Travel Advice

1. When I went 3 years ago, I did not stand and read every plaque on every piece of memorabilia. If you do, you could probably spend 4 hours there. My friend and I were out in about 90 minutes.

2. I don’t know if there’s a best place, but there’s a mall store called Sportstown (one at Southpark in Strongsville) that carries a ton of jerseys.

3. and 4. I developed this guide to Cleveland for the Indians’ SBN blog Let’s Go Tribe. That should give you ideas/answers.

I know that the Browns’ team shop is open at the stadium from 11-5 on non-game days.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. is definitely worth a visit. You can also park behind he historic West Side Market for free and walk through to get there. Food is a little pricey at GLBC, but very good. Or, you could get a Steve’s Gyro (as seen on Man Vs. Food) and a Maha’s Falafil at the Market and just grab beers at Great Lakes. They were out of Christmas Ale at the restaurant on Friday, by the way.

Ninety minutes is about right for the HOF. A little longer is the NFL Films theater is still there.

The Happy Dog over on the west side is a great place to grab a bite and some beers. The main thing they have to eat is hot dogs, but they have something like 60 toppings to choose from.

Also, some of the places around the west side market are great for a gyro or po boy. Hot Sauce Williams for BBQ

I think the Clevelander is a popular bar as well.

Also – about the jersey. If you want a “real” jersey ($120ish?) you may have to go to the team shop. If you want the type of jersey with the thinner material and printed names and numbers you can find them about anywhere in Cleveland. Dicks, Sears even Wal-Mart for about $25.

I live 20 minutes from the HOF, been there twice. A good 90 minutes will suffice unless you get stuck playing Madden with a friend or trying to beat someone in the throwing challenge.

1. It depends on how much you want to see. My first time there, I think I spend maybe 2 hours and then I still missed a lot. there are a lot of interactive areas too that are cool.

2. I would just say the team shop. If you want a legit jersey that is the best place to go. I don’t know if they are more expensive, but I would imagine it would be about the same anywhere for an authentic jersey.

3. There are tons of great places. pretty much all of them on Rolub’s list. I did think of a couple places that have great burgers that weren’t mentioned (not point in mentioning places again). If you are in the richfield area (between cleveland and akron) there is a place whitey’s i have been to a couple times that has good burgers. If you are in the Cleveland Heights/Shaker Heights area, Academy Tavern has delicious burgers. Also, out in Orange/Solon American tavern makes a mean burger. these places all have good beer on tap and many have great lakes on tap.

4. If not go to the actual brewery/restaurant, at least pick up a 6 pack at the supermarket. most supermarkets in the area that I have seen do stock it.

(one last burger place): This is not a casual sit down place where you can crack open a beer and have a burger, but it is worth checking out. Swensons. Its fast food, but its amazing.

sigh I wish I could revisit Cleveland. I was just barely 18 when I left, I feel like there’s so much I missed out on! If I am able to come back for a few, I will draw heavily from your guide, Rolub. I have attended quite a few games at Jacob’s Field, one Cavs game at the Gund, and even 3 Crunch games (yes I know they’re called the “Force” now, or w/e…for my money, you cannot beat Otto Orf. That guy was the bombdizzle.), but no Browns game! I will most certainly rectify this next time I come to NE Ohio. Thank you all for reminding the world that Cleveland Effin Rocks, and if you don’t like it—go F yourself. (Looking at you, Señor James!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_2ANHLi8RA

Hey – DN! How bout a little "What I Did On My Trip To The HOF And Cleveland Report?

you got it!

What I Did On My Trip To The HOF And Cleveland Report

I went with a friend of mine who is a Vikings fan, but not nearly as avid an NFL fan as I am. We left about 6:30am, got to the HOF about 10:30am. As it was my first time there, I was very excited and hoped I wouldn’t be let down; this was certainly not the case.

Without recapping the entire HOF, the highlights for me were the first section that recaps the early history of professional football and the HOF room with the busts. I took about 100 pictures of anything and everything. You don’t realize how fantastic the bronze bust room is until you walk into it. The Super Bowl theater was really cool too, great sound and huge picture. My friend enjoyed it, but not as much as I did. We were there about 2 1/2 hours. I thought it was completly worth the trip and am sure I’ll go again. On a Browns related note, It was great to see a lot of Otto Graham and Jim Brown stuff there, and there is a giant Browns 1948 AAFC Champs banner hanging in one of the stairwells. The HOF really reminded me of how important the Browns have been to Pro Football history, despite the current state of the team.

Next, we went up to Cleveland. My buddy was stationed in Germany while in the military, so our first stop was the Hansa Import Haus for some groceries: german beer, cheese, chocolates, and bolognas. Great place. Then we went to the GLBC for early dinner. I had the beer sampler and a black and blue burger. Very good stuff. York Street Bitter was my favorite. I was a little disappointed because the West Side Market was closed yesterday. Finally, we went to the Tower City Center and I bought a Joe Thomas jersey at Champs for $39.98. We looked at the Christmas lights outside, then headed back home. I wish I would have had more time in Cleveland to do some more things. I think I’ll head back out in the summer for an Indians game and an overnight stay.

Thanks to everyone who offered tips. I jotted them all down for next time I come out.

Just had my first Xmas ale tonight, been attempting to drink that beer for over 2 years.

The Cadillac Ranch is a good place for food and beverages in downtown Cleveland. Browns fans galore too.