takeahike
Here’s a chance to learn what makes a city energetic, how it began, and how it continues to grow. The Take a Hike program, now in its second year, provides participants with a fascinating insight into Cleveland’s past.

The takeahike tours give you an opportunity to learn about that exciting, dynamic time when Cleveland was America’s "Silicon Valley." Using historic buildings as a backdrop (Ohio is third on the National Historic Register for historic buildings.), tour guides provide background, insight, and commentary on this fascinating aspect of our heritage.

The Tours
There are four tours, each focused on a different neighborhood; each with a unique perspective. Each also features its own special guides, portrayed by professional actors.

• The tour of Playhouse Square, home of the largest performing arts complex outside of New York City, featuring five elegantly restored, opulent theaters, is led by legendary disc jockey and popularizer of "Rock and Roll," Alan Freed, whose original studio was located there.
• Fifteen-term Congresswoman Frances Payne Bolton, pioneering, progressive Mayor Tom L. Johnson, and inventor and innovator Garrett Morgan will teach you about the Historic Gateway Neighborhood.
• Billionaire John D. Rockefeller and architect Daniel Burnham are your leaders through the Historic Warehouse District.
• Rounding out our tours, Mary Kelley, widow of Alfred Kelley, the driving force behind the Ohio-Erie Canal, will conduct you through the Canal Basin Park and the environ of the Cuyahoga River.

takeahike – Schedule:

• Tuesdays, 6pm – Playhouse Square – State Theater Lobby (1519 Euclid Ave.)
• Saturdays, 10am –Historic Gateway Neighborhood Tour - Meet at the Arcade (401 Euclid Avenue - inside the doors off Euclid.)
  
• Thursdays, 6pm – Historic Warehouse District – now through September 18, 2011.  Meet in front of Constantino's Market at 1278 West 9th Street, where you will be met by a tour guide in a bright yellow shirt. Your tour will last approximately one and a half hours in length.
• Sundays, 10am – Canal Basin Park – Settler’s Landing RTA Station (1025 West Superior Avenue)