Cleveland History Center
Cleveland History Center
4.5
Thursday
12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
The Cleveland History Center (CHC) headquarters for Western Reserve Historical Society, 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.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
189 reviews
Excellent
120
Very good
57
Average
9
Poor
1
Terrible
2
Gail J
20 contributions
Jan 2020
The history of Cleveland is not to be missed. It starts on one end and goes on and on. I live here and still learned sooo much. With your admission, you get two tickets to ride the former Euclid beach merry go round. Really cool
Written February 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your kind review! We are thrilled you enjoyed yourself. We look forward to you visiting again soon!
Written February 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Magicman40
Barberton, OH28 contributions
Feb 2020
Spend at least two hours here - I spent about three. Good history of the area including cars with ties to Cleveland, a carousel, etc. There are mansions on the property that you can go through on your own, but I did the guided tour and very much enjoyed that. Overall a fun day.
Written March 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to share your great experience with us!
Written September 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Laurie P
61 contributions
Dec 2022
If you love cars, you will love the lower level. I'm not that into cars but still enjoyed seeing the old Chrysler woody wagons, Cadillacs, and motorcycles. My favorite thing was the old Euclid Beach Carousel. There is a room with a cast of the original superman (I didn't know Superman originated in Cleveland), a replica of Neil Armstrong's space suit, a giant Chief Wahoo, and other memorabilia. I wish there were more things like that. (More famous people, products, moments) There were a lot of nostalgic costumes that I wasn't that fond of.
Written December 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan
Chesterland, OH70 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
My wife and I went to see the Western Reserve Historical Society Museum yesterday during the free admission day sponsored by the Cleveland Foundation. I think a bit of explanation here is in order to clear up some things for those people who aren't familiar with Cleveland.
The Crawford Auto Collection contained cars and airplanes purchase by Fredrick C. Crawford who was president of Thompson Products Inc. which was big into parts produced for aviation and automobiles. Thompson Products is the T in TRW that was a large conglomerate based here in Cleveland that was eventually sold to Northrup Grumman.
The Western Reserve is an area of land that existed before Ohio was a state that stretches from about Sandusky to the Pennsylvania boarder and then south from the Lake Erie shore about 120 miles from the shore's most northern part. If you substitute the name "Western Reserve" with "Northeast Ohio" you would be close but some people in the Western Reserve might be offended, who knows.
The Western Reserve Historical Society was founded in 1867 making it the oldest cultural institution in Cleveland. The Crawford Auto Museum was opened in 1965 as a wing of the Western Reserve Historical Society. I just explained all this because this really isn't the "Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum" as shown here on Trip Advisor. It is the "Western Reserve Historical Society with the Crawford Auto-Aviation Collection". Personally I think the Western Reserve Historical Society is a great name for an organization but a lousy name for a museum. It is sort of like saying "hey, come to Jamestown and see our collection of Lotus race cars and Mustang Spitfires". "Cool Man! We get to see a Delorean and watch them make pottery!" There is an identity crises here that needs to be fixed. I am not backing away from my title. It should be in the top 10 places. With a little work, it could be in the top 5. With a lot of work it could be the top 5 in the nation - I'm serious!. I marked "excellent" because it needs to be higher on the 'things to see in Cleveland' list. That doesn't mean I'm not going to take it to task for some things going on there. I've been to a few museums in my time.
If you have made it this far you will finally get to the review. Here is what the museum has that is truly unique. It has something for everyone. For us guys there are cars and airplanes and campers. For the ladies there is a room of some of the most beautiful dresses the world has ever seen. For the kids, a merry-go-round from Euclid Beach Park. You just don't get that anywhere else. That is the true absolute strength of this museum. Mom can go one way, dad another, and kids a third place - well, not quite but close.
OK here comes the part where I have to rip into them a little. A room with civil war pictures? Really? Were there any major civil war battles fought in Northeast Ohio? You have the basis of a great dress collection for the ladies with a room of civil war pictures right before it. Make the dress collection three times bigger. Amass the largest collection of ladies dresses on the planet. Can't afford that? Well then take down the pictures of the Civil War and burn them. Then put up pictures of people, famous preferably, wearing the dresses that you showcase in the next room. That would be cool.
