What to do with kids in Cleveland over Christmas break, from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. We read the holiday hours posted by five museums, zoos and play places: none of them opens on Christmas Day. Plus eight dated outings on Christmas Eve and the days in between.
Dec 24 · Dec 25 · Jan 1
Holiday hours from each place’s own page, side by side. Many are standing rules (“closed Christmas Day”) that hold year to year, but a quick check that morning is worth it.
“Not posted” means the place’s own page doesn’t say. Call or check the morning of.
Day by day
Pick a day to see what’s on. Many places close early on Dec 24 and Dec 31, so check each card’s times.
Beachwood Place · 26300 Cedar Road, Beachwood, OH 44122
Good to know: Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot).
SouthPark · 500 Southpark Center, Strongsville, OH 44136
Good to know: Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot). Pet photo nights on 2 evenings (Nov 22, Nov 29).
Great Lakes Mall · 7850 Mentor Avenue, Mentor, OH 44060
Good to know: Walk-ups welcome; booking a 15-minute slot online is encouraged (a few families share each slot). Pet photo nights on 1 evening (Dec 7).
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens · 714 North Portage Path, Akron, OH 44303
Good to know: No drive-through tickets; plan about 2 hours; nonrefundable.
Akron Zoo · Akron, OH
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo · 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, OH 44109
Good to know: More than 1.5 million lights, with the Twinkly Trail and Gingerbread Lane on walking nights and Santa at the North Pole Lodge.
Lake Metroparks Farmpark · 8800 Euclid Chardon Rd. (Rt. 6), Kirtland, OH 44094
Good to know: May sell out; max three tickets per family; arrive no more than 15 minutes early; final sale.
Cleveland Botanical Garden · Cleveland, OH
Good to know: 20-ft living tree with champagne lights, storybook trail, evening marshmallow roasting; daytime option for early bedtimes. Not a big outdoor light show. Krampusnacht Dec 5 6–9 p.m. may scare little ones.
Mentor Public Library, Main Branch (Village Room) · 8215 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH 44060
Good to know: For ages 3 to 10, with music, games, snacks and a balloon drop at noon, and kids are encouraged to dress up. Registration opens Thursday, Dec 17.
Cleveland Public Library, Jefferson Branch (Community Space 1) · 850 Jefferson Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
Good to know: The Tremont branch is bringing in Twister Girl and an ice carver, so this is the one with the most to watch. Stories and crafts fill the morning before a balloon drop at noon. It's billed for all ages.
Cleveland Public Library, Rice Branch (Children's Room) · 11535 Shaker Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44120
Good to know: It takes place in the children's room, with story time, games, crafts and snacks across a two-hour window, so you don't have to arrive on the dot. Ages 0–5 are on the audience list.
Cleveland Public Library, Fulton Branch (Meeting Room) · 3545 Fulton Rd, Cleveland, OH 44109
Good to know: A west-side hour of dancing, crafts and light refreshments, built around a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown to noon. No registration is listed.
Geauga County Public Library, Bainbridge Branch · Bainbridge Township
Good to know: A family program with games and crafts that ends in a noon countdown.
Cleveland Botanical Garden · Cleveland, OH
Good to know: 20-ft living tree with champagne lights, storybook trail, evening marshmallow roasting; daytime option for early bedtimes. Not a big outdoor light show. Krampusnacht Dec 5 6–9 p.m. may scare little ones.
If it snows
Every hill here depends on snow, so check the park’s status page the morning you go. Tubing hills set height minimums, listed on each card.
16200 Valley Pkwy, Strongsville (Mill Stream Run Reservation)
Riders must be 42 inches or taller, with gloves or mittens
Season runs Nov 27 to Feb 28. Reservations required for each time slot; they open Nov 20 at noon.
Official page ↗
Rainy-day backup
These don’t post holiday hours yet, so check before you go. More on our indoor play page.
Keep planning
November: things to do in ClevelandEvery dated listing for the month, by weekDecember: things to do in ClevelandEvery dated listing for the month, by week
Free things to do in ClevelandFree days, free events and places that never charge
Free museum days in ClevelandFree days, Museums on Us and EBT discounts, with who gets inIndoor play in ClevelandIndoor playgrounds, toddler times, museums and classes, with prices
Library storytimes in ClevelandBaby, toddler and preschool storytimes by day and branch
Ice skating in ClevelandHoliday and indoor rinks, skate aids and prices
Thanksgiving weekend in ClevelandParades, turkey trots and what’s open on Thursday
Noon Year’s Eve in ClevelandKid-friendly countdowns, home by nap
Christmas parades in ClevelandParades and tree lightings with dates and start timesChristmas trains in ClevelandPolar Express, Santa and lights trains with datesThe Nutcracker in ClevelandBallet and touring shows, sensory-friendly flagged
Christmas markets in ClevelandChristkindlmarkts and winter wonderlands with hoursBirthday party places in ClevelandStarting prices, ages and what’s included
This week in ClevelandDated outings for ages 0–6, checked every Thursday
Good questions
Of the five places we checked, none posts Christmas Day hours as open; Children’s Museum of Cleveland, Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland Museum of Art and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are closed. A park or a drive past the lights is the easy plan.
Open with posted hours: Cleveland Museum of Art (Closes at 4 p.m.), Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (10 a.m.–3 p.m.), Get Air Middleburg Heights (Closed 5–10 p.m.). On the calendar: Santa Photos at Beachwood Place, Santa Photos at SouthPark and Santa Photos at Great Lakes Mall.
None of the places that post New Year’s Day hours says it’s open.
On the calendar for Jan 1: Tropical Holiday. Check each one’s own page before you go, since holiday hours can change.
Toboggan chutes at The Chalet. All of them need snow, so check the park’s status page first.
Deck the Hall: Holidays Through the Decades, Wild Lights (10-Year Celebration), Wild Winter Lights, Country Lights Drive-Thru and Tropical Holiday. Check each one’s calendar for the exact nights; some close on certain days.
Each listing comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own page and links to it. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 21, 2026, and we recheck them in early December and again the week before Christmas. How we choose and check.
One short email every Thursday evening with the best things to do with little ones in Cleveland, through the holidays.
