United States Ohio The 15 Best Christmas and Holiday Activities in Cleveland for 2022 By Sandy Mitchell Sandy Mitchell Sandy Mitchell is the author of multiple books about Cleveland, Ohio, including "Cleveland's Slavic Village" and "Cleveland's Little Italy." She has lived in the area since 1980. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 11/30/22 David Shvartsman / Getty Images Cleveland, Ohio, is an active city with many things to do, including in the snowy and cold winter. Lights, poinsettias, holiday trees, and theatrical productions all are festive traditions in Northeast Ohio communities. There are plenty of places in the area to celebrate the holidays, so plan something fun for you and your family this year with this helpful guide. 01 of 15 Tour Stan Hywet Hall in Akron Tim Evanson / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 View Map Address 714 N Portage Path, Akron, OH 44303, USA Get directions Phone +1 330-836-5533 Web Visit website Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, a historic Tudor Revival Manor House with 65 rooms on about 70 acres, transforms itself each holiday season into a winter wonderland. "Deck the Hall: Gracious Gatherings" tours take place on select dates from Nov. 25 through December 30, 2022, and include viewing a large Christmas tree, holiday decorations, adorned shop windows, more than a million lights, a Gingerbread Land, and festive food and drinks for sale. Guests can visit Molly's for gift shopping. Continue to 2 of 15 below. 02 of 15 Experience WinterLand at Public Square Erik Drost / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 View Map Address 50 Public Square Suite 1910, Cleveland, OH 44113, USA Get directions Phone +1 216-503-8103 Web Visit website WinterFest is the annual holiday celebration in Cleveland's Public Square. Held the weekend after Thanksgiving each year, the evening of music, dance, and hot chocolate culminates in the lighting of the unique holiday displays in each quadrant of the square and the Christmas tree in front of Tower City. More than 50,000 people attend the event each year. The light display is kept up until after New Year's Day. This free event is usually televised. Continue to 3 of 15 below. 03 of 15 Visit Glow at Cleveland Botanical Garden Cleveland Botanical Garden View Map Address 11030 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA Get directions Phone +1 216-721-1600 Web Visit website The Cleveland Botanical Garden transforms itself into an indoor and outdoor winter fantasyland called Glow from Nov. 30 through December 30, 2022. Features include large gingerbread houses, window vignettes, lights, gnome homes, a 16-foot (4.9-meter) tall live white fir tree, and other holiday accents. The wonderful Garden Store is loaded with special festive gift items. Continue to 4 of 15 below. 04 of 15 View the Lighting Display at Nela Park GE Lighting View Map Address Nela Park, East Cleveland, OH 44112, USA Get directions The lighting display at the GE Lighting Center in East Cleveland's Nela Park has been a holiday tradition since 1925. "Merry and Bright" is the 2020 theme, and you can see the colorful display along several blocks of Noble Road from December 1, 2022 through January 2, 2023. Check out over half a million LED lights with a 38-foot (11.6-meter) gingerbread house, along with a replica of the national Christmas tree in Washington, D.C. Continue to 5 of 15 below. 05 of 15 Take a Lantern Tour at Hale Farm & Village Ohio Travel and Tourism View Map Address 2686 Oak Hill Rd, Bath, OH 44210, USA Get directions Phone +1 330-666-3711 Web Visit website The holiday season at Hale Farm & Village in Bath harkens back to the 20th century with Holiday Lantern Tours of the historic site, all decked in traditional fashion for the holidays. Guests explore the village and decorated historic homes on select December dates leading up to Christmas. This year's tours will be offered from December 3 through December 23, 2022. Continue to 6 of 15 below. 06 of 15 Take in a Gospel Performance at Karamu House Karamu House View Map Address 2355 E 89th St, Cleveland, OH 44106-3403, USA Get directions Phone +1 216-795-7070 Web Visit website East Cleveland's popular Black theater Karamu House will present a soul-stirring, gospel celebration entitled "Black Nativity" from December 9 through December 18, 2022. The show is a retelling of the traditional New Testament account of the Nativity story, using gospel music, dramatic dance, and a biblical narrative. Continue to 7 of 15 below. 07 of 15 Attend a Cleveland Orchestra Christmas Concert Douglas Sacha / Getty Images View Map Address 11001 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA Get directions Phone +1 216-231-7300 Web Visit website The Cleveland Orchestra presents a series of holiday concerts each year in December, featuring all of the old, favorite carols in approximately one-hour performances at Severance Hall. This year's concerts will take place on Thursdays through Sundays from December 8 though December 18, 2022. Head to the official website to book your tickets. Continue to 8 of 15 below. 