The kids get to see a merry-go-round. They can't touch it, they can't ride it, they just get to look at it. The kids section needs stuff to touch. Go up the street to the Children's Museum and tell them to join you. Who the heck knows that place even exists anyway. It needs to be over on Wade Oval.
Finally for the dads. Everything is perfect except for one thing. The signs for some of the items need to be more at eye level. There, now it is perfect.
No money you say? Create a vision and you can get donations. Right now on Trip Advisor you can't even beat the USS Cod. That is sad. I'm sorry I turned this into an editorial but there is potential here to be a premier museum that rivals the Art Museum that people from out of town would make a special detour to stop in Cleveland. Oh yea. I think a great name for this new museum might be "The Western Reserve Historical Society Crawford Auto-Aviation Children's Stuff And Some Great Dresses Museum".
The Crawford Auto Collection contained cars and airplanes purchase by Fredrick C. Crawford who was president of Thompson Products Inc. which was big into parts produced for aviation and automobiles. Thompson Products is the T in TRW that was a large conglomerate based here in Cleveland that was eventually sold to Northrup Grumman.
The Western Reserve is an area of land that existed before Ohio was a state that stretches from about Sandusky to the Pennsylvania boarder and then south from the Lake Erie shore about 120 miles from the shore's most northern part. If you substitute the name "Western Reserve" with "Northeast Ohio" you would be close but some people in the Western Reserve might be offended, who knows.
The Western Reserve Historical Society was founded in 1867 making it the oldest cultural institution in Cleveland. The Crawford Auto Museum was opened in 1965 as a wing of the Western Reserve Historical Society. I just explained all this because this really isn't the "Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum" as shown here on Trip Advisor. It is the "Western Reserve Historical Society with the Crawford Auto-Aviation Collection". Personally I think the Western Reserve Historical Society is a great name for an organization but a lousy name for a museum. It is sort of like saying "hey, come to Jamestown and see our collection of Lotus race cars and Mustang Spitfires". "Cool Man! We get to see a Delorean and watch them make pottery!" There is an identity crises here that needs to be fixed. I am not backing away from my title. It should be in the top 10 places. With a little work, it could be in the top 5. With a lot of work it could be the top 5 in the nation - I'm serious!. I marked "excellent" because it needs to be higher on the 'things to see in Cleveland' list. That doesn't mean I'm not going to take it to task for some things going on there. I've been to a few museums in my time.
If you have made it this far you will finally get to the review. Here is what the museum has that is truly unique. It has something for everyone. For us guys there are cars and airplanes and campers. For the ladies there is a room of some of the most beautiful dresses the world has ever seen. For the kids, a merry-go-round from Euclid Beach Park. You just don't get that anywhere else. That is the true absolute strength of this museum. Mom can go one way, dad another, and kids a third place - well, not quite but close.
OK here comes the part where I have to rip into them a little. A room with civil war pictures? Really? Were there any major civil war battles fought in Northeast Ohio? You have the basis of a great dress collection for the ladies with a room of civil war pictures right before it. Make the dress collection three times bigger. Amass the largest collection of ladies dresses on the planet. Can't afford that? Well then take down the pictures of the Civil War and burn them. Then put up pictures of people, famous preferably, wearing the dresses that you showcase in the next room. That would be cool.
The kids get to see a merry-go-round. They can't touch it, they can't ride it, they just get to look at it. The kids section needs stuff to touch. Go up the street to the Children's Museum and tell them to join you. Who the heck knows that place even exists anyway. It needs to be over on Wade Oval.
Finally for the dads. Everything is perfect except for one thing. The signs for some of the items need to be more at eye level. There, now it is perfect.
No money you say? Create a vision and you can get donations. Right now on Trip Advisor you can't even beat the USS Cod. That is sad. I'm sorry I turned this into an editorial but there is potential here to be a premier museum that rivals the Art Museum that people from out of town would make a special detour to stop in Cleveland. Oh yea. I think a great name for this new museum might be "The Western Reserve Historical Society Crawford Auto-Aviation Children's Stuff And Some Great Dresses Museum".
