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Laureen

    North America Travel

    Fun Roadside Attractions Cross Country Interstate 90

    Minnesota and South Dakota

    November 14, 2025
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    Iconic American roads are famous for some fun and crazy roadside attractions. Everything from the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Kansas to Cadillac Ranch in Texas. See a full list here. Since we have driven across the USA multiple times, we have visited some of these quirky and unexpected sites. So on our recent return drive from Maine to Washington State, we visited four more. Here are our suggestions for Fun Roadside Attractions Cross Country Interstate 90.

    SPAM Museum, Austin Minnesota

    Interstate 90

    On our 6 previous cross-country road trips we have wandered around multiple interstates, back roads and the iconic Route 66. But for the purpose of this round trip cross country drive we stuck pretty close to Interstate 90. I-90 is an amazing interstate system that starts in Seattle and ends in Boston Massachusetts. It’s well maintained, and despite parts of the interstate being in wide open and sparsely populated regions, it is safe.

    I-90 Starts in Seattle Washington

    History of Roadside Attractions

    When I was a kid we drove from Seattle to the Redwood Forests and my clearest memory of that trip is a giant Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe! I don’t really remember the trees! US road travel has always been part of the culture, and US entrepreneurs have cashed in on this for generations. Here is what Wikipedia says about the history of roadside attractions;

    When long-distance road travel became practical and popular in the 1920s, entrepreneurs began building restaurants, motels, coffee shops, cafes, and unusual businesses to attract travelers.[4][5] Many of the buildings were attractions in themselves in the form of novelty architecture, depicting everyday objects of enormous size, typically relating to the items sold there.[6] Some other types of roadside attractions include monuments and fictionalized-paranormal/illusionary amusements such as the Mystery Spot near Santa Cruz, California,[7] or curiosities such as The Thing? along Interstate 10 in Arizona.[8]

    With the construction of the U.S. Interstate Highway System in the mid-1950s, many roadside attractions were bypassed and quickly went out of business.[5] Some remained attractive enough to divert travelers from the interstate for a brief respite and thus remain in business. (Wikipedia)

    Filters on photos
    An iconic old gas station on Route 66, 2016.

    Some Quirky and Some Not

    In this post today I’m sharing four US Roadside Attractions we visited on our return trip. Two are a bit quirky, and two were fascinating. Here is our list;

    Jolly Green Giant

    If you grew up in the USA in the 1960’s, the Jolly Green Giant TV Commercial and jingle were part of daily life. The Jolly Green Giant brand of canned and frozen vegetables created the iconic symbol in 1928. The 55 foot fiberglass statue of The Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth Minnesota, right on I-90, was created in 1978. It attracts more than 10,000 visitors a year, including me and my husband in September.

    Jolly Green Giant, Blue Earth Minnesota

    SPAM Museum

    How this humble meat in a square can became an icon around the world is the story you will learn at the SPAM Museum in Austin Minnesota. I was pleasantly surprised by this fun, colorful, interesting, educational and FREE museum. Located in the heart of the historic community of Austin. SPAM (an acronym for Spiced Ham) is manufactured by the Hormel Company. George Hormel founded Hormel Foods which today owns multiple well-known products under many other brand names, such as Applegate, Columbus Craft Meats, Herdez, Jennie-O, Planters, SKIPPY, and WHOLLY. 

    The museum is colorful and fun and kids would love it. There are multiple interactive activities as well as recipes, history, science, a gift shop and free samples! Over 100,000 people visit each year. I really enjoyed our visit and recommend it highly.

    SPAM Museum Austin Minnesota
    SPAM was a staple food during WWII
    Island nations love SPAM . Guam consumes more SPAM than any other place in the world
    Monty Python helped bring SPAM into the psyche with humor

    The Corn Palace

    I arrived at The Corn Palace in Mitchell South Dakota having done zero research and expecting something tacky and kitschy. Absolutely not. We were astonished. It is so much more than a tacky tourist attraction…it is the center of the lovely small historic farming town of Mitchell.

    The Corn Palace website describes the history as;

    Eight years before the turn of the 20th century, in 1892 (when Mitchell, South Dakota was a small, 12-year-old city of 3,000 inhabitants) the World’s Only Corn Palace was established on the city’s Main Street. During it’s over 100 years of existence, it has become known worldwide and now attracts more than a half a million visitors annually.

