Dear Next TRAVELER to Ohio!
Highlights/Recommendations:
1. Kirtland, Ohio LDS Church Historical Sites
2. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – Cleveland, OH
3. Lakeview Cemetery
4. Cleveland Sign & Edgewater Beach
5. Little Italy
6. Westside Market
7. GE Chandelier
8. Michael Jackson Musical
9. Mitchells Homemade Ice cream
10. Soldiers & Sailors War Memorial
One of our family’s summer road-trips included Ohio. We wanted to visit Kirtland and see the church historical sites including Kirtland Temple. We also wanted to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Family in Cleveland. We liked Cleveland so much that we ended up canceling another day of our trip so we could stay longer in Cleveland. Here’s what we did and LOVED.
Kirtland. We have visited so many of the LDS Historical sites including Salt Lake City, Utah, the Sacred Grove in upstate New York & Nauvoo, Illinois and were anxious to see Kirtland. The LDS church had recently purchased the Kirtland Temple from the Community of Christ and we felt like it was a perfect time to make a visit. We were in Kirtland for about 4 hours and felt like we were able to see all that we wanted to and not feel rushed. Kirtland is much smaller than other LDS historical site locations. Although it is much smaller, the Spirit of the Lord was not diminished or the feelings of love and compassion for those that sacrificed so much. For me, the smaller size made me love the early Saints even more.
We pulled into the parking lot at the Visitor Center (7800 Kirtland-Chardon Road, Kirtland, OH). There were two beautiful buildings in the parking lot – the Visitors Center & The Schoolhouse. We walked inside the visitors center and had a wonderful introduction by an older couple that were serving as senior missionaries for that area. We watched a 20-min film about the early Saints and their time in Kirtland. After the introductions the led us on a walking tour to the Newel & Ann Whitney Home, The Newel K. Whitney Store, The Ashery, and The Sawmill.
The Whitney Home was beautiful and we loved seeing how the early settlers in Ohio lived in the mid-1800s. I loved hearing the story of when Joseph & Emma came to town and Emma was pregnant that the Whitneys gave up their bedroom for them. Newel K. Whitney and his wife, Elizabeth Ann Whitney, were early settlers in Kirtland, Ohio, and were searching for greater religious truth. When Joseph Smith and his wife Emma arrived in Kirtland 1831, Newel Whitney brought them “directly to [his] house”. The Whitneys were honored to have the Prophet and his wife in their home. Joseph and Emma spent their first month in Ohio living in the Whitney home. During the time the Smiths lived with the Whitneys, the Whitney home became a place of meeting and revelation for the Saints.
The Newel K. Whitney Store was a very well thought out mercantile store. Newel ran the store with his friend and business partner, Sidney Gilbert. The two merchants sold a variety of goods, most of which were likely shipped to Kirtland via Lake Erie. After the Saints’ arrival in 1831, the store became a place of meeting and revelation. A portion of the Newel K. Whitney Store was transformed into a home for Joseph Smith and his family. The School of the Prophets was held in a room on the second floor. Among the significant revelations Joseph received in the Newel K. Whitney Store was the Word of Wisdom after Joseph Smith inquired to the Lord about the men using tobacco during meetings.
As we walked upstairs and saw Joseph’s office and where the School of the Prophets met, it was a powerful realization and the Spirit testified that many truths occurred in that space.
The use of the ashery and sawmill to help with the construction of the temple was so fascinating to me. It was a powerful reminder that the Lord can provide what is needed.
In 1824, Newel K. Whitney established an ashery on the Kirtland flats. Money from the ashery helped pay off loans, finance the construction of the Kirtland temple, and print Church literature. Asheries were common on the American frontier. In asheries, ash was turned into potash, an alkali that was used in manufacturing many products, including soap, pottery, and bleach. Thanks to its wide variety of applications, potash was a valuable commodity that sold for high prices. The replica of the Whitney Ashery sits on the location of the original and is likely the only example of a reconstructed ashery in North America.
