100 Things to Do in Cleveland Before You Die 2nd Edition by Deb Thompson and Tonya Prater

A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

I'm not sure why, but we generally are terrible at being tourists where we live. When we head out of town, we do research and plan for the places that we might go and the things that we might do; but when it comes to staycations and finding things on the weekend, we seem be creatures of habit and return to the tried and true, rather than explore the local area. This summer, we decided to finally visit the Mansfield Reformatory, where Shawshank Redpemption and other films were filmed. It was a neat attraction full of information about the history of the facility and information about the films that were made there. It even had 'haunted' stories to share about paranormal experiences that others have had. This gem is right off the main road and only 45 minutes from home, but it took us 16 years after we moved here to finally check it out. It's examples like this that found me jumping at the opportunity check out 100 Things to Do in Cleveland Before you Die; a guide that could help me as a local explore many activities and places that are close to home.

The book is well organized, divided into 5 themed sections: Food and Drink; Music and Entertainment; Sports and Recreation; Culture and History; and Shopping and Fashion. Within each section there are several local places or events to check out, including a brief description or story about each. Also sprinkled in are tips with some other nearby things to check out. This format is easy to thumb through and check out some great options in (and around) Cleveland. Several of the listings actually include more than one place to check out, giving you even more than 100 things to check out. The locations and activities included are both everyday and special occasion activities, like the Summer Solstice Festival and the Woollybear Festival. At the back of the book there are suggested itineraries to explore, including one for date night or a family outing; a guide to the activities by season; and an index which makes it easy to look up something specific.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a mix of some places/events that I have visited and some hidden gems that I have yet to experience. The guide would work well for both locals and out of town visitors, offering a mix of places that local residents may not have tried and places that visitors will want to check out. There are several new places that I look forward to checking out. The book is the perfect size to stash in the car so that we will be ready for the next time we are out and about in Cleveland.

About the Book:
100 Things to Do in Cleveland Before You Die, 2nd Edition by Deb Thompson, Tonya Prater

Located on the shore of Lake Erie, Cleveland is as diverse as the people that call it home and is finally being recognized as the gem that it’s always been. From family fun to romantic getaways there is something for everyone in the city that Rock and Roll built. 100 Things To Do In Cleveland Before You Die is the ultimate guide to finding the best things in the city and, for life-long residents, new ways to explore old favorites. This is THE guide for finding the best food, festivals, museums, outdoor activities, music and more. 100 Things guides you through the city like a local and shares what residents have known for years; Cleveland is the place to live or visit for a memorable experience. A melting pot of people and cultures, Cleveland is a place where you can find great food from a truck or from an award winning chef, home to some of the biggest sports fans in existence, world class museums and venues, an amazing amount of green space, and features public art around every corner. Browse the pages of 100 Things before you set out on your next trip to the city to experience something new.


About the Authors:

Deb Thompson is a freelance travel writer whose work takes her across the country to find the most unique attractions that destinations have to offer. An avid fan of the strange and bizarre, she enjoys nothing more than exploring the hallways of haunted locales, searching for Bigfoot in the great outdoors, finding aliens in Roswell and mixing it up with a great cocktail. You can follow her endeavors at JustShortOfCrazy.com. Tonya Prater is a travel writer with the heart of a nomad. Once a full-time RVer who dreams of reliving the experience, she is on a mission to find the fun, quirky stops scattered across the U.S. that most people drive past. Tonya shares her experiences at TravelInspiredLiving.com, which offers travel inspiration for the budget-minded.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

Bored No More!

When we travel, we spend time in advance planning for what we will do to fill our days. We try to find interesting things to see and do along our route, as well as look for the hidden gems that our destination has to offer. On many trips, we have seen many unique and interesting things that I wouldn't have known about with some research. As example, when we went to New York, many years ago, we went on a boat ride in an underground lake.

With all of the research and preparation we do for travel, I find it interesting how you can live in a community or part of the country for years and never really find all of the local hidden gems. Is that your experience? We live in North East Ohio, not far from Cleveland. We know many of the "basics" - there is the science museum in Cleveland, a zoo in Cleveland and Akron, used to be an inventors museum in Akron, and there are baseball teams in both Cleveland and Akron. Aside from these stand-by activities, we find ourselves scratching our head when we want to head out and do something new and different.

I was recently introduced to a book series from WonderDads. They offer books featuring "The Best Dad & Child Activities" in a number of cities. We had the opportunity to check out the book for Cleveland.

The book is broken down into a handful of sections - there are Restaurants, Activities, Stores, Outdoor Parks and Recreation, Sporting Events and Unique Adventures. The very first section is the "Best Of" section. It includes top 10 overall best dad/child things to do, and then a number of top 5 lists - including to do on a rainy day, hot day, full day, splurges, and most memorable. Each top 5/10 list includes the page number with information about that item.

As I sit here and glance across the list, many I have heard of, some of them I have been to/done, others are no familiar to me. Most of them are in Cleveland, but there are some that would be more of a day trip. In the Unique Adventures section, they do have listings as far away as the Caribbean though.

Within each section, the lists are alphabetical by location, which are not specific cities but rather neighborhoods, like Summit County North or Summit County South. For each location, they list an address, a phone number, a website (when available) and then a quick blurb about the location. They also mention some specials or offers. In the activities section, they include festivals as well. Not being from the area originally, I never would have known that there was a Frog Jump Festival or a Potato Festival so close to home!

Overall, I found the book to be a nice addition to our home. It gives us the opportunity to find some new to us activities to check out close to home, especially when we feel like we have no ideas. I like that it is all in one place and is organized by type of activity. I think that the "rainy" day and "hot" day lists could come in rather handy on a summer day where the kids are feeling "trapped" by the weather. I think that the guides are perfect for home or might make an interesting travel companion on your next vacation. My only concern on using it for vacation is the way that the sections are sorted by county would make it better for planning in advance than for trying to use it on the fly - at least I don't generally know what county I am in when I am traveling.

When you purchase a book, you also get free access from your smart phone for a year, so that you can have access to the content in the book, special updates and more from your phone. I think this would come in handy. Sometimes when we head out, we find ourselves with some more hours on hand than expected and having access from our phone could help us find another local activity or a restaurant to check out. Also, when you purchase a book, 2% of the profit goes to the WonderDads Fund, which helps dad with a sick child take paid time off from work.

They also have a website (www.wonderdads.com), which provides information on upcoming events and more organized by neighborhood. If you head over to their blog, you will also notice that A Busy Mom of Two was included on the Best Blogs to Tell Your Wife About article. A visit to their bookstore will allow you to check out the different cities that they offer guides for (there are currently 40 locations available), as well as some other "dad" type books. I am thinking of picking up Coach Me Baseball for my husband, since he has been volunteering as a baseball coach for my son's team.

Giveaway!
One A Busy Mom of Two reader will have the chance to win a free copy of a WonderDads Activity Guide for the city of their choice, courtesy of WonderDads.

To enter, visit wonderdads.com and let me know which city you would like to have a WonderDads Activity Guide for.

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No compensation was received for this post. Wonderdads provided me with a copy of a the Activity Guide for the purposes of my review and is providing one for a giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.