Written May 25, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
VikkiBee
Houghton-le-Spring, UK623 contributions
Mar 2018 • Solo
Although it’s not very big and actually doesn’t include a lot of history about Cleveland and Ohio prior to the 1880s, it's still a good museum filled with history! The museum is mainly filled with old fashioned cars and a couple of planes; they were donated to the museum by a private collector after he died – there’s easily 100 cars in there! There’s also an old red Model T which starred in the movie The Long, Long Trailer with Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy). I ended up chatting with two security guards, Bill and Brain, and they let me sit in it and get a photo!
There’s also an area focusing on the first black mayor of Cleveland which was the first major city to elect a black man as mayor. A section of the museum also mentions 1900s history briefly and the focuses on the future. But by far the highlight for me personally out of everything exhibit wise was the DeLorean car they had on display. It’s the first car ever to roll off the production line and the only car model the DeLorean Motor Company ever made. Unfortunately there’s no flux capacitor inside, I checked!
The museum also offers a guided tour of a mansion included in the price of admission. The house was only actually lived in for 8 years and has been part of the museum for over 60 years!
The best thing in the entire museum though is the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel which was operational from 1910 until 1969. When the park closed in 1969, they literally tore the carousel apart and distributed the horses throughout America. In the 2000s, the museum found all of the original horses and parts of the carousel and spent 7 years restoring it to its original glory. It’s now fully operational again and lives inside the museum. Included within the admission price is two free rides on it. I haven’t been on a carousel in years! It’s so beautiful though and still fitting with the time period!
There’s also an area focusing on the first black mayor of Cleveland which was the first major city to elect a black man as mayor. A section of the museum also mentions 1900s history briefly and the focuses on the future. But by far the highlight for me personally out of everything exhibit wise was the DeLorean car they had on display. It’s the first car ever to roll off the production line and the only car model the DeLorean Motor Company ever made. Unfortunately there’s no flux capacitor inside, I checked!
The museum also offers a guided tour of a mansion included in the price of admission. The house was only actually lived in for 8 years and has been part of the museum for over 60 years!
The best thing in the entire museum though is the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel which was operational from 1910 until 1969. When the park closed in 1969, they literally tore the carousel apart and distributed the horses throughout America. In the 2000s, the museum found all of the original horses and parts of the carousel and spent 7 years restoring it to its original glory. It’s now fully operational again and lives inside the museum. Included within the admission price is two free rides on it. I haven’t been on a carousel in years! It’s so beautiful though and still fitting with the time period!
Written March 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FlushingCaps
Flushing, MI41 contributions
Jul 2013 • Couples
We needed something to do in Cleveland for a few hours before going to watch the Tigers whip the Indians. This museum, connected with a guided tour of an old mansion and an unguided tour of another mansion--all in connected buildings, was a wonderful choice. We did have to pay $25--two admissions plus $5 for parking, which seemed a bit steep, but not outrageous compared with other similar attractions in 2013.
We have been to many car museums all around and found this one exceptional in that it focuses on many of the cars built in Cleveland, by manufacturers most people have not heard of, such as Peerless, Winton and even Elmore--my father and grandfather's first name. They have dozens of these old beauties on display, with excellent informational signs telling about the history of each company, the features of that particular model, and a list of the mechanical specifications of each vehicle.
The museum also has some airplanes that were used in flying competitions in the early days of flying. There is a large display telling about Cleveland hosting huge fairs in the 1930s. Also on display are numerous bicycles and motorcycles of local make.
In a separate room was a large carousel that we didn't closely examine. There were signs telling that in the fall they plan to open the basement level for exhibit, with more cars and other items on display.
This complex includes things that I understand are not properly considered part of the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, but since you pay one admission fee to see them all as part of the Western Reserve History Center, I will briefly review these below.
There is a room for children to learn about how clothing, cooking and travel have changed through the years. It looked like it would be fun for kids, but without any present, I don't really know.