The lumber from the sawmill was used for the roof, gables, and tower of the Kirtland Temple. The priesthood pulpits were likely assembled in the woodshop at the sawmill before being installed in the temple. Carpenters used a water-powered plane available at the sawmill to cut intricate moldings found in the woodwork on the temple.
After we toured those areas, we drove down the street to the Kirtland Temple site. We visited Joseph & Emmas house first and then walked up the hill to the Temple. We went into the Temple Visitors Center and met with a group and walked through the Temple together. The guides discussed the history of the Temple and because of the age of the Temple, we were encouraged to be extra careful in what we touched and handled. The temple was completed in late 1835 and dedicated on March 27, 1836. We learned about the original windows in the Temple & the 66 stairs up to the upper rooms of the Temple. They showed us how you could look between the floors and see the original construction of the Temple. When we walked into the upper room and saw where the School of the Prophet met and the priest pulpits, you could feel an even greater outpouring of the Spirit. You could tell it was a holy space. It was incredible to think that the Savior appeared to Joseph Smith in that room. The Kirtland Temple was very different than other LDS temples we have visited but the Spirt of peace and truth was the same.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We decided to hurry and go to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, even though we only had about an hour and a half before it closed. It was a good decision. It really only took us that amount of time. It goes pretty fast. There are a lot of exhibits, but you can walk through them pretty quickly. My daughter was disappointed when she got to the Michael Jackson display and the white glove was no longer on display. It had been sold and people weren’t sure where it was. The top floor of the museum was a huge display for the band Bon Jovi. They are one of mine and Brad’s favorites. We loved it.
After the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame we had lunch downtown at Wahlburgers. Brad is a huge Blue Blood fan (Donnie Wahlburg) and it just made sense to eat at the restaurant. The burgers were great!
We were trying to decide what to do next and thought we’d try Lakeview Cemetery. There are some very unique buildings in the cemetery. We actually arrived too late, as things were closing, so we ended up returning the next day and loved our time spent there. We visited President Garfield’s memorial. It is an incredible building with so many amazing things. The James A. Garfield Memorial is the final resting place of President Garfield. The memorial, which began construction in October 1885, was dedicated on May 30, 1890 and placed on the National Register of Historic places on April 11, 1973. President Garfield was a resident of Mentor, Ohio and was shot in Washington, D.C., on July 2, 1881. He ended up dying on September 19, 1881. The view of downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie from the top story was incredible. It was fascinating to see the casket of the US President.
The memorial cost, $135,000 ($4,800,000 in 2025 dollars) and was funded entirely through private donations, some even from pennies sent in by children throughout the country. The stone for the monument was locally sourced. On the exterior are scenes depicting Garfield’s life. The round tower is 180 feet high. The interior has the most beautiful stained glass windows representing the original 13 colonies and the state of Ohio. There is also a 12-foot-tall white marble statue of President Garfield.
The caskets of President Garfield and his wife, Lucretia lie in a crypt beneath the memorial, along with the ashes of their daughter Mary and son-in-law Joseph Brown.
We saw the obelisk for John D. Rockefeller, founder of the Standard Oil Company of Ohio and the first Billionaire in the United States. It was extremely tall and towered over so many of the other monuments in the cemetery.
Wade Chapel was our favorite. What a stunning building! The chapel is one of the few remaining interiors completely designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The Chapel was built in 1901 in memory of Jeptha Wade, founder of The Western Union Telegraph Company and the first president of Lake View Cemetery. Wade Memorial Chapel was placed on the National Register of Historic places on June 18, 1973. We learned so many amazing things from our tour guide who was also a skydiver. He was trying to get Brad to go and jump with him.
Cleveland Sign & Edgewater Beach. Above the beach area in Edgewater Park is one of the best skyline views of the city along with the Instagrammable Cleveland script sign. We found it and of course took several photos together. We enjoyed a couple hours and the sunset at Edgewater Park. We were impressed with how many people were there and just doing various things and hanging out. Our youngest daughter loved swimming in Lake Erie. I made sure to put my feet in the water of the Great Lakes! The sand wasn’t Florida gulf coast pretty and the water was kind of dingy BUT it felt good to just be able to relax and enjoy the sunset on the water was amazing.