    The palace was conceived as a gathering place where city residents and their rural neighbors could enjoy a fall festival with extraordinary stage entertainment – a celebration to climax a crop-growing season and harvest. This tradition continues today with the annual Corn Palace Festival held in late August each year.

    Some 500,000 tourists come from around the nation each year to see the uniquely designed corn murals. The city’s first Corn Palace was built as a way to prove to the world that South Dakota had a healthy agricultural climate.     (Corn Palace Website)

    I was astonished by the beauty of the interior performing and sporting venue, as well as the annually-changed exterior murals made of corn and corn byproducts. More than 500,000 people visit the Corn Palace each year. I highly recommend a visit to the Worlds Only Corn Palace when in South Dakota.

    Exterior of the Corn Palace, Mitchell South Dakota
    Gorgeous interior for sports and arts at the Corn Palace
    Exterior Murals are changed annually
    Mural theme for 2026 is Wonders of the World

    Wall Drug

    One of the most famous USA roadside attractions is in the small town of Wall South Dakota, where more than 2 million people a year visit Wall Drug. And to think it all started with free ice water in 1931.

    The depression was raging, offering something free…even water…was unheard of. But Wall Drug founder Theodore “Ted” Hustead, took a chance. He used free ice water and catchy roadside signs to lure visitors on their way to Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. And today, millions of people follow in those same tracks. Today the sprawling complex is a bit tourist kitsch, with tsotskys and old West theme. But, especially for kids, there is a lot of fun to be had. We had a cup of the iconic 5-cent coffee (it was good), walked around on a chilly October day and smiled at the wide range of crazy sights from a giant Jack Rabbit to a T Rex. Something for everyone in Wall Drug, Wall South Dakota.

    Silly Wall Drug, South Dakota
    Touristy trinkets, clothing and art available for purchase in Wall Drug
    Surprisingly good 5-cent coffee
    Annie Oakley

    Driving Across the USA

    Our month long trip covered 16 states and 8400 miles. Sometimes exhausting but always entertaining. I will share one more Road Trip Blog Post coming up…but I hope you enjoyed today’s Fun Roadside Attractions Cross Country Interstate 90. Be sure to see our other posts from our cross country trip; Yellowstone National Park USA, One Day in Chicago Illinois, Cleveland Ohio Museums Not to Miss and Visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

    We are always grateful when you share our posts to your friends and family, pin our posts and comment on our posts. Thank you.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Circle of Days by Ken Follett

    November 12, 2025
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    If I was asked what author I might sit down with and have a beer – I do think I would chose Ken Follett. He is an absolute master and I am a huge fan particularly of his historical fiction. He also is prolific, with over 35 books written since his debut novel The Big Needle in 1974. A hero in my book world – I adore the Kingsbridge series. And his latest work is just as brilliant. Here is my book review Circle of Days by Ken Follett.

    Stonehenge

    Have you been to Stonehenge (estimated to have begun in 3100 BC) I have been twice and it is the kind of place where you have to remind yourself its not fake. Not Disney. Like the Pyramids of Egypt (2700 BC) or Gobekli Tepe Turkiye built in 9500 BC, Stonehenge challenges our minds with the how? How could ancient peoples with no mechanical equipment have created this?

    In the Circle of Day, Ken Follett imagines it for us in an engaging and beautiful novel full of Follett’s signature intrigue and angst. True to form we encounter good and evil, love and religion and most of all, hope.

    Characters

    In an era where hard work and ingenuity is what it takes to survive, we meet Seft. Born to a flint miner family but talented and capable to be more. He is brilliant with the mind of an engineer. At the Midsummer’s Festival he falls in love with Neen from a herder family. Despite their different classes, they find a way to become a family.

    Neen’s sister Joia knows she is destined for something…something great. Her mother sees it too. And when the Midsummer Monument is set ablaze by warring factions, Joia knows her destiny. She will become a High Preistess and dedicate her life to creating giant stone monument.

    Factions and Fractures

    The work will take decades and as a drought ravages the land, the once peaceful region will be plagued with violence between the farmers, herders and woodlanders. It is a time of great sorrow, hunger and uncertainty. Can hard work, perseverance and love conquer all?

    Follett Formula

    Follett certainly has a formula, and although a bit predictable I was still on the edge of my seat as we rooted for the good guys and cursed the bad. A remarkable book and a must read for 2026. If you haven’t been to Stonehenge, you will certainly want to visit after reading Circle of Days by Ken Follett.

