Things to Do in Cleveland in December

December is the best time to tackle the Rock Hall. Summer tourist buses have vanished. You can stand and read Lou Reed's handwritten lyrics without being jostled. Low-angle winter light through the I.M. Pei-designed glass pyramid casts dramatic shadows across the exhibits. The humidity outside makes the climate-controlled, multi-level museum a perfect refuge for an afternoon.

Cleveland is a city of neighborhoods. The best way to understand them is through their kitchens. In December, the warmth means you can comfortably walk between stops, from the smoky scent of barbecue at a Tremont smokehouse to the yeasty smell of fresh rye bread being pulled from a brick oven in Ohio City. These tours tend to move indoors, offering cozy tastings in historic buildings you might otherwise walk right past.

Cleveland's downtown is a museum of early 20th-century American architecture, from the gilded Terminal Tower to the Guardians of Traffic statues on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. The dry December air is crisp and clear, good for looking up at these stone giants without squinting through summer haze. A good guide will take you through the arcades - covered glass-roofed passages like the 1890 Heinen's - where the sound of your footsteps on marble is the only thing interrupting the quiet.

The Cuyahoga Valley National Park takes on a stark, beautiful quality in early winter. Seeing it from the warmth of a historic train car is the way to go. The bare trees reveal rock formations and the winding river you miss in the summer foliage, and the rhythm of the train on the tracks is a soothing counterpoint to the city. They often run special holiday-themed rides in December, complete with hot cider.