A Great Guide to Cleveland… and 49 More Cities

If you want a fun weekend getaway, come to Cleveland. There’s so much to do here, even before April 8, 2024, when we’ll be in the path of totality for the next solar eclipse. 50 Cities of the U.S.A., a new book by QuartoKids, offers a great glimpse of what this great town has to offer.

In all honesty, this book offers a delightful, spot-on glimpse at many cities, with graphics that are engaging and easy to read. Of course each city has so much more—whole guide books have been created for each city, so clearly this book can’t cover it all—but as far as getting a really good feel for the highlights, 50 Cities of the U.S.A. seems to be written by someone who knows what’s what.

Take a look for yourself.

Five Things You May Not Have Known About Cleveland

In addition to listing must-see visit sites, each spread is filled with fun facts about the city. Check out these interesting tidbits you may not have known about Cleveland:

• MILL STREAM RUN is the only place in Ohio that you can speed 50mph down a 700-foot toboggan ice chute.
• SEMI-TRUCK—Local Alexander Winton invented the semi-truck in 1898, when Cleveland was the center of automobile manufacturing.
• LUNAR NEW YEAR ZODIAC STATUES—Local artists annually celebrate the Chinese Zodiac by painting dozens of statues with animal of the year.
• CLEVELAND INVENTIONS—The Mr. Coffee coffee maker, padded bicycle seat, Palm Pilot, and smoke detector were all invented by locals.
• FOOTGOLF—Play this sport—a combination of soccer and golf—at one of Cleveland’s many Metroparks.

There’s plenty more, and that’s what makes this book such a gem.

Love This Book

This is a coffee table book, and a gorgeous one at that. While it seems targeted at kids, this is a delight for us grownup types to look at, too. My only complaint is that it isn’t travel-sized. Each page offers a one-day itinerary, which I’d love to take with me as I travel around exploring cities. Perhaps next up, they’ll consider making a travel app to accompany the book (hint hint).

But seriously, I left this on my coffee table when some friends came over, and the bright yellow cover and stylish cover illustration drew them in. They flipped through the pages, taking much pleasure going through the pages of cities they’ve lived in or visited extensively through the years. And they unanimously concurred that this guide is spot-on.

If you’re intrigued, the book comes out September 7. Click here to learn more and order. It’s listed for $30 on their website, but apparently you can preorder now from Amazon and save a few bucks. Just saying.

Disclaimer: GeekMom Nivi received a copy of the book for review purposes. All opinions are entirely her own (and those of her friends who noticed it sitting on her coffee table). Except for the tidbits of trivia; those were pulled straight from the book.