    Book Review Circle of Days by Ken Follett

    Thank you for reading my book review Circle of Days by Ken Follett. See last week’s book review The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnet.

    *****Five stars for Circle of Days by Ken Follett.

    We are always grateful when you help us battle the annoying algorithm by commenting, sharing and pinning our book reviews. Thank you.

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    North America Travel

    Visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame

    Cooperstown New York USA

    November 7, 2025
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    As I write this post the Los Angeles Dodgers have just taken the 2025 World Series. Happy for them, despite being a Seattle Mariners fan. It was heartbreaking to have the Seattle Mariners get so close this year…the only Major League team to never have made it to the World Series. But I digress. Because on our amazing cross country USA road trip, we made a detour to Visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York. And we were very glad we did.

    Visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown New York

    Cooperstown New York

    We arrived in Cooperstown on a beautiful, sunny fall day, in mid October. The leaves were beautiful and the wind off Lake Otsego was crisp. This surprisingly pretty little town is surrounded by rural farmland, and is known for apples, berries, corn, wheat, hay and more. The summer months bring many tourists for the lake and boating opportunities. But why in the world is the National Baseball Hall of Fame in this tiny town seemingly in the middle of nowhere?

    Cooperstown sits on the south shore of Lake Otsego

    Why Cooperstown?

    This was my first question, particularly when I realized Cooperstown is definitely off the beaten path. So I went to my trusty source Wikipedia and here is what I learned;

    The Hall of Fame was established in 1939 by Stephen Carlton Clark, heir to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune. Clark sought to bring tourists to the village hurt by the Great Depression, which reduced the local tourist trade, and Prohibition, which devastated the local hops industry. Clark constructed the Hall of Fame’s building, which was dedicated on June 12, 1939. (His granddaughter, Jane Forbes Clark, is the current chairman of the board of directors.) The mythology that future Civil War hero Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown in the 1830s was instrumental in the placement and early marketing of the Hall. (Wikipedia)

    So then, the answer is – it was myth, money and influence.

    National Baseball Hall of Fame is a non-profit organzation

    Visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame

    Baseball. It’s as American as it gets. As James Earl Jones said in the 1989 film “Field of Dreams” ;

    Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki recently inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
    Babe Ruth – Bambino

    “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and could be good again,”

    Babe Ruth was one of five of the original inductees in 1936

    And though the United States is a bit of train wreck right now…baseball helps pull us together. And that is why you should visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

    Plan at least three hours and four would be better. The museum has a fascinating collection of artifacts and tells a great historical story. In addition I found the video clips very entertaining. There is a small section on women’s baseball, as well as sections on Caribbean Islands and Japanese connection to the Major Leagues. Guided tours are also available.

    Hank Aaron was inducted in 1982
    Costumes from the movie A League of Their Own
    Joe DiMaggio was inducted in 1955

    Hall of Fame

    At the end of the museum you will find yourself in the Baseball Hall of Fame, with plaques for all 351 Hall of Fame inductees, including Seattle Mariner greats Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martínez, Ichiro Suzuki, and Randy Johnson.

    Seattle Favorite Edgar Martinez inducted in 2019
    Seattle Favorite Ken Griffey, Jr. was the first Mariner to be inducted in 2016
    Seattle Favorite Ichiro Suzuki is the most recent inductee, 2025
    Although Randy Johnson was inducted as an Arizona Diamondback in 2015, he was a longtime favorite in Seattle

    Tickets are available online and prices are reasonable. Hours change slightly seasonally so learn more at National Baseball Hall of Fame. There are several restaurants and hotels near the museum, and if you have time, Cooperstown is a lovely place. Learn more and plan your visit at This is Cooperstown.

    Restaurants and businesses in Cooperstown keep with the baseball theme
    Historic downtown Cooperstown

    “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way” – Babe Ruth

    You can learn a lot from baseball. It’s both a team and an individual sport. And it’s about strategy and perseverance. Baseball is a childhood backyard right of passage and an adult favorite with a hot dog, family and friends. It’s a father and son having a catch and it’s a grand slam in the 9th inning. It’s part of our history and culture. America’s beloved pastime.

    Proud Seattle Mariners Fan – Me!

    Thanks for reading my post Visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame. See more from our road trip with our posts Yellowstone National Park USA, One Day in Chicago Illinois, and Cleveland Ohio Museums Not to Miss.

