Your University Circle Winter Bucket List
Posted on 01/09/23 by Nicole in Winter in the Circle
Last updated January 9, 2023. Some information may be out of date.
Cleveland's eds, meds, and arts & culture district always has activities and events going on. Keep reading to plan your next visit to the Circle!
1. Go ice-skating on The Rink at Wade Oval
Take winter out for a spin on the fresh ice at The Rink at Wade Oval! Proudly sponsored by PNC Bank.
2. Explore a different country at the Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes almost 45,000 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. Having recently completed an ambitious, multi-phase renovation and expansion project across its campus, the museum is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, performing arts, and art education. It is one of the top comprehensive art museums in the nation and free of charge to all.
3. Escape to a tropical garden
For seventy-five years, Cleveland Botanical Garden has been one of Northeast Ohio’s treasures. It is a sanctuary for those who live and work in the city; a source of inspiration and information for gardeners; a living laboratory for students, teachers, and researchers; a healing presence for those with special needs; and a catalyst for urban revitalization. Garden guests enjoy delightful surprises, quiet moments, and lots of fun as they explore 10 acres of beautiful outdoor gardens and the 18,000-square-foot Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse. Your Glasshouse adventure takes you into the Costa Rican rainforest full of lush plants, butterflies, and birds, as well as to the spiny desert of Madagascar, where prickly plants, out-of-the-ordinary blooms, and wonderfully weird plants and animals welcome you.
4. Enjoy a concert at Severance Music Center
Long considered one of America’s great orchestras, The Cleveland Orchestra stands today among the world’s most-revered symphonic ensembles. In concerts at home in University Circle's Severance Music Center, at Blossom Music Center, and on tour, The Cleveland Orchestra continues to set standards of performing excellence and imaginative programming that serve as models for audiences and performers alike. Severance Music Center, the Orchestra's home from September through May, is hailed as one of America's most beautiful concert halls.
5. Pretend you're flying at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is reinventing the Museum experience with an expansion, a complete reimagining of its campus and all its exhibits, and the addition of new public spaces. During this time, some areas may be temporarily closed, but there is still plenty to see while these exciting improvements are underway.
In partnership with D3D Cinema, the Museum is hosting two Birdly flight simulators in Fawick Gallery. Birdly’s immersive technology will take you on a full-body, perfectly synchronized virtual-reality journey. Choose from a selection of flying avatars, from pterosaurs to birds, and enjoy the North American premiere of Butterfly, a new garden/pollinator POV flight simulator using next-level gaming graphics.
Birdly’s precise sensory-motor integration delivers an exhilarating, breathtaking experience. Through a synthesis of haptic engineering, robotics, game design, and biomechanics, Birdly eliminates the queasiness-inducing sensory disconnect of conventional VR.
6. Eat local in Little Italy
This historic section of Mayfield Road harkens the early 19th century when the pace was a little slower, business was done with a handshake, and everybody knew everybody else. Little Italy is also contemporary – a home for artists and artisans of ceramic, glass, fabric, paper, hip salons, and coffee roasters. Wafting through the air are sweet and savory scents of the finest Italian cuisine, grab-and-go cafe food, and of course plenty of pastries and sweets.
7. Learn about the history of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio
The Cleveland History Center houses exhibits that tell the story of Northeast Ohio through items, documents, and artifacts from a variety of collections. Through the use of its vast and varied collections in the areas of family history, community history, entrepreneurship, and technological innovation, Cleveland History Center provides the public with a much-needed sense of place in today’s mobile society, and a base for learning about invention and ingenuity that can be transferred into modern economic expansion.
A visit to the Cleveland History Center ignites a lifelong curiosity about Northeast Ohio’s rich heritage and establishes a starting point for visitors to begin cultivating their own chapter in the ever-evolving story of our region. These stories come alive through our collections, exhibits, and signature events.
8. Walk around Wade Lagoon
Adjoining the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Fine Arts Garden features the picturesque Wade Lagoon, perfect for a leisurely stroll, family picnic, or even a wedding in University Circle. Take in the breathtaking sights of University Circle including the historic Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church, as well as the many sculptures and monuments throughout the Garden.
9. Tour the last remaining Pre-Civil War home in University Circle
The Cozad-Bates House Interpretive Center adds a critical missing piece to the cultural offerings of University Circle and is integrally connected to the ongoing community education efforts of UCI and our partners. A new interpretive center, open Saturdays from Noon-4:00 p.m., highlights this area’s history as a center of anti-slavery activism and honors those seeking freedom through indoor exhibits and outdoor installations.
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