Another large room featured fashions of "Dior and More." Another room featured aerial photos and films of Cleveland from the 1920s and 30s. I found a couple of large photos that showed their old, old ballpark, League Park. There was another large room showing maps of the United States and of Cleveland from decades and centuries ago. I found this rather interesting, although not so interesting as to spend minutes examining each of the dozens of maps on display.
I did like the "exhibit" showing the large electric representation of Chief Wahoo, the longtime symbol of the Cleveland Indians that hung above the team offices at Municipal Stadium for decades. Signs on the front told about the history of this sign, which stands larger than life right above. I was not a fan of the extensive signs on the side telling how a few people are offended by this imagery. I thought one-fourth of this would have been sufficient, since most of the different signs on this side were basically saying the same thing.
The other main part of this attraction was the opportunity to tour two old mansions of Cleveland, called the Hay-McKinney & Bingham-Hanna Houses. In the odd setup, when you enter the museum, you are encouraged to go through the auto-aviation part to the museum store to reserve a guided tour time of the Hay-McKinney house. Before and after your tour, you can see all of the museum exhibits and tour the Bingham-Hanna home on your own. You walk through the B-H home to get to the adjacent H-M home when the tour begins.
Most of the self-guided tour home is taken up with some of the various museum exhibits mentioned. Only one room is set up like a room in a mansion open for tours. The connected nature of what were two separate homes to a museum makes it tricky to keep straight which is part of which original structure.
The tour lasted about 40 minutes and the young lady who conducted it did so superbly. She was informative, interacted with all five of us on the tour well, and provided lots of information. The home was only a home for a short time, serving as a museum most of its history. There are only a few original furnishings, but all the rooms on the two floors of the tour are set up to show lifestyles of the people who lived there.
I suppose some will criticize this whole home tour because of the fact that the place was not used as a home for many years, not occupied by people atop the list of famous Americans, and doesn't have that many original furnishings. But if you know that going in, it still is a nice home tour of some former leaders of Cleveland society.
We have been to many car museums all around and found this one exceptional in that it focuses on many of the cars built in Cleveland, by manufacturers most people have not heard of, such as Peerless, Winton and even Elmore--my father and grandfather's first name. They have dozens of these old beauties on display, with excellent informational signs telling about the history of each company, the features of that particular model, and a list of the mechanical specifications of each vehicle.
The museum also has some airplanes that were used in flying competitions in the early days of flying. There is a large display telling about Cleveland hosting huge fairs in the 1930s. Also on display are numerous bicycles and motorcycles of local make.
In a separate room was a large carousel that we didn't closely examine. There were signs telling that in the fall they plan to open the basement level for exhibit, with more cars and other items on display.
This complex includes things that I understand are not properly considered part of the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, but since you pay one admission fee to see them all as part of the Western Reserve History Center, I will briefly review these below.
There is a room for children to learn about how clothing, cooking and travel have changed through the years. It looked like it would be fun for kids, but without any present, I don't really know.
Another large room featured fashions of "Dior and More." Another room featured aerial photos and films of Cleveland from the 1920s and 30s. I found a couple of large photos that showed their old, old ballpark, League Park. There was another large room showing maps of the United States and of Cleveland from decades and centuries ago. I found this rather interesting, although not so interesting as to spend minutes examining each of the dozens of maps on display.
I did like the "exhibit" showing the large electric representation of Chief Wahoo, the longtime symbol of the Cleveland Indians that hung above the team offices at Municipal Stadium for decades. Signs on the front told about the history of this sign, which stands larger than life right above. I was not a fan of the extensive signs on the side telling how a few people are offended by this imagery. I thought one-fourth of this would have been sufficient, since most of the different signs on this side were basically saying the same thing.
The other main part of this attraction was the opportunity to tour two old mansions of Cleveland, called the Hay-McKinney & Bingham-Hanna Houses. In the odd setup, when you enter the museum, you are encouraged to go through the auto-aviation part to the museum store to reserve a guided tour time of the Hay-McKinney house. Before and after your tour, you can see all of the museum exhibits and tour the Bingham-Hanna home on your own. You walk through the B-H home to get to the adjacent H-M home when the tour begins.