We spent our first night at the Drury Inn. It’s located in the Downtown Square area by the war memorial. It is a stunningly beautiful hotel. We had an extra large room and amazingly comfortable beds. We walked out the back of the hotel and looked at the war memorial and the lights of the buildings at night. It was beautiful. The hotel also has a great pool and hot tub. Both of our girls loved taking advantage of some swimming and relaxing time.
Little Italy. Upon a recommendation from our Wade Chapel skydiver tour guide, we ate lunch at Little Italy Lunch & Patries. The food was incredibly delicious. I had lasagna, Brad had chicken parmesan and the girls had pizza. Everyone’s food was good. We made sure to have several pastries, including, a lobster tail, which is always my favorite.
Westside Market. This public market is over 100 years old and the architecture alone is worth visiting for. West Side Market is Cleveland’s largest and oldest continuously operating public market. The Market has served fresh produce, meats, and bakery prepared foods since 1912. The Market is in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood and typically has more than 800,000 guests each year. I’d recommend picking up some pastries or other treats, while you are there. It was great shopping area. There were so many cuts of meat and any kind of produce. We didn’t buy much but did try several items. Our youngest daughter has always wanted to try dragon fruit. We bought one at the market. We tried it later in the hotel and although it wasn’t bad, it won’t make her list of top things to eat. I think her dragon fruit quest is over.
GE Chandelier. The GE chandelier is located in the heart of Playhouse Square at Euclid Avenue & E 14th Street. It hangs 44 feet above the street and is the largest outdoor chandelier in North America. The chandelier dazzled the area for the first time on May 2, 2014. It is made up of 4,200 crystals. It is stunning.
Michael Jackson Musical. Amazing. Our oldest daughter said it was the best thing she had ever seen. As we were taking pictures of the GE chandelier in the theater district was saw advertisements for M.J. the Musical. I thought our oldest daughter was going to lose her mind. Her favorite celebrity is Michael Jackson. The musical would be playing the next night. We decided then to stay an extra night in Cleveland so she could see the performance. It was unreal. The musical was at the Keybank State Theatre in Playhouse Square. The venue was so ornate and gorgeous. We were amazed by the talent of all the performers. We learned so much about Michael Jackson and his family and loved getting to dance to the music. We walked from the building to our hotel, the Hilton. There was a large crowd walking with us and only a few times were we ever alone. I felt safe in the downtown area.
Mitchells Homemade Icecream. In the downtown area is a cute little ice cream shop. We had to wait in line which is usually a great sign of good food. As we parked and were walking to the shop there were all these people running, like hundreds of people. We finally asked someone what was going on and they told us that it was a running club. So wild. The ice-cream was delicious!
Soldiers and Sailors War Memorial. We stumbled on this memorial as we were driving through downtown looking for the arcade building. We ended up parking and walking through the memorial. It’s a small but well-done monument that commemorates the American Civil War. From their website: “it consists of a 125′ column surrounded at its base by a Memorial Room and esplanade. The column, topped with a statue of the Goddess of Freedom, defended by the Shield of Liberty, signifies the essence of the Nation for which Cuyahoga County veterans were willing to and did give their lives. Four bronze groupings on the esplanade depict, in battle scenes, the Navy, Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry. Inside the Memorial Room are four bronze relief sculptures: Women’s Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Aid Society, Beginning of the War in Ohio, Emancipation of the Slaves and End of the War at City Point, Va., as well as busts of Gen. James Barnett and Architect/ Sculptor Levi T. Scofield, together with 6 officers, who were either killed in action, or died of disease or their wounds.”
We stayed our second night at the Hilton. It was a lovely hotel and beautiful against the Cleveland skyline but we actually preferred the Drury Inn.
WE LOVED CLEVELAND. We found so many great things to do and see and could have stayed a couple more days to see more. We felt safe the entire time we were in the city, day or night. Great big city. Thank you, Cleveland.
Next Traveler 