08 of 15 Delight in Country Lights at Farmpark Chesnot / Getty Images View Map Address 8800 Euclid Chardon Rd, Kirtland, OH 44094, USA Get directions Phone +1 440-256-2122 Web Visit website For the holiday season, Lake Metroparks' Farmpark becomes a winter wonderland with horse-drawn wagon rides through the festive landscape, a Santa's workshop for kids, a grove of decorated trees in the visitors' center, and frequent visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus. This season's drive-throughs will be offered from Nov. 30 through December 23, 2022. Continue to 9 of 15 below. 09 of 15 Be a Part of University Circle's Circlefest Erik Drost / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 View Map Address Wade Oval Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA Get directions Web Visit website This free University Circle event is held the first Sunday of December each year and features a lantern procession around Wade Oval as well as exhibits, music, food, and activities at many of the area's museums and institutions. Free transportation is offered from place to place. Continue to 10 of 15 below. 10 of 15 Go Holiday Shopping at the Little Italy Holiday Art Walk Little Italy CLE View Map Address Little Italy, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA Get directions Combine holiday shopping with Cleveland culture the first weekend of December each year at the Little Italy Holiday Art Walk. More than 25 galleries open their doors the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of December and many offer cookies, hot chocolate, wine, or other treats. Some of the galleries are only open to the public during the art walks. Continue to 11 of 15 below. 11 of 15 Marvel at a Performance of The Nutcracker Gabriel Saldana / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 View Map Address 23020 Miles Rd, Cleveland, OH 44128, USA Get directions Phone +1 216-320-9000 Web Visit website Cleveland Ballet and partners will present adaptations of the traditional ballet at Playhouse Square's Connor Palace in 2022. Nightly performances begin December 15 through December 18, 2023. The production is suitable for all ages. Continue to 12 of 15 below. 12 of 15 Have Fun at Candy Land Penitentiary Glen Reservation View Map Address 8668 Kirtland Chardon Rd, Kirtland, OH 44094, USA Get directions Phone +1 440-256-1404 Web Visit website Step into the life-size board game Candy Land with this holiday attraction at Penitentiary Glen Reservation at Lake Metroparks usually lasting several days in December. This year's event will take place from Nov. 19 through January 1, 2023. The event features wildlife, holiday trees, music, food, and prizes. Enjoy holiday gift shopping at The Nature Store, and rent snowshoes or ride a train for fun (weather permitting). Admission is free. Continue to 13 of 15 below. 13 of 15 Surround Yourself With Poinsettias Rockefeller Park Greenhouse View Map Address 750 E 88th St, Cleveland, OH 44108, USA Get directions Phone +1 216-664-2512 Web Visit website Each holiday season the Rockefeller Park Greenhouse and Botanical Garden, just about a mile from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, transforms itself into a holiday wonderland with hundreds of red, white, and pink poinsettias and other Christmas flowering plants at the Friends of Greenhouse Annual Poinsettia Sale. This year's plant sale takes place on December 2-3, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Continue to 14 of 15 below. 14 of 15 See Great Lakes Theater's Production of A Christmas Carol GLTF View Map Address 1511 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA Get directions Phone +1 216-771-4444 Web Visit website Seeing "A Christmas Carol" at the Mimi Ohio Theater at Playhouse Square is a Cleveland tradition enjoyed by people of all ages. Ebenezer Scrooge is the famous main character in the play by Charles Dickens. This year's performances run from Nov. 25 through December 23, 2022. Tickets may be purchased online. Continue to 15 of 15 below. 15 of 15 Meet Scuba Claus at the Cleveland Aquarium Erik Drost / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 View Map Address 2000 Sycamore St, Cleveland, OH 44113, USA Get directions Phone +1 216-862-8803 Web Visit website The Greater Cleveland Aquarium, located in the Powerhouse on the west bank of the Flats, transforms itself into a winter, water wonderland for the holidays, with lights and decorations, special animal displays, and an appearance by "Scuba Claus" himself. Children can talk to the man in red while he's underwater by purchasing a "Merry Meet & Greet," available December 14-18, 2022. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email