Free Indoor Family-Fun In The Cleveland Area 2024
One of my favorite things to do is find FREE things for us to do as a family, and we really have some great options here in the Cleveland area.
From libraries to nature centers to event activities to museums, Cleveland has it all!
I wanted to compile it all in one place so it’s easy to find what fits your family best so you can start making wonderful memories with your kids.
Community Art Center
(2937 W 25th St, Cleveland OH 44113)
The community art center is a free, fun, and educational hands-on experience open to the public Friday-Sunday.
You can walk around and see all the unique art displays, and when you’re ready, you can make your way to the workshop rooms to do some hands-on crafts. No reservation is needed, and it’s completely free!
There’s also a coffee shop in the building now, which is a huge bonus in my book.😆 ☕️
Check out the community arts center, especially if you have an aspiring artist like me.
Parking is also free, which is always a plus. 💜
2. Pins mechanical co
(1880 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113)
Arcade games, jumbo jenga, hookie, jumbo connect four, and their huge lite board are all FREE with the purchase of at least one adult beverage.
You can also pay for extra games like duck pin bowling, pinball machines, and bocce ball. Prices are listed on their website.
BONUS: Kids bowl FREE on Sundays with the purchase of a bowling game for an adult.
Pins is a great spot for kids and adults. It’s one of our family’s favorite places to visit.
Essential Things To Know:
Pins is only kid-friendly until 8p. Check their website for times and more info.
They have fun kids slushies ($5.50)
They don’t serve food, so you can bring in food from outside.
We ordered a pizza from Pizza Whirl, which is only a block away. It’s a stone oven pizza shop, and the pizza was fantastic. $10 for an eight-slice pizza. 🍕
3. Visit A Library
Libraries have been our go-to destination for a long time.
Many libraries offer great spaces for the kids to play and learn.
Most libraries also have great programs like story time.
We’ve put together a list of our favorite 16 libraries. Check it out here.
4. Visit a Nature Center
Nature Centers have been another one of our go-to’s for years.
We love exploring nature, and having a great indoor option to play and have fun is always a huge bonus.
Check out this list to see 11 of our favorite nature centers.
5. Lowe’s Workshops
At each Lowe’s Workshop, kids get a fun hands-on build kit that usually include some type of hammering and or painting. They also earn an iron-on-patch for their apron. Aprons are free and are given the first-time they attend a workshop. Typically the builds take us 30min to 45min.
Lowe’s workshop days are once a month, and advanced registration is required per their website guidelines. Be sure to register here.
6. Home Depot Kids’ Workshop
The first Saturday of the month Home Depot has a free in-store workshop for kids.
Each kid receives a craft to build, an apron, and a pin that has a little picture of the craft of the month.
The crafts usually require them to use hammers, screwdrivers, and paint brushes. All provided by Home Depot in-store. These projects usually take us between 30 min to 45 min.
The workshop runs from 9a-12p the first Saturday of each month.
Some Home Depot’s do require registration, so be sure to check before going.
7. Cleveland Art Museum
Cleveland is truly blessed to have this amazing free gem in our community. It’s a great way for kids to experience art at a young age.
Lately. we spend most of our time in the interactive art room that is on the immediate left when you walk in the main entrance.
This room provides kids the chance to explore and experience art through interactive screens.
We “made” pottery, drew shapes that turned into art right in front of our eyes, created self-portraits, and learned about poses.
The room isn’t huge, but there is a lot to explore. We usually spend about an hour in this room.
Another of our favorite exhibits is the Hall of Knights located upstairs. This room really brings the medieval to life! 🏰
There’s also a beautiful lagoon to walk around when the weather is warm.
You can pay to park in their parking garage, or there is street parking with meters. If you go on a weekend, meter parking is free.
8. Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
My nephew is really into coins and money, so we had a feeling that this would be a hit with our group.
When you walk in, you are immediately presented with the beauty of this old, historic building.
We were greeted by the nicest lady, who told us what to expect once we entered the museum. She gave us a short tour of the Federal Reserve Bank and told us about the history of the building. After that, we went inside and explored.
We only spent about 45 minutes there. After that, our group was ready to move on to our next location downtown. The museum is self-guided, so you can do as much as you like and skip anything that doesn't interest your kids.
We took money photos, and the kids thought it was really fun. I plan on printing them so they can use their own personal money around the house. 😆
We then played a computer game that taught the kids about the bartering system.
After that, we watched a short film that explained the concept of money. The film is on a loop, and you can leave anytime.
Next, we saw the huge money tree, which the kids thought was so cool.
There's also an area where kids can learn about counterfeit money. They get to use a magnifying glass to examine money to see if they can figure out if it's authentic or counterfeit.
Lastly, there's another station for kids to make their dollar bills.
And at the end of your visit, they get to take a bag of shredded money home.
9. Rockefeller Greenhouse
The Rockefeller greenhouse is so beautiful! Every time we visit I’m left in awe of the colors.
My kids always love looking around at the incredible variety of plants at this greenhouse. It really is a breath of fresh air.
It’s also a big plus that it’s right down the street from the Cleveland Museum of Art.
We especially love visiting the greenhouse during the colder winter months because it’s warm and reminds us of spring!
10. Free Events at Lakeshore Learning
Once a month, Lakeshore Learning has a free learning event for kids and they’re so much fun.
My kids always love the activities and crafts. The theme changes month to month, so it’s always exciting to see what they’ll get to do next.
After the events my kids love walking around the store and adding things to their Christmas lists. I love that they have so many crafts and STEM-type toys!
You can learn more about these events here.
That’s it for our list! If you have any suggestions for us, or you know of an event that we should add to our list, please email us at clewithkids@gmail.com.
Happy adventuring!
