How to Spend 3 Days in Cleveland, Ohio: A Complete Itinerary
Introduction
Planning a weekend trip to Cleveland? Steal our 3 day Cleveland Itinerary! We did all of the research so you don’t have to! We were in town for a Guardians game and found so much to do, we found it hard to pack it all in to a weekend!
Day 1: Botanical Gardens & Head Spa
Botanical Gardens
The first thing we did when we got to Cleveland is go to the Botanical Gardens. After a couple hours in the car, drinking too much caffeine, it was nice to get out to explore and stretch our legs. It was a great first stop! It’s a quiet and peaceful sanctuary in the commotion of the city.
The garden is divided up in to sub-gardens, such as the Madagascar Glasshouse, a Japanese garden, rose garden, and they even have a little waterfall section. The waterfall was our favorite, we love waterfalls and always look for them when we’re planning hikes/trips! You can grab a map when you check in to find what you’re looking for or just slowly wind around the paths and let them guide you around. The different gardens sprawl between their indoor and outdoor spaces, so be mindful of the weather when you’re planning. They have an onsite cafe where you can purchase little picnic kits to eat out on their patio area and if we weren’t getting lunch right after, we would have gotten one!
While planning, we recommend allocating ~1-2 hours to the gardens. We spent a little over an hour exploring, but it was hot and we did not spend as much time exploring the outdoor gardens as is possible! They also have kid specific gardens/areas that we did not explore, so if you have kids make sure you allocate some extra time - we think they will want to stay and play!
Tickets are $21 per adult and $15 per child. We also parked in the parking garage below, which was $12. They are open 10am-5pm most days and you can find a list of their programs on their website. They did a butterfly release while we were there which was a great hit with all the kids!
Westside Market
Westside Market is like a giant food market where you can get anything from fresh baked bread to fish! As people who love food, the market was such a great experience! Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s fun to walk around and window shop at all the wonderful food and vendors they have!
If you are staying close by and have a kitchen, this is a great place to buy local ingredients to cook with! On top of the hall you see above, they also have a little hall dedicated to produce (with the best looking fruits and vegetables we’ve seen!). We bought some fresh figs because Georgia has been obsessed with them since she got some in Scotland (check out her itinerary!). While in the market, we bought way too many desserts - but how could we resist when they looked (and tasted) so good! If you buy food in the market, there is not a dedicated eating area, but if you go upstairs (on the opposite side of the cafe), you can find a little seating! Even if you don’t get any food, we recommend checking it out because it offers a great vantage point of the market!
If you’re looking for something to eat, we recommend the Westside Market Cafe. Its a cafe attached to the market that uses ingredients from the market vendors. It’s a great way to explore multiple vendors without having to purchase a bunch since you’re only visiting. We went and got a couple of sandwiches and it was great!
The market is free, but does have a paid lot you can park in. If you are just exploring the market, we think allocating about 1 hour would be good! If you want to explore the market and the cafe probably about 1.5-2 hours. We spent an hour and a half and got lunch at the cafe as well as had a couple of desserts in the upstairs seating.
Cleveland Head Spa
This is probably one of the more unique things we did on our trip, but totally worth it! Paired with the botanical garden, it makes for a very relaxing day! If you’ve never heard of a head spa before, let me introduce you to your new favorite thing! A head spa is kind of like a massage for your head. They start the experience by looking at your scalp and discussing any issues you have or any problems you might experience. And then you get to lay down while they wash your hair, exfoliate, and basically massage your scalp.
We got the Rooted Refresh which is their lowest priced experience and is $175 (plus we left a tip as well). And while it is a bit expensive, we treated ourselves for our birthday and it was worth every penny. The time went by too fast and we wished we could stay longer. If you aren’t interested in someone washing your hair, they also offer facials! We haven’t done it, but the women in the shop were absolutely lovely so we’re sure the experience will be great!
We know its expensive so totally understand if you don’t want to do it! If you opt to skip out on the head spa in this itinerry, we recommend either just having some extra time in your hotel/airbnb or you can visit the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. This is right next to the botanical gardens, so we would recommend visiting them one right after the other and sharing parking!
Day 2: Boat Ride & Guardians Game
Breakfast at Le Petit Triangle
We recommend starting your day at Le Petit Triangle Cafe! It’s a small French Cafe in Ohio City and it was some of the best food we had in the city! I still think about my Fried Green Tomato Benedict. Being in Ohio City, it might be a little bit of a drive if you are staying in the downtown area. That being said, it was definitely worth any drive you might have. We spent ~$30/person, so it can be a bit on the pricier side. We all got an entree and a drink (mimosas!) so you can definitely make it a little bit cheaper by not getting a drink. The drinks were very good though, so worth the price!
