Lakewood, OH Road Trips

One of Cleveland's original "streetcar suburbs," Lakewood was built and settled primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most of its existing housing stock was built in this timeframe, and is surprisingly well maintained. Lakewood has managed to retain many of the best features of a city, small town, and suburb, and scenes reminiscent of all three can easily be found within a few blocks of downtown Lakewood (Detroit Ave. between Cook and Bunts) and in the Gold Coast neighborhood.

1 Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Ave. Local theater often featuring Kevin Kelly. 2 Nicholson House, 13335 Detroit Ave. A New England-style home from 1839, with Victorian renovations. Rumored to be haunted. (updated Sep 2024) 3 Museum of Divine Statues, 12905 Madison Ave, ☏ +1-216-712-7094, [email protected]. Sat Sun noon-4PM. $10. (updated Jan 2020) 4 Oldest Stone House Museum (OSH) (Lakewood Park). A sandstone house from 1834 that is now a museum of Lakewood History. (updated Jan 2020)

1 Lakewood Park, 14532 Lake Ave. Gorgeous park with amazing views of Lake Erie. Site of the yearly 4th of July fireworks. 2 First Federal Lakewood Stadium. (updated Jan 2019) 3 Clifton Beach. (updated Jan 2019)

1 Aladdin's Eatery, 14536 Detroit Ave. Delicious Lebanese food and home of the chain's national headquarters. Borderline Cafe, 18510 Detroit Ave. Tiny tex-mex style breakfast nook. Almost always packed and closes at 2PM. 2 Dianna's Deli & Restaurant, 1332 W. 117th St. 24-hour, home-style diner, with a very colorful (sometimes not for the best) wait staff. Elmwood Home Bakery, 15204 Madison Ave. Delicious cakes, breaks, and baked goods. As featured in the movie American Splendor. Melt Bar and Grilled, 14718 Detroit Ave. Incredibly long waits only matched by the amazing food. Cheese! 3 Szechwan Garden, 13800 Detroit Ave. Yummy Chinese foods. 4 Pier W, 12700 Lake Ave. Winton Pl, ☏ +1 216 228-2250. Described as a ˝landmark Cleveland restaurant˝ but it's within Lakewood city limits. Serves delicious food, with a mostly seafood menu, and offers a bar and valet parking. Nice atmosphere and great view of the lake. Sunday mornings are their buffets - a nice time to bring the whole family. A bit pricey

1 Sauced Taproom. (updated Jan 2019) Riverwood Cafe 2 Humble Wine Bar, 15400 Detroit Ave, ☏ +1-216-767-5977. Mon-Thu 4-10PM, Fri Sat 4-11PM. (updated Jan 2020) 3 Game On, 17103 Detroit Ave, ☏ +1-216 303 9700. Mon-Thu 4PM-2:30AM, Fri noon-2:30AM. Sports bar (updated Jan 2020)

1 Days Inn Cleveland Lakewood. 2 Travelodge Cleveland Lakewood.

From the airport, follow Ohio 237 north; from most parts of Cleveland proper, take I-90 or Ohio 2 west and follow the signs. RTA bus #26 serves both Lakewood and Cleveland along Detroit Avenue, and the Red Line features two stops just inside the Lakewood/Cleveland border, West 117 and Triskett Road, from which you can easily walk to the southeastern neighborhoods of Lakewood.

The areas of Lakewood of most interest to a visitor, notably the downtown area, are very walkable and bike-friendly neighborhoods. If coming from Cleveland, the #26 bus runs relatively frequently down Detroit Avenue and takes about 45 minutes between downtown Lakewood and downtown Cleveland. Driving in and around Lakewood is fairly easy as well. The speed limits are 20 mph (32 km/h) in school zones and 25 mph (40 km/h) on most other streets, and are vigorously enforced. Parking is limited in and near the downtown area, though paid garages and metered parking are available almost everywhere.

Most parts of Lakewood are very safe, particularly by comparison to Cleveland proper. At night, use caution in the neighborhoods adjacent to West 117th Street south of Detroit, and Madison Avenue east of Madison Park.