    The great and controversial Ty Cobb was inducted in 1936

    Come back next week for more from our month on the road!

    We are grateful for your comments, shares and pins. Thank you.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnet

    November 5, 2025
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    Hilarious and heart warming I fully expect a movie. It is so visual it will be a blockbuster I’m sure. Here is my book review The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnet

    An Unforgettable Road Trip

    Some road trips are planned, some just evolve. This one is a bit of both. But it’s the characters of this novel that really make it so wonderful. An eclectic group of unexpected people connected by circumstance and chance. And one orange tabby cat named Pancakes.

    Comedy of Errors

    What happens when you take one alcoholic sixty-three year old lottery winner and throw in two orphaned kids, an estranged daughter, his ex-wife who is marrying his best friend, a soap opera star and a multitude of other quirky characters along the way? Plus a cat who knows when people are going to die. Well this is The Road to Tender Hearts.

    PJ Halliday

    PJ is an unlikely protagonist of this story. He loves his family but ever since the death of his oldest daughter fifteen years ago nothing has gone right. His wife left him, he drinks too much, and his other daughter Sophie is fed up with him. But when a cat named Pancakes comes into his life he finds hope. PJ decides to drive from Massachusetts to Arizona to track down his high school sweetheart Michelle Cobb at the Tender Hearts Retirement Community.

    The adventure is busting with heartfelt and hilarious moments, as well as several dead people (which Hartnett somehow also makes hilarious), and several police officers. The dark humor makes it laugh out loud and I enjoyed this story tremendously. You will have to read it to find out if everyone lives happily ever after.

    Book Review The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnet

    I envision someone like Tommy Lee Jones or maybe Bryan Cranston in the role of PJ Halliday. I hope it is a movie…but you gotta read the book first.

    *****Five stars for The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnet. Thanks for reading my book review The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnet. See last week’s book review A Family Matter by Claire Lynch.

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    At Home

    The History of Halloween

    Celtic Origins We Celebrate Today

    October 31, 2025
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    Note my facts about The History of Halloween come from The History of Halloween from History.com

    As an adult I look back on so many fond memories of my 1960’s and 70’s childhood, including Halloween. As soon as school began in September we began thinking about and planning for that big day. We always made our own costumes just from found things around the house…never sewing anything elaborate and NEVER purchasing anything from a store.

    Halloween When I Was a Kid

    Unfortunately my parents were not big photo takers so I have only one photo I know of, of me with my siblings on Halloween. That was the year my sister proclaimed she was going to be the Fairy Godmother and I was going to be Cinderella in rags. Okay fine. My brother was a “hippie” and my littlest brother was a cowboy. It was a time in life when it didn’t take a lot ot make us happy.

    With my siblings, maybe around 1970

    In high school and even college we celebrated the holiday with homemade costumes but the trick or treating gave way to parties. Here I’m sharing a few photos I pulled up from those days.

    1979 College
    1975 High School
    At my job 2005
    1983 Newlyweds

    Halloween When My Kids Were Little

    When my kids were little I made their costumes most years and we had a lot of fun with Halloween as a family. In the 1990’s when my kids were young, trick or treating was still safe and the school always had a special event with costumes.

    1988
    1994
    1987
    1995

    Today fewer kids wander the streets, but neighborhoods often have gatherings in safe places.

    The History of Holidays

    I’ve always been fascinated with how our holidays evolved into what we accept today as normal, ever since I discovered that Santa Claus is a fairly new invention. So I have over the years gathered lots of fun information about holiday rituals and their evolution.

    Halloween Began 2000 Years Ago

    The origin of Halloween can be traced 2000 years ago to the Celtic festival called Samhain. This festival was a celebration to ward off ghosts and included costumes and bonfires.

    Ghosts were responsible for death and havoc

    In the 8th Century Pope Gregory III declared that November 1st would be All Saints Day to remember all Catholic Saints and the Samhain festival the day before became known as All Hallows Eve.

    November 1st was also considered the New Year to the Celts and was marked as the end of the harvest and bounty and the beginning of the dark days of winter, a time of hunger and death.

    People believed black cats were witches in disguise

    The Druids (Celtic Priests) gave the Celtic people guidance during this time, when all believed the ghosts were responsible for failed crops, poor health and bad weather. The Druids built bonfires and everyone dressed in costumes to scare away the ghosts. Crops and animals were sacrificed.

