Cleveland, Ohio

In July 1796, General Moses Cleaveland stood at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River and decided it was a suitable location for the capital city of the Connecticut Western Reserve. After pacing out a suitably sized Public Square, he returned to his New England home, never to see his namesake city again.

Although the area would later rise to prominence as an industrial powerhouse, Ohio's north shore witnessed events that would have impacted even Jane Austen's world - including the Battle of Lake Erie, which turned the tide of the War of 1812.

Because of Cleveland's location along the Erie Canal, as well as an industrial boom borne out of the loss of trade with the South during the American Civil War, Cleveland grew into one of the largest and most prosperous industrial cities in the country. With wealth and industry came philanthropists such as the Wade, Hanna, and Rockefeller families. Their investments in Cleveland continue to provide residents and visitors world-class cultural attractions.

Cleveland's theater district is the largest performing arts center in the United States outside of New York. Many Broadway shows come through at prices much more affordable than what theatergoers can find in New York, Chicago, or other major cities. We plan to partner with Playhouse Square to provide a cultural context to Austen’s writing, which was set against the bustling Georgian backdrop of theaters at Covent Gardens and Drury Lane, where the scandals and love lives of the actors, as much as the substance of the plays they acted, trickled into the lives of cultural consumers.

The renowned Cleveland Museum of Art, ranked second in the U.S. by Business Insider Magazine, houses one of the largest collections of portrait miniatures in the United States, spanning the sixteenth to the twentieth century with particularly strong representation from British and French artists. The museum also has priceless works of European masters on display.

We are especially proud of our Cleveland Orchestra, which is currently under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst and plays in the beautiful and historic Severance Hall.

Within an hour's drive from the hotel, the Kent State University Museum has on display collections of historic and contemporary fashions, costumes and decorative arts representing many of the world's cultures, and one of the most comprehensive teaching collections of fashionable design from the 18th century to the present.

Cleveland is also located within a short drive of Ohio’s largest Amish settlements. Shopping and tourism opportunities allow visitors to see what life was like before the age of electricity and modern conveniences.

Other points of interest include the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, final resting place of hundreds of Byron-esque superstar souvenirs; the Polka Hall of Fame for those unsatisfied with the quadrille; the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH; and Cedar Point, Ohio’s record-breaking roller coaster park. Read more about Cleveland's appeal here.

And for anyone who, like Lydia Bennet, relishes the chance to win a few fish at the lottery, JACK Cleveland Casino, housed in a historic Gilded Age building on Public Square, is open twenty-four hours.

There is quite enough of that going on in Cleveland to keep the Beautifull Cassandra busy!