You may be familiar with the phrase "Cleveland Rocks" made popular by the Drew Carey Show, and not only are Cleveland natives proud of their busy city, but as the home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland actually does rock. The Greater Cleveland area extends 100 miles along the Lake Erie shoreline, and the Cleveland/Akron metro area consists of nearly 3 million residents.

Ask anyone from Cleveland where they live, and they may begin by differentiating the east side from the west side. Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights and Chagrin Falls are east side neighborhoods, while Westlake, Bay Village and Lakewood are on the west side.

The waterfront area, about 30 miles from downtown is considered Lakeside Cleveland, and features Ohio's nicest beach, Headlands Beach State Park. Also in this area, are several other beaches at Cleveland Lakefront, including Wildwood and Euclid Beach. Lakeside events are available ten months out of the year, from jazz festivals and summer concerts to wine events and arts fairs.

Cleveland has several museums, popular shopping malls, and several distinctive cultural options for theater, music and dance. Browns football and Indians baseball have cult followings in the area and draw thousands of travelers each year to see a home game. The Flats are the center of downtown nightlife, with rows of bars and clubs not to mention the accompanying line to get in. Wherever you stay in the greater area, you'll run into at least one of the Cleveland Metroparks. With 14 sites located throughout the greater Cleveland area, the parks have over 20,000 acres of hiking and biking trails, swimming, golf, and nature centers, and are nice spots for families with varied interests.

I-80, I-90 and I-480 run east/west and I-71, I-77 and I-271 run north/south through the city. Cleveland is 140 northeast of Columbus and only 40 miles north of Akron.