The Cleveland Museum of Art is unlike any other art museums we’ve been. The original museum, dating back to 1916 has been expanded on to with a more modern wing. This leaves a large atrium area where you can visit the gift shop and lounge at a food court.

Oh, and let us not forget to mention that general admission is FREE! You do have to pay to park at the attached garage, though – but we though the cost was nominal and fair.

Impression

Mesmerized is the word I would use to describe the feeling you get entering into the large expanse that is the atrium at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The image above is only about half of the space! Behind this area is an information desk, a bamboo garden with benches. Behind that is the gift shop, cafe and a large seating area.

There are 3 levels to the museum, which are all well documented with maps or you can use the state of the art “ArtLens” system. ArtLens is a smartphone app that not only will guide you through the museum, but also has augmented reality features and allows for you to capture images of your favorite pieces and selfies with you interacting throughout the museum. Definitely worth checking out.

It is hard in a place like this to pick a “favorite”, but we’ll do our best to spotlight the standouts.

Armor Court

The armor court is filled with medieval period arms and armor, including a replica knight on a horse!

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Asian Statues

At first we didn’t believe it, but all the status you see below are made out of wood! The level of detail in some of them are astounding, especially when you realize that some are from 1200 AD or older!!

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General Art Works

Pieces from Monet, Rodin and van Gogh can be found here as well. You never truly can appreciate the great artists until you see their work in person. This is the first time I saw a van Gogh and even the image I took here does not do the work justice. The pop of the color and the texture of the paint are just something spectacular.

Another story for another time are the Cultural Gardens that begin just across the street from the old main entrance! However, there are some outdoor areas right around the museum itself that are of interest. There are a multitude of reasons to visit the Cleveland Museum of Art, and because of those reasons we will be returning again and again to explore the great treasures of this city along Lake Erie.