone! I'll have to digest them when I get home from work, but I think I have the next 3 or 4 dates covered with all of this.

box, I'd like to hear about Akron if you have a suggestion.
posted by Tehhund at 1:33 PM on March 30, 2010


It's been a while since I've been to Akron, but:

The Akron Art Museum is pretty nice, considering the size of the city. Akron and Cleveland both have some excellent Metroparks. Akron's Highland Square neighborhood has some nifty little shops and bars and suchlike. There's Luigi's Pizza, which wins best-in-town awards every year, and Chrissie Hynde's Vegitteranean, a destination restaurant for vegans and vegetarians. Dunno if there's anything going on there, but the Akron Civic Theater is a beautiful building.
posted by box at 1:41 PM on March 30, 2010


Drive-By Truckers are playing on the 11th at the Beachland Ballroom. Never seen them live, but I like their albums. Could be a fun show.

I have seen the DBT live 3 times and all 3 shows were terrific. Only issue is volume levels. They do not play at anything less than 9.

But, if you were thinking of music, this will be a great show.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 1:52 PM on March 30, 2010


The West Side Market is fun. You can buy lunch and find the stairs up to the observation desk in the main hall and eat while you watch the activity.

Following that you could go on the Great Lakes Brewery tour.
posted by hydrophonic at 4:00 PM on March 30, 2010


April is technically Springtime in Ohio, but don’t count on particularly nice weather. It could snow.

Cleveland+Eastern Suburbs

Seconding La Cave du Vin. There is an awesome independent clothing store across the street, Brigade, as well. You might even catch its owner at La Cave.

Nighttown is a great outdoor/indoor Jazz club with a great bar and menu.

The Cleveland Institute of Art’s Cinematheque is always showing awesome films from all over the world.

University Circle has some pretty interesting things to do, as well.

Many of my friends are quite fond of The Mad Greek.

Felice is an excellent fusion of Spanish, American, and other European foods.

If you’re going to Akron, definitely look into Crave, it’s a fantastic restaurant (with a full bar as well in a different seating area) with a HUGE tasting menu.

IMHO Vegiterranean—as a vegetarian myself—is awesome. You may leave hungry if you are accustomed to eating higher-calorie meals with meat.

If you’re coming from a more prosperous or interesting city, such as NYC, Chicago, Omaha or Cincinnati, I think that downtown may be more of a letdown, unless you really like professional baseball or loud clubs.

Ohio is smoke-free, which is awesome. So if you’re coming from Louisville or something, enjoy your stay.
posted by vkxmai at 7:11 PM on March 30, 2010


If you're looking for something closer to Akron, the southern end of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is fun. I am a bike rider and really enjoy the Towpath Trail. At Peninsula, one of the busiest parts of the trail, you can rent bikes. Best part is that there is a Winking Lizard restaurant right by the trail, which is one of the only restaurants in the area and fun place to have a casual type dinner date. Have fun!
posted by greatalleycat at 7:20 PM on March 30, 2010


Best answer: Okay, work with me here. This will take place on Sunday the 11th north of and in Akron

First, bring your binoculars (or check to see if your date has binoculars). Go to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, drive to Bath Road and park on the side of the road. Look south and you will see a rookery with over one hundred blue herons nesting and flying about in the treetops. Be a little bit in awe. Talk about nature back home or something.

Then drive to Sarah's Vineyard. They're closed on Monday and Tuesday, which is why you need to do this on Sunday. Buy some wine. Drink some wine. Look at art. Neck a bit.

After that, go eat. I don't care where. Luigi's is good, as is Vegitteranean. Heck, go to Swenson's Drive In and sit in your car for really awesome burgers and shakes. Yes, this is a pretty casual date, but you're a pretty casual guy, and you want to show that you did a little research about her hometown and that you aren't a stiff. Neck a little more.

After that, you're on your own. Good luck.
posted by Avogadro at 7:22 PM on March 30, 2010 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks again for the suggestions - I don't even know if I'll be in Akron often enough to cover everything, and these are great ideas.

Avogadro, I love the details. That's definitely the plan for my next trip (in May).
posted by Tehhund at 9:07 AM on March 31, 2010


Response by poster: Thanks for the ideas - it went very, very well, so I get to use more of these suggestions next time is see her! :)
posted by Tehhund at 10:25 AM on April 12, 2010


Oh, splendid! As the weather becomes more pleasant, there will be concerts at Blossom Music Center as well as the annual festivals throughout Northeast Ohio.
posted by Avogadro at 7:57 AM on April 22, 2010


Final update:
Reader, she married him.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:28 AM on December 27, 2018 [12 favorites]


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