CLEVELAND—Cleveland, a quick 3z-hour drive from Buffalo, has a number of family-friendly attractions, making it an easy day trip or weekend getaway destination.

The best-known attraction in the city is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located along the waterfront in downtown Cleveland (1100 Rock and Roll Blvd.; 888-764-ROCK;

www.rockhall.com

). This glass-walled, pyramid-shaped museum, which opened in 1995, houses many artifacts from the early days of rock ’n’ roll, along with items on loan from today’s artists. Some of the items on display in the seven-level museum include the jacket John Lennon wore for the cover of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Grace Slick’s vest worn on stage at Woodstock, Mick Jagger’s American flag/Union Jack cape and Neil Young’s fringe jacket.

I was there on a group tour, so we had only about 1z hour 1/3 at the museum, which wasn’t really enough time. One could easily spend all day touring this 150,000-square-foot facility. There are an overwhelming number of permanent exhibits dedicated to everything from the history of rock ’n’ roll to today’s popular artists. There also are rotating exhibits, as well as interactive listening exhibits and five films shown throughout the day.

While I and the other adult chaperones remembered performances by many of the featured artists, such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Elvis, many of our young teen charges viewed these rock icons as people who died before they were born. However, the kids still enjoyed the museum and thought it was really cool.

On display on the fifth and sixth floors of the museum until spring 2010 is “From Ashbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen.” It is a must-see exhibit for any fan of “The Boss.”

Because of an agreement with the artists, photography and video are not allowed inside the museum; you’ll have to check your cameras at the door. Be sure to visit the large gift shop, which has a lot of neat merchandise for the rock ’n’ roll fan. A cafe on the museum’s third floor serves light meals and beverages.

Scientific wonders

Next door to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the Great Lakes Science Center (601 Erieside Ave.; 216-694-2000;

www.greatscience.com

), a nonprofit educational institution with the mission of stimulating interest and promoting the understanding of science. The exhibits—there are more than 400 interactives on three levels—begin outside, with a 150-foot wind turbine. It supplies 6 percent of the building’s energy needs. The also are 156 solar panels, which produce enough power to light all 65,000 square feet of exhibit space.

The first-floor exhibits are on the environment of the Great Lakes region. On the second floor, exhibits explain biomedical technology like DNA and stem cell research and medical imaging. There are also exhibits on transportation, information technology and even an outdoor observation deck.

The third floor has a variety of exhibits on sound and shape, as well as a van der Graff generator, where visitors can have a “hair raising” experience. There is also the Polymer Playhouse, for museum visitors ages 7 and under, which has 90 interactive exhibits and activities.

For additional fees, museum visitors can view a film in the museum’s Omnimax theater or tour the 618-foot steamship, the William G. Mather, a restored 1925 Great Lakes freighter where visitors can see what life was like aboard a ship during the golden era of steam boating. The ship is open May through October.

Waterfront tour

When visiting Cleveland’s waterfront, take a tour on the Nautica Queen cruise ship (1153 Main Ave. 216-696-888, 800-837-0604;

www.nauticaqueen.com

). The dock is on the Cuyahoga River in the Flats area. All cruises include a buffet meal and musical entertainment. This tour offers a great view of the Cleveland skyline, including Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Our group of teens really enjoyed the cruise, especially since it was a kids buffet lunch cruise, complete with a DJ and a pizza party. Museums and more

Cleveland’s University Circle District, on the city’s east side by Case Western Reserve University, is the cultural, educational and medical center of the city.

The Western Reserve Historical Society (10825 East Blvd.; 216-721-5722;

www.wrhs.org

) focuses on the history of northeast Ohio. The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, contained within the historical society, has about 200 antique and classic automobiles and aircraft. The historical society also operates several other historical properties in northeast Ohio. Other nearby museums and attractions include the Cleveland Museum of Art (11150 East Blvd.; 216-421-7340, 887-262-4748;

www.clemusart.com

), which is undergoing a major expansion. Its collection features works by European masters as well as American artists. Cleveland also has a Museum of Contemporary Art (8501 Carnegie Ave.; 216-421-8671;

www.mocacleveland.org

). The Children’s Museum of Cleveland (10730 Euclid Ave.; 216-791-7114;

www.clevelandchildrensmuseum.org

) is of special interest to families with children under age 8, with many hands-on interactive exhibits, like Splish, Splash, where kids can learn about the water cycle and more. The Big Red Barn exhibit was inspired by the book of the same name by Margaret Wise Brown. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History (One Wade Oval Drive; 800-317-9155;

www.cmnh.org

), founded in 1920, is considered one of the finest institutions of its kind in the country. The Cleveland Botanical Gardens (11030 East Blvd.; 216-721-1600, 888-853-7091;

www.cbgarden.org

), as well as the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest (3900 Wildlife Way; 216-661-6500;

www.clemetzoo.com

), are also in this district. The botanical gardens feature an 18,000-square-foot glass conservatory plus 10 acres of outdoor gardens. The 168-acre zoo features 3,000 animals from six continents, as well as a tropical rain forest. Play ball

For many years, Major League Baseball fans from Buffalo have flocked to see the Cleveland Indians (Progressive Field, 2401 Ontario St., Cleveland; 216- 420-HITS;

www.indians.mlb.com

) in action. This team, which was founded in 1901, has played at Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland since 1994. If you catch a Sunday afternoon game, you can easily travel back to Buffalo before dark. If you are traveling to Cleveland on a nongame day, behind the scenes tours of Progressive Field are available for a nominal charge.