The renaissance of downtown and lakefront Cleveland is the result of careful

planning by public officials in concert with private industry. As a result, 

travelers now have an anchorpoint before branhing out ... More

CULTURAL SITES

Karamu House Theatre, the African American Cultural Center at CSU,

and the African American Archive Collection are frontlining Black Heritage sites

in Cleveland until the African American Museum returns ... More

RESTAURANTS and NIGHTCLUBS

Cleveland has a nice selection of Jazz, R&B, and Hip-Hop nightclubs downtown

and around town. There's also several steakhouses, Soul Food diners and

barbeque joints of note for visitors ... More

SHOP and GALLERIES

Two significant art galleries by resident artists and two extensive bookstores that

host traveling authors and other events await your visit ... More

INNKEEPER

Parker's Guesthouse, having three levels of traditional elegance this Guesthouse

is a hidden gem by owner–artist-resident Edward Parker ... More

ART and HISTORY MUSEUMS

A major player in the arts the with Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame & Museum,

Cleveland Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland,

Western Reserve Historical Society, the Health Museum ... More

BLACK GENESIS

 One of the first black settlers to the area was George Peake, who arrived in 1809. 

African Americans would slowly trickle to the area and by 1860, at least

799 lived in a Cleveland community of over 43,000 ... More

KARAMU HOUSE THEATRE
    In 1915, a pair of Oberlin College graduates opened The Playhouse Settlement

at East 38th and Central Avenue. Russell and Rowena Woodham-Jelliffe

set out to establish a common ground where people of different

races, religions, social and economic backgrounds ... More

ROCK ‘n ROLL MUSIC
    Alan Freed, a white musician and DJ in Cleveland that liked a good party, coddled

Rhythm & Blues by Black folks. Given the state of racism in America, he knew that calling it “Rhythm & Blues”, "Jump Blues" or “R&B” on the airwaves would ... More

HOUGH DISTRICT
    East of downtown along Euclid Ave, a substantial Black population in Hough District

can be traced back to 1910.  As the first large wave of African Americans

arrived many had the fortune of attending Central High School ... More

HISTORIC SITES

At the Old Municipal Stadium site, now home to Cleveland Browns Stadium,

Larry Doby became the 2nd African American in Major League Baseball. At City Hall

in 1967,  the 1st African American became mayor of a large city ... More

FAMILY ATTRACTIONS

Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Pro Football Hall Of Fame,

Quicken Loans Arena, Jacobs Field, Children’s Museum of Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cedar Point  ... More

GENERAL ATTRACTIONS

Between 1921 and 1922, five opulent theaters opened on Euclid Avenue between East 14th and East 17th zzzStreets: Allen, Ohio, State and Palace. Along with Hanna Theatre around the corner, they comprise one of America’s best theatre ... More

BLACK GENESIS - OBERLIN
    Situated in Lorain County about 40 minutes from downtown Cleveland,

Oberlin has a long and storied history relating to African Americans

and the Underground Railroad ... More

EMAIL ARTICLE

RESEARCH CREDITS:
Lysa Allman-Baldwin
Thomas Dorsey
Sheila Umolu