Wedding Blog
How do you welcome out of town guests to cities or towns that are not, shall we say, tourist magnets? If we were getting married in New York, DC or Orlando, it would would pretty easy to recommend interesting things for people to do, and interesting places for them to go. But Cleveland? Not so much- or at least not as many obvious places.
Mr. Dahlia and I spent a long time generating a Google map for our website highlighting some of our favorite places. Favorite places including restaurants like Fahrenheit, Paladar and Lolita (owned by Cleveland’s very own Iron Chef, Michael Symon).
Michael Symon picture found here.
Museums like the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rock Hall image from here.
And and other area attractions like the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest.
Cleveland Rainforest pictures found here and here.
But how else could we showcase our town? We’ve thought of doing some sort of out of town welcome bag or packet, but don’t really want to invest too much time or money in doing that.
What are you doing to excite out of town guests about the location of your wedding- especially if it is in a “less desirable” place? And anyone have other thoughts about tourist attractions in Cleveland?
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I was so excited that Chef Symon won the Next Iron Chef competition! I rooted him from the beginning while my husband rooted for Chef Besh. Go SYMON! 
If I was a guest to your wedding, I would definitely hit up all of Symon’s restaurants - just to meet the new Iron Chef!
I wouldn’t go crazy over this. I think you’ve already included plenty of options for people. I was just at a wedding in a different midwestern town and, well, we decided to forget about exploring and instead take advantage of the down time, have a good nap and do some reading. There really isn’t THAT much time around a wedding that you need to fill up, so I wouldn’t worry about entertaining people to such an extent.
I’m having the same problem. We’re getting married in Charlotte, NC and my friends from Cali all want to go “site seeing”. I was asking another area native about her suggestions and she said that “site seeing in Charlotte is like ice fishing in the Bahama’s. You can fish… but there’s no ice.” Hehe. I’m still trying to figure it out. Most of our guest will be so busy from the time they get into town to the time they get out that they won’t have much time, but I can’t wait to hear everyone’s suggestions and ideas.
Jacobs Field!
I would also clue people into places to get good pierogies.
Oh, but I do love Three Birds in Lakewood, if you need other Cleveland restaurants. And the zoo is great!
I totally agree. We just went to a wedding in a smaller city for the weekend. They gave us a list of things to do that all sounded fun- and we ended up just walking around for a few hours, getting lunch and then going to the wedding! It is nice to have some time just to hang out. I think you have given plenty of suggestions for those looking for activities! The one thing I always find helpful is a map- which you are doing- especially highlighting places people can walk to.
Most cities and states have tourism departments with free maps and magazines with area attractions. I use them for out of town guests for our local festival in Minneapolis!! People are really shocked at how much the Twin Cities has to offer, we like to keep it our hidden seceret!
Along with all the restaurants and standard tourist sites we are also scouting out events (think food festivals, concerts, wine tastings) happening that week around town that we could recommend. Since your wedding is in May I would think there would be a number of events around town. Good luck and I so want to eat at Lolita.
I also wanted to add, we put a link to the Visitors Center/Chamber of Commerce on our wedding Web site.
We’re getting married outside of Nashville, which isn’t a typical tourist town like NYC or New Orleans or DC, but there is a lot to do!
I know Cleveland has a GREAT symphony, so you could see if maybe they have a concert that weekend. I know in Houston in May the symphony does quite a few free concerts in a public park which makes for a fun evening.
I always recommend the botanical gardens, an afternoon in chagrin falls, bowling at the corner alley on east 9th, sporting events galore, and for the historical minded: garfield’s grave.
It makes Cleveland sound so horrible - when its definitely not! Theres plenty to do, depending on how go-with-the-flow your guests are. There are so many ethnic things to do - Little Italy, Slavic Village (theres even a China Town - its only 1 block, but its still there - with great food too).
I’m getting married in May in Cleveland as well, and we’re getting a block of tickets to an Indians game the night before the wedding for everyone to get together, eat some hot dogs and watch some baseball. We’re also providing a scavenger hunt for the metroparks (many of our guests are outdoorsy types) and maps of all of the “unique” things that make Cleveland great to us. There are great festivals starting in May too, either downtown or down at Blossom.