Most of the self-guided tour home is taken up with some of the various museum exhibits mentioned. Only one room is set up like a room in a mansion open for tours. The connected nature of what were two separate homes to a museum makes it tricky to keep straight which is part of which original structure.
The tour lasted about 40 minutes and the young lady who conducted it did so superbly. She was informative, interacted with all five of us on the tour well, and provided lots of information. The home was only a home for a short time, serving as a museum most of its history. There are only a few original furnishings, but all the rooms on the two floors of the tour are set up to show lifestyles of the people who lived there.
I suppose some will criticize this whole home tour because of the fact that the place was not used as a home for many years, not occupied by people atop the list of famous Americans, and doesn't have that many original furnishings. But if you know that going in, it still is a nice home tour of some former leaders of Cleveland society.
Written July 8, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard G
Chardon, OH29 contributions
Mar 2013 • Friends
Crawford just reopened in February,2013 after a six month or so remodel. Main floor displays cleveland built autos and planes. It is a nice display but that's where it ends literaly. Downstairs there are a few cars and I mean a few. Hardly any light and at least half of their former collection is not there. Volunteer said they ran out of money and until they can raise more funds the lower level is basically closed. But guess what-they still charge ten dollars to get in. This is a rip off. Since only half is finished then charge a reduced rate.
Written March 12, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BLTurpin
Shaker Heights, OH967 contributions
Dec 2019
The Cleveland History Center is part of the Western Reserve Historical Society and is housed at the same site. There are two Trip Advisor sites with reviews: This one, which is the Cleveland History Center, and also the Western Reserve Historical Society. However, from a visitor's standpoint, they are the same attraction. There is one admission ticket and one museum, albeit with a wide variety of collections and displays. However, when planning your visit, be advised that a visit to the Cleveland History Center is also a visit to the Western Reserve Historical Society.
The Center/Society is organized around a few key exhibits. Those are:
1. Cleveland Starts Here - The history of Cleveland and the Cleveland region.
2. Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum
3. Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel
4. Bingham-Hanna & Hay-McKinney Mansions
5. Chisholm Halle Costume Wing
6. Special Collections - at the moment "Giving Black," a look at philanthropy by African American members of the greater Cleveland Community. (Extremely impressive!!)
My friend and I visited specifically to take the mansion tour and see the costume and textile collections. However, her husband and daughter spent their time almost exclusively in the car and plane exhibits. Importantly, there is an extensive children's "Hands On" collection of exhibits. Those include:
1. How We Learn
2. How We Travel
3. How We Build
4. How We Dress
If your group includes children, there is a lot for them to see and do!
There is also a movie (not working the day we visited), a gift shop, and each admission includes tickets for two carousel rides. So, every member of the family will be happily engaged.
I am a new resident and have visited other museums in the University Circle area. This one did not rank at the top of my list because I expected it to be a somewhat musty, dusty history or urban development, decay, and renewal. I could not have been more mistaken! This amazing museum should have been the first stop in my effort to understand Cleveland! There are so many fabulous museums in the area that it must be hard to compete and get the public's attention, but I would highly recommend that a visitor or resident spend time here.
In "Cleveland Starts Here" you can see Lebron James Nike shoes, a Superman (invented in Cleveland) sculpture, and the Chief Wahoo neon sign from the Cleveland Indians stadium. Probably my favorite part is the section about the Stokes brothers and how the election of Mayor Stokes was such an important political milestone in the US.
There is much more to see and the exhibit is displayed for easy access and visibility. Check out the monumental porcelain wall mural!
If you are hoping to learn about Cleveland, start with the "Cleveland Starts Here" exhibit. If you are into the cars and planes, it's easy to start with those exhibits. And, the costumes, mansions will take you through history in an entirely different way with a focus on interiors, architecture, and style. I allowed three hours and wished that I'd had 4-5. On nice days there is also a garden to enjoy.
The staff is helpful and friendly, there is quite a bit of parking in museum lots or behind the history center, also in the surrounding neighborhood.
