Cleveland weather cancels a lot of park plans, so it helps to have a short list of places that work in any season. These indoor activities for kids in Cleveland run from a construction-themed play space for toddlers to a science museum on the lakefront and an entertainment center with go-karts and laser tag.
The places below are sorted by the ages they fit, since what holds a toddler’s attention rarely works for a twelve-year-old. For parks, farms and outdoor days when the weather cooperates, open the full Cleveland family fun guide.
Hours, admission and special events change through the year, so check each place before you load everyone into the car.
Out of the weather
Indoor places to take kids around Cleveland
Fairview Park
Little Diggers
Best for: Toddlers and preschoolers
Little Diggers is a construction-themed indoor play space in Fairview Park, on the west side, where kids dig and build. It is made for toddlers and preschoolers, so it is a good pick when older kids are in school and the little ones need to burn off energy on a cold morning.
Midtown
The Children's Museum of Cleveland
Best for: Young kids up to early elementary
The Children’s Museum of Cleveland is a hands-on museum on Euclid Avenue in Midtown built around play. It has a sensory calm-down room for kids who need a break, and the top floor is set up with Lego and dioramas. It fits kids up to early elementary age best, and it is a short drive from both downtown and University Circle.
North Coast Harbor
Great Lakes Science Center
Best for: Grade schoolers who like space and science
Great Lakes Science Center is a hands-on science museum on the lakefront downtown at North Coast Harbor. It has a giant-screen theater and the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, where kids can see a Gemini capsule. It is a good match for school-age kids who like to push buttons and ask how things work.
University Circle
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Best for: Dinosaur fans and planetarium shows
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is on Wade Oval in University Circle, with renovated interactive exhibits, dinosaurs and a planetarium. There is also an outdoor area with live native animals, which is worth a quick walk if the weather allows. It works across a wide age range, from a preschooler who loves dinosaurs to an older kid ready for a planetarium show.
The Flats
Pumpkins & Piranhas at Greater Cleveland Aquarium
Best for: Sharks and jellyfish in the Flats
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is on the West Bank of the Flats and is known for its walk-through shark tunnel and jellyfish. It is all indoors, so it holds up on the worst weather days. Around Halloween it runs special days with underwater pumpkins, costumed divers and treat bags for kids, so check the schedule if you want to catch them.
University Circle
FROST: An Ice-Capped Garden Experience
Best for: A warm glasshouse in the middle of winter
The Cleveland Botanical Garden in University Circle has an indoor conservatory with warm tropical glasshouses, plus outdoor gardens that include the Hershey Children’s Garden play area. In winter it runs FROST, a show with outdoor lights, decorated trees and a flower tunnel. A family membership pays off if you live nearby and plan to go back often.
Old Brooklyn
Wild Winter Lights
Best for: Animals under a roof at the zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Old Brooklyn is mostly outdoors, but its indoor rainforest building and interactive kids area make it a fair choice on a cold day. In winter the zoo hosts Wild Winter Lights, with themed zones and costumed characters, done on foot or on separate drive-through nights. Bring hot chocolate and dress for the walk between buildings.
Brookpark Road (near Parma)
b.a. Sweetie Candy Company
Best for: A rainy day treat for any age
b.a. Sweetie Candy Company is a huge candy store on Brookpark Road near Parma with thousands of classic and new candies, a soda and ice cream shop and a mini golf course. It works for any age and makes a good reward stop after a museum morning. Set a candy budget before you walk in.
Macedonia
Fun 'n' Stuff
Best for: Older kids who need to move
Fun ’n’ Stuff is a family entertainment center on Highland Road in Macedonia, southeast of the city, with both indoor and outdoor attractions. Go-karts, rides, mini golf, laser tag, bowling, roller skating and an arcade cover a wide range, which helps when siblings of different ages want different things. It is the pick for tweens who have outgrown play spaces.
Sort by age
Match the outing to your kids
For toddlers and preschoolers, Little Diggers in Fairview Park and The Children’s Museum of Cleveland in Midtown are built for small hands. School-age kids tend to get the most from Great Lakes Science Center, the Natural History museum and the aquarium, where there is more to read and more to ask about.
Tweens and mixed-age families do better with activity: Fun ’n’ Stuff in Macedonia or mini golf and candy at b.a. Sweetie. The Botanical Garden and the zoo’s indoor rainforest work for everyone, and they pair well with a stroller.
Geography matters on a short winter day. Little Diggers (Westgate in Fairview Park) and b.a. Sweetie (Brookpark Road near Parma) are the west and south side options, Fun ’n’ Stuff is out in Macedonia to the southeast, and the museums sit downtown, in Midtown and in University Circle.
One morning, two stops
Plan a University Circle day
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Cleveland Botanical Garden are both in University Circle, a short walk apart around Wade Oval. Park once, do the dinosaurs and planetarium first, then warm up in the tropical glasshouses. Downtown works the same way on the lakefront, where Great Lakes Science Center sits at North Coast Harbor. See every family outing on the map to plan the rest of the day.
Good to know
Questions before you go.
What is there to do outside when the weather turns nice?
Lindsey Family Play Space at Edgewater Park is a large, free lakefront playground. Szalay’s Farm in Peninsula and Holden Arboretum in Kirtland are easy outdoor day trips.
Is there a day trip that works in winter?
Majestic Meadows, an alpaca farm outside Medina, is a good outing even in winter, when kids can still see the alpacas. Pair it with a stop on Medina Square, or with Castle Noel, the Christmas museum on Court Street, for older kids.
More days out
See every family outing around Cleveland
Parks, farms, gardens and museums across Northeast Ohio are in the full family fun guide, with a map to plan your day.