We’ll be putting all of this stuff on our website, and just printing it out and leaving it at our designated hotels for our guests.
The most important thing about Cleveland that we’ve learned is that if you don’t look for the fun, you won’t find it….so hopefully if your guests come with open minds and take some of your already great suggestions - they’ll have a great time as well.
Before you give up on the idea of a welcome bag know that it is something that was hugely appreciated by out guests. They can be done on the cheap — we bought snacks, water and supplies at costco and packaged individual packages of nuts, for example, from cheap bulk packages.
Then we spent some time picking up flyers/brochures for our favorite places in the area (those are all free) and included a welcome letter with a few suggested restaurants, near by pharmacies (in case of emergency) and phone numbers for a bridesmaid and groomsmen. I actually really enjoyed putting them together and am so glad I did.
Coventry, maybe? It would be a cool place to walk around and people-watch, they could catch a movie at the Cedar Lee, go to Tommy’s to eat, etc. Not so much a destination, but it would be a fun place for people to kill some time.
OK, I agree that there’s no need to freak out over Cleveland! I went to school there for 5 years and there’s a ton to do! Plus, are your friends/family really the type that are so glamorous that they are off-put by the idea of traveling to a good ol’ midwestern city? I ask b/c your info says you are in Detroit now and are a PhD student.. I’m also a PhD student and I’ve been going to tons of weddings this year and none of them have been anywhere exciting… it’s just normal!
I myself got married in Pittsburgh - another industrial town, and especially funny since my husband is from Cleveland.. we have a great rivalry going on. On my website I included some info on things to do in Pittsburgh.. and yes it’s a good idea to do that if anyone is going to be in town longer. At my last Cleveland wedding, I had a blast taking friends from out of the area around Cleveland Heights, eating at Aladdins, La Gelateria (seriously the.best.gelato.EVER!!), and wandering around Case’s campus to reminisce the old sites with my husband. And my friends who were with us and had never seen Cleveland had a good time and were impressed with the city.
In addition to what you have, I second adding Severence Hall for the symphony, along with the Art museum (both of these are close to Case Western) - the museum is really good, and I’ve been to tons of museums ~ Chicago, Paris, Florence etc etc.. Cleveland is a good city, talk it up!
I live about an hour south of Cleveland…. is it right IN Cleveland or in one of the suburbs?
I suggest you add A Christmas Story House that would be something COMPLETELY unique and quirky if you like that sort of thing!
There are some really nice beaches and parks if you are near Willoughby and Mentor. Geneva-on-the-Lake can be kind of neat in the summer with the carnival like atmosphere. There’s also all of the tons of wineries in the area too.
You can also suggest other things that are a bit of a drive for people that won’t ever be in the area again, Cedar Point, Football Hall of Fame and the like.
Maybe also include scenic spots like lighthouses or covered bridges? What about spots to watch the sunset? There is a really neat dinner cruise boat that I’ve heard really good things.
Another thing I really like to see in guest baskets is WHERE TO SHOP! Because inevitably, someone’s forgot something essential to going to the wedding - a tie, shoes or a dress (for my wedding an entire family forgot to pack their formal clothes for the wedding). Especially in Cleveland (which can be a dizzing city to get around in) it’d be a good thing for the out of towners to have!
Good luck!!!
I love Cleveland! My friend and I started the Emerging Cleveland Tours for home-for-the-holidays young professionals and students (www.emergingcleveland.com). We have some links to things to find out what to do - there’s always http://www.coolcleveland.com too. The Cultural Gardens and University Circle are amazing and if you need more ideas email me
My boyfriend is from Cleveland and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it (I am a Cali girl myself) The metroparks are amazing, and there is some great shopping in Beechwood, and you gotta love the Tribe…but the highlight of any trip for me out to CLE is the West Side Market.