    Rome, Of Course, Intervened

    When the Romans conquered this region, the Samhain festival merged with Feralia, a Roman festival similar to Day of the Dead; and Pomona, a celebration of the apple harvest (assumed to be where bobbing for apples comes from).

    Christianity

    By the 9th century the Celtic lands had become Christian and the November 2nd Christian holiday All Souls Day merged with All Hallows Eve (Alholowmesse) and the costume tradition expanded.

    Ritual bonfires helped ward off evil

    Welcome to America

    Colonial America celebrated this holiday, despite the New England Protestant objection due to the pagan origins. As immigrants from many nations came together, the American version of the holiday emerged.

    Early Jack-o-lanterns were carved from turnips

    Outdoor parties, bonfires, scary stories, fortune telling, pranks, games, music and dancing were all part of the early American celebration. By the early 1800’s most communities celebrated an Autumn festival but Halloween as we know it was still a ways away.

    Irish Americans Bring the Tradition

    As Irish immigrants flooded America in the late 19th century, with them came many of the traditions we today associate with Halloween in the USA. This included costumes, Trick-or-Treat for food or money, and the focus of the holiday became more about children.

    Bobbing for apples is an ancient game still practiced today

    But in the 1920’s and 30’s vandals hijacked the holiday with pranks and sometimes drunken violence and many gatherings stopped. By the 1950’s local towns redirected the holiday back to family-focused and encouraged family gatherings. Trick-or-Treating was revived.

    Today’s Halloween

    Small homemade treats gave way to store bought candy in the 1960’s when parents feared for their children eating anything they didn’t know the source of. Today 6 billion dollars are spent annually on Halloween and it is the biggest candy buying time of the year in the USA.

    Halloween candy

    Both children and adults dress up annually, with many adults wearing costumes to their jobs. Halloween parties for kids and adults happen in the weeks ahead of the actual Halloween night.

    Halloween is the second biggest commercial holiday after Christmas in the USA.

    And now you know – the history of Halloween.

    We love it when you pin and share our blog. Happy Halloween!

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review A Family Matter by Claire Lynch

    October 29, 2025
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    I usually don’t use terms like “unputdownable”. But…this book. I almost finished it in one day and would have if my own personal family matters hadn’t gotten in the way. Here is my book review A Family Matter by Claire Lynch.

    Changing Views on Love

    Lynch brings us a story of love in 1982 in England and love in 2022 in England. She gently layers these two timelines to guide the reader through the nuances of societal changes and the wreckage left behind.

    1982

    We meet Dawn, dutiful wife and loving mother of toddler Maggie. Dawn goes about her life raising her child but also feeling like something is missing. She has played the game as women are supposed to; married, children, take care of the house. Things that are “normal” until she meets Hazel. Dawn and Hazel will have a connection that is unplanned but impossible to resist. Dawn is lost as how she should proceed given she loves her daughter.

    2022

    Maggie is now a grown woman with children of her own. Raised by her father after her mother abandoned her when she was four. Maggie and her Dad Heron are very close, always have been, given it was always just the two of them. But when Heron gets a cancer diagnosis, secrets begin to be shared – first covertly and then fully. Maggie is stung. Breathless. Lost. How has this information never been part of her life? How did she not know the truth of what really happened to her mother in 1982.

    Beautiful

    This story is so beautifully written, deep and powerful. Shameful things that unfortunately happened in a different era…with families paying the price for a lifetime.

    *****Five stars for A Family Matter by Claire Lynch. Yes indeed it was “unputdownable”.

    Thanks for reading my book review A Family Matter by Claire Lynch. See last week’s book review Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConoghy.

    We are always grateful when you share, pin and comment on our book reviews. Thank you.

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    North America Travel

    Cleveland Ohio Museums Not to Miss

    October 24, 2025
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    Our recent road trip took us through Cleveland Ohio, a city I had never been to. We happened to arrive on the day the Cleveland Guardians were playing in the MLB Wildcard series. The city was excited about that. But we had decided to make a stop in Cleveland for another reason. We came to see two specific things. So if you are planning a visit, here are two Cleveland Ohio Museums Not to Miss.