Do not miss the Cleveland History Center of the Western Reserve Historical Society. It is an exciting, lively, interesting, interactive, and altogether enjoyable museum. I plan to become a member and take all of my guests there. It is an excellent museum and a wholly wonderful experience! Plan your visit today :-)
The Center/Society is organized around a few key exhibits. Those are:
1. Cleveland Starts Here - The history of Cleveland and the Cleveland region.
2. Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum
3. Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel
4. Bingham-Hanna & Hay-McKinney Mansions
5. Chisholm Halle Costume Wing
6. Special Collections - at the moment "Giving Black," a look at philanthropy by African American members of the greater Cleveland Community. (Extremely impressive!!)
My friend and I visited specifically to take the mansion tour and see the costume and textile collections. However, her husband and daughter spent their time almost exclusively in the car and plane exhibits. Importantly, there is an extensive children's "Hands On" collection of exhibits. Those include:
1. How We Learn
2. How We Travel
3. How We Build
4. How We Dress
If your group includes children, there is a lot for them to see and do!
There is also a movie (not working the day we visited), a gift shop, and each admission includes tickets for two carousel rides. So, every member of the family will be happily engaged.
I am a new resident and have visited other museums in the University Circle area. This one did not rank at the top of my list because I expected it to be a somewhat musty, dusty history or urban development, decay, and renewal. I could not have been more mistaken! This amazing museum should have been the first stop in my effort to understand Cleveland! There are so many fabulous museums in the area that it must be hard to compete and get the public's attention, but I would highly recommend that a visitor or resident spend time here.
In "Cleveland Starts Here" you can see Lebron James Nike shoes, a Superman (invented in Cleveland) sculpture, and the Chief Wahoo neon sign from the Cleveland Indians stadium. Probably my favorite part is the section about the Stokes brothers and how the election of Mayor Stokes was such an important political milestone in the US.
There is much more to see and the exhibit is displayed for easy access and visibility. Check out the monumental porcelain wall mural!
If you are hoping to learn about Cleveland, start with the "Cleveland Starts Here" exhibit. If you are into the cars and planes, it's easy to start with those exhibits. And, the costumes, mansions will take you through history in an entirely different way with a focus on interiors, architecture, and style. I allowed three hours and wished that I'd had 4-5. On nice days there is also a garden to enjoy.
The staff is helpful and friendly, there is quite a bit of parking in museum lots or behind the history center, also in the surrounding neighborhood.
Do not miss the Cleveland History Center of the Western Reserve Historical Society. It is an exciting, lively, interesting, interactive, and altogether enjoyable museum. I plan to become a member and take all of my guests there. It is an excellent museum and a wholly wonderful experience! Plan your visit today :-)
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nancym1010
New Jersey70 contributions
Jul 2013 • Family
I had fond memories of this museum. I'm not quite sure of what is happening but there are empty rooms and half completed exhibits. The best part of the museum, the Hay-McKinney house is only available via a guided tour offered only twice a day. The costume show at the time of our visit was labeled "Dior and More" consisted of one room of dresses, which reflected a variety of periods and styles. I'm not quite sure what message the display was trying to convey, other than we have some nice dresses in the collection. The other displays were equally disjointed and there was very little that seemed to reflect the history of North East Ohio. The children's room was pretty generic and again, I'm not sure what plastic food had to do with the history of North East Ohio. The library was closed at the time of our visit. Admission is somewhat expensive. The Society should consider adjusting its prices when so much of the facility is torn apart or closed.
Written July 26, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
paulg401
Toronto, OH85 contributions
May 2017 • Family
This isn't the most special museum or the most themed auto museum I've ever been to, but for all the unique vehicles on display, it's worth a visit for the true car lover. From an Indy car from Bobby Rahal's early career to the stainless steel Fords, the original Javelin AMX show car and a Chrysler Turbine engine, there was a lot to take in. Combine that with a Mustang fighter plane and some Cleveland Air Races memorabilia and aircraft, and it's an all around fun place. I need to go back and really read all the information on all the displays. A fun place for car lovers, maybe not enough for the plane folks.
Written June 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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