If you’re looking for a more budget friendly breakfast, we also got Phoenix Coffee which had great drinks and also looked like it had some good pastries as well. They also have a few locations around the city, so you should be able to find one close to where you’re staying!
Scenic Boat Ride
After breakfast, we’re heading down to the waterfront! We got tickets on the Good Time III boat! If there’s a chance to do a boat tour, we will take it - we love being out on the water! There are a couple different boat companies you can take as well as renting your own little boat. For us, the Good Time III had the most options for times and types of cruises and is probably the most kid friendly if you are taking little ones with you! They offer sight seeing tours, sunset cruises, dining cruises, and entertainment cruises! There’s an option that anyone will enjoy and something that will fit in to your schedule!
We went on the last sightseeing cruise at 3pm and loved it. We cruised around learning about the history of Cleveland and the port and enjoyed the sunshine and breeze. The boat has a little food station on board that sells snacks as well as drinks. It’s cashless, so make sure to have a card with you! The cruise takes you along the river, so while you get great views of Lake Erie, you aren’t necessarily going to be out on the lake itself - keep that in mind when booking if you are wanting to get out on Lake Erie itself. Not to detract from the tour, because it was genuinely so much fun and the best way to see the Cleveland skyline and we would do it again in a heartbeat!
We went to a Guardians game after our boat tour, so for parking we parked closed to the stadium and walked down to the waterfront so we wouldn’t have to pay for parking twice. And if you’re not worried about walking too much, we recommend it! Its a great way to be able to explore the city as well. We explored the Arcade as well as the library on our way down to the waterfront! If you need closer parking, there are garages and parking spaces closer to the waterfront! And if you’re looking for a snack or meal before/after your tour, Nuevo (the restaurant right by the boat docking) has the best chips and queso and their margaritas are delicious!
Cleveland Guardians Game
After the boat ride, catch a Guardians Game! We don’t think you have to enjoy baseball to enjoy the experience of the game! We love baseball and created our trip around going to the game, so this was a highlight for us! There is so much to explore around the stadium as well! If you’re looking for a game, make sure to check their promotional schedule as they have fireworks, $1 dog nights, and hand out free merch before the game! The stadium typically opens about an hour before the game starts, so we recommend getting there early to explore the stadium before the game starts and also give yourself a bit of time to find parking as well! It can get busy around the arena before the game.
If you’re looking for food in the stadium, we recommend grabbing a slider dog or the spicy thai french fries! Terrace Hall is also a great place to hang out as well! Its on the 4th floor of the stadium so it offers a great view overlooking the field and has a bar and food as well!
We got tickets on the lower level, but honestly, this would have been a great experience no matter where you sit! Just like the terrace hall, the upper decks offer a great view overlooking the entire field. We can’t say they’ll win, but we can say you’ll have a great time while you’re there!
If you’re looking for a good place to eat around the stadium, we recommend checking out East 4th Street. The street has lots of restaurants and bars you can grab something before going to the stadium. We loved Butcher and the Brewer! They had a kimchini that was delicious and they make their own seltzers!
Day 3: Breakfast & Shopping
Brunch at The Lakeouse
Since this is the last day in Cleveland, we took things a little slower today! Just like yesterday, we’re going to start our day with brunch. Today, we’ll be at The Lakehouse! If the weather is nice, definitely make sure you get a seat on the patio! You can have brunch, sip your mimosa, and watch the boats float by! If you haven’t caught on yet, we love the coastal vibe. And while Cleveland is on a lake, it can feel coastal and this restaurant embodies that!
Not only did we love the vibe, but the food was good too! Again, this is a little bit more of an expensive restaurant, but the vibes, food, and drinks are good. If you are looking for something a little more affordable, there’s a bagel shop right next door, so you can grab a bagel and walk along the water.
Shopping
After brunch, we stopped at 2 shops! The first one was Horizontal Coffee and Books. And if you know anything about us, you know that we bought way too many books! If you aren’t in to books, still stop by, they have great drinks too. The store is a bookstore/coffee shop combo, so you can grab a coffee and wander the shelves looking for your next read. It’s also a discount bookstore (our favorite kind!) so the more books you buy, the more % off you receive, up to 70% off!
The second shop we stopped in to was Shore Society! Shore Society is a coastal boutique that has the cutest coastal sweaters and jewelry. Its pretty small, so I wouldn’t plan to spend a ton of time here, but they do have cute stuff, so still worth a stop in!
Conclusion
Cleveland is the perfect weekend getaway! There’s tons to do, so you can customize your weekend to do anyhing and everything you could dream of! We hope this 3 day itinerary was a helpful jumping off point for your own trip (or copy it entirely!). We loved Cleveland and will definitely be back and we hope you will too!