    Cleveland is a big baseball town

    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

    So the first thing many people ask is why is the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland? Well it’s pretty simple, it’s about history and money. Cleveland, Ohio has some serious rock roots, including DJ Alan Freed coining the term “rock and roll” and holding the first rock concert. Cleveland also offered a substantial financial commitment for the museum’s construction and demonstrated significant public support with petitions and fundraising, winning out over other major cities in a national competition for the site.

    Saturday Night Live Exhibit
    The King

    By the way, Cleveland recently changed the name of their MLB team from the Indians to the Guardians. My husband thinks they should have been called the Cleveland Rocks. You heard it here first.

    Seattle has a big presence in rock history
    And so does Cleveland

    Why Visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

    You know, even though I’m not a huge country music fan, I visited the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville and loved it. My point is, even if you may not be a fan of all styles of rock and roll (Rockabilly, Blues Rock, Punk Rock, Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock, and Indie Rock) you will find so much of interest. The museum provides in-depth history, costumes and videos, musical instruments and interviews, photos and of course music.

    Hubs enjoying the “Garage” music room

    As a person who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s my visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame reminded me of many moments from my formative years. Things like the death of rock legends Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain. The famous rooftop performance by the Beatles. Michael Jackson’s monumental Moonwalk performance and so much more.

    One of my favorites from my youth
    My husband’s favorite

    Although the museum does cover international performers like the Beatles and others, most of the story told at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is about the USA. The museum looks at the shift that was taking place in the United States at the time and how the changing music of the era propelled the country in a new direction.

    You probably recognize this…

    During our visit we enjoyed dozens of permanent exhibits as well as some revolving exhibits. One recently opened exhibit looks at 50 Years of Saturday Night Live and how the performers on that weekly show mirrored the changing culture of the USA.

    How to Visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

    The museums hours change depending on the season so check the website. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a cashless operation. You can purchase your tickets online ahead of time (as we did) or at the door by scanning a QR Code. Once in the door you are free to enjoy the museum as long as you like.

    The Power of Rock

    Parking is really bad in the area of the museum, so plan ahead to park in one of the pay lots near by. Or like us, get a hotel within walking distance.

    During our visit in late September 2025 the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was undergoing some expansion and construction to provide even more exhibits and a better experience.

    A Christmas Story House

    If you aren’t a fan of the classic 80’s movie A Christmas Story, then I don’t know if we can be friends. Okay just kidding. But A Christmas Story is such a family favorite in the Lund house. Why is it so popular? It balances the idealized nostalgia of Christmas with a witty and realistic portrayal of childhood and family life. The movie’s enduring appeal comes from its universal themes, a unique blend of humor and nostalgia, a memorable narration, and relatable characters that capture the authentic, sometimes chaotic, essence of the holiday season. 

    The house from A Christmas Story
    The Old Man’s Olds
    If You Know You Know… Fra-Gil-Ay

    Take a Guided Tour

    We purchased tickets online ahead of time to take a tour of the iconic house used in the movie. Our guide was excellent and provided so much fun information about how the house was chosen in Cleveland and how it became the museum it is today. During the months of November and December guided tours are not offered, because it is peak season. Self – guided tours of the house are available and tickets are available on line. See the website here.

    Red Ryder BB Gun
    It Was Soap Poisoning

    Since the house became a tourist attraction, several other buildings in the neighborhood have been acquired to house a museum, a gift shop and the famous Bumpus House next door is now available for overnight visits.

    He Looks Like a Pink Nightmare
    The Old Man’s Major Award!
    Oh My God I Shot My Eye Out!

    Where to Stay and Eat

    We only had one night in Cleveland and we stayed just a few blocks from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, at the Hampton Inn Cleveland Downtown. It worked great. We also walked to have dinner at one of Cleveland’s highest rated restaurants, Cordelia. It was incredible and I highly recommend it. Located on historic 4th street, now a pedestrian only area near the baseball stadium. Don’t miss Cordelia.

    Cordelia is one of Cleveland’s best
    Unique take on Midwest cuisine
    Historic 4th Street

    Cleveland Ohio Museums Not to Miss

    I would have loved another day or two in this city, a place I had never been before. But we made the most of our short time in this historic Midwest town, and I am glad we did. If you have an upcoming visit to Cleveland, be sure to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and The Christmas Story House. Two very different experiences in Cleveland.

    Long Live Rock

    Thank you for reading my post Cleveland Ohio Museums Not to Miss. See last week’s post One Day in Chicago Illinois. Be sure to come back soon for more fun from our USA Road Trip 2025.

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