Give them a copy of the Free Times and Scene Magazine for that week. Geez that’s pretty harsh that you call Cleveland “less desirable”! I think it is very desirable - it’s cheaper to live than most big cities and has a huge arts and restaurant scene. I love living here!
Three words: VELVET TANGO ROOM.
Or, four: GREAT LAKES BREWING COMPANY.
I suppose it all depends, for me, on what side of town your guests will be staying on. I wouldn’t send anyone who’s not familiar with Cleveland to the east side, because it can be so hard to get back to a highway (or the west side)!
I’m so happy you’re championing Cleveland, but please don’t adopt the “poor, poor Cleveland” mentality. #18 is right - Cleveland is desirable.
Honestly, though, I’d be just as excited if someone gave me a few dice and a Yahtzee scorecard in a welcome bag, so I could chill in the hotel room and play a game.
1.Malley’s Chocolate
2. Corned Beef Sandwiches-(Barristers West 3rd) Best.
3. Cassata Cake (Little Italy Corbo’s was called best place for Cassata in US–outside of Italy!)
Miss Dahlia, why are you so down on Cleveland? I was so excited to have a bee from the Midwest, but the majority of comments you make about Cleveland are so negative!
Cleveland has a lot to offer, in my opinion. We have a first class Orchestra, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an awesome science center, a playoff-worthy baseball team, and so many ethnic areas. We didn’t plan a weekend full of activities for our guests- most were just in town for one night- but I did have one cousin take the kids to the zoo, and they had a blast. The Metroparks are amazing, and the art museum can be a lot of fun.
Give Cleveland a little bit more of a chance, and you’ll see that your guests can easily have a good time. Don’t stress so much!
Thanks for the suggestions everyone- we’ve also included many of the places you mentioned, including the other museums, botanical gardens, Little Italy, Coventry, etc. Our guests will be staying downtown, and the wedding is in the Heights area- so I have no problem sending them to the East side (also, I’m an East sider myself. Mr. Dahlia is from the W. side, so we are also trying to include some things on the other side of the river.)
Mr. Dahlia and I are really excited to be having our wedding in downtown Cleveland, and to show off our hometown to friends- the blog postings have come off as a lot more negative than I meant them to. I’ll try and change that in future postings, since it doesn’t reflect how we really feel.
I do love the suggestion to give guests a copy of the Free Times and Scene magazine, Kate. It’s a fabulous idea!
This site is great for creating a things-to-do guide for guest
here is cleveland: http://www.professionaltravelguide.com/cleveland/destinations-135495
they have them for other cities too!
My wedding coordinator suggested this site:
It allows you to put in all the key spots (including the reception, ceremony locations, etc.) and upload photos to the “push pin” spots on a google map.
It’s all free, except you can pay a one time fee to personalize the URL to your own name and removes ads.
show your guests where to get good pierogies and slovian sausage! check to see if there are any neighborhood festivals going on the same weekend as your wedding.
my parents both grew up there so beechwood, chagrin falls and the downtown area always seemed like interesting areas to me.
and, add a bottle of the “original stadium mustard” (http://www.stadiummustard.com/) to your guest bags (and send me a bottle while you are at it - I LOVE that stuff)!
I would just like to add Lake Farm Park to the list of attractions. It’s about 25 miles east of downtown but loads of fun for urban guests to get out and see a real farm and pet the animals. Cleveland is subtle: there are tons of awesome things to see and do here, but they just aren’t in your face and necessarily easy to find. Also, I think guests come to a wedding and aren’t necessarily in the market for in your face entertainment. A couple of things to check out local to your host hotel and then a couple of extras requiring a bit of a drive for those looking for a more extensive excursion is more than enough.
And I agree with the need to be more positive about our fair city! Do us proud, Ms. Dahlia
I forgot to mention the West Side Market — all my visitors who I bring there RAVE about it.
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Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/Cleveland
Age and Occupation: 24, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System Administrator
Engagement Date: December 31, 2006
Wedding Date: May 2008
Blogging Since: September 19, 2007
Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in Cleveland
About Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
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