Spring has finally arrived in the Midwest, and in Kansas City, trees and flowers are blooming, and a symphony of bird chirps fills the air. What better time for a road trip to indulge in some Christmas cheer?
Wait a minute. Christmas in spring?
Yes, you can have the warm, nostalgic feeling of Christmases Past, even when the sun is shining brightly and there’s not a snowflake in sight—on a visit to A Christmas Story House in Cleveland, Ohio.
You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!
Approximately 693 miles from Kansas City, Cleveland is a long day’s drive for Kansas Citians, but the time in the car is worth it when you get to your destination. Cleveland is filled with fascinating things to see and do, but one of my favorites is the house where Ralphie Parker and his family lived, in the now-classic 1983 film.
Kansas City Connection
A Christmas Story The Musical! premiered at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre in 2009, playing as a pre-Broadway engagement and enjoying an extended run here. The Kansas City production was the most successful engagement in the history of the Kansas City Rep, grossing over $900,000 in ticket sales.
Aunt Clara had…labored under the delusion that I was…perpetually 4 years old…
Besides the house, which has been restored to look the way it did in the 1983 film (right down to Ralphie’s Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder Pin and the bar of Lifebuoy soap in the bathroom), there’s a museum across the street, chock-full of behind-the-scenes photos, and original movie props. Yes, you can see Randy’s snowsuit! But, ohhhhhh fuuuuuudge, Ralphie’s original pink bunny costume is not in the museum, because Peter Billingsley claimed it as soon as filming was finished. However, if you have your heart set on a bunny costume of your own, there’s always—ta-dum!--THE GIFT SHOP!
Take home your own Major Award.
Not only does the gift shop carry those snuggly pink bunny suits, but you can also get your very own 45” full-size leg lamp. If you happen to be flying back to Kansas City and don’t relish carrying a humongous leg lamp past TSA agents in the Security area at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, then you can always buy the string of leg lamp ornaments for your Christmas tree. Remember to be careful—they’re “fra-gee-lay.”
My little brother had not eaten voluntarily in three years.
Pearl of the Orient (two locations) is the official restaurant of A Christmas Story House, and you can go there to duplicate the Parker family’s meal that fateful Christmas Eve when the Bumpus Hounds made their slobbery attack upon the Christmas turkey. Get 10% off your bill with a coupon from A Christmas Story House. Yes, you CAN order Roasted Duck (aka “Chinese turkey”)—head optional!
We’ll leave a leg lamp on for you.
So what are you waiting for? Take a road trip from Kansas City to A Christmas Story House and get enough warm fuzzies there to last you the whole year. Go on—I triple dog dare ya!
The Fine Print
For directions, admission prices and hours, go to http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com. For information about A Christmas Story The Musical!, click here. For more “fun” things to do and see in Cleveland, go to http://www.positivelycleveland.com.
Comments
Oh! I love A CHRISTMAS STORY. I've never had a hankering to go to Cleveland before, but I sure do now.
A Christmas Story is a classic movie, which I watch every year. I haven't been to Cleveland in years, but the next time I return I will make it a point to visit the Christmas Story House, even without a "Triple Dog Dare."
The leg lamp still cracks me up every year I watch it.
I wish I had known about this when I was near Cleveland in 2006.
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