Free Things to Do in University Circle and Around It

University Circle grew up around a traffic circle. Two universities looking for room to expand found open land about four miles east of downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and the neighborhood took its name partly from them and partly from the circular intersection at Euclid Avenue and what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Over the following century museums, gardens, hospitals and schools filled in around it. For a visitor on a budget, that density is the point: you can park once, or arrive by train, and spend a full day without buying a ticket.

Start at Wade Oval

Wade Oval is the neighborhood’s front lawn. University Circle’s guide describes it as a seven-acre park with a community stage, and in warmer months lawn games such as bocce and a giant Connect Four are set out, along with an outdoor music area called Harmony Park. Several museums face the oval, so it is a natural meeting point and picnic spot.

Walk it yourself: CircleWalk

CircleWalk is a free self-guided walking tour created by University Circle’s nonprofit organization with its partners. As you walk through the parks, campuses and streets, look for story poles that explain what makes this part of Cleveland special. A companion website offers customized tours, extra historical photos and an audio description for visitors with low or no vision.

Ride for free: CircleLink

CircleLink is a free circulator shuttle with two routes, according to University Circle’s site:

Route	Connects	Frequency
BlueLink	Wade Oval, Uptown, Little Italy and Coventry, with access to the Little Italy – University Circle Red Line station	Every 30 minutes, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and noon to 6 p.m. weekends
GreenLink	Cedar-University Circle Red Line station, University Hospitals and the Case Western Reserve University campuses	About every 30 minutes, every 20 minutes at weekday peak times

Real-time arrivals are shown in the shuttle tracking app the neighborhood uses. Combined with a Red Line train from downtown or the airport, CircleLink makes a car-free day easy; see Cleveland Without a Car: RTA Fares, Passes and Free Rides for a Weekend.

Museums that are free or have free days

Cleveland Museum of Art

General admission is always free. It deserves its own plan; see The Cleveland Museum of Art for Free: How to Plan a Visit.

moCa Cleveland

The Museum of Contemporary Art lists admission as free for everyone living in Ohio and all youth 18 and under, and $10 for adults living outside Ohio. Check its site for building or gallery closures before you go.

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

General admission normally costs money, but the museum’s Mandel Community Days offer free Saturday and Sunday admission to residents of the City of Cleveland, East Cleveland, Brooklyn, Euclid, Garfield Heights, Maple Heights and Warrensville Heights. You reserve tickets online and show proof of residency at the welcome desk. The free days include everything covered by a general admission ticket. The museum’s garage is paid: $12 for the first two hours, plus $1 per additional half hour, up to $18 a day.

Gardens you can walk through

Fine Arts Garden and Wade Lagoon

Beside the art museum, the lagoon and its paths are open for strolling and picnics, with outdoor sculptures along the way.

Cleveland Cultural Gardens

Running north from University Circle through Rockefeller Park, the Cultural Gardens are some 33 gardens designed and cared for by different cultural and nationality groups. They line Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and East Boulevard on two levels and honor poets, philosophers, composers, scientists and peacemakers, with sculptures and tributes to monuments in other lands. Each garden has its own address, which helps with GPS.

Rockefeller Park Greenhouse

Also in Rockefeller Park, the greenhouse sits on four acres with specialty plant collections, seasonal floral displays and theme gardens. University Circle lists its hours as daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lake View Cemetery

Close to the Circle, Lake View Cemetery was founded in 1869 on 285 acres of countryside with a commanding view of Lake Erie. It is a working cemetery and an accredited arboretum, and visitors are welcome. Its gates are open every day of the year, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 1 through October 31 and 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. November 1 through March 31, though security may close them early in bad weather or at dusk.

The landmark is the James A. Garfield Memorial, the tomb of the 20th president, dedicated in 1890. The cemetery describes a circular tower 50 feet across and 180 feet high, built of Ohio sandstone, with a balcony looking out over the Cleveland skyline and 40 miles of Lake Erie shoreline. The memorial and the Wade Chapel are open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in season; in 2026 both close for the season on November 20. The grounds also hold seven so-called Moses Cleaveland trees, said to have been standing in 1796 when the city was founded.

• Keep dogs leashed and walk along the roads, not through the burial sections.
• Bikes, scooters and skateboards must be walked or parked; racks are at each entrance.
• The speed limit for cars is 15 mph.
• Geocaching and augmented reality games are not allowed, out of respect for grieving families.
• Ask families’ permission before photographing specific graves, per the cemetery’s photography policy.

Putting it together

A free University Circle day might start with the art museum when it opens, a picnic on Wade Oval or by the lagoon, a CircleLink ride, an afternoon in the Cultural Gardens and the Lake View grounds before the gates close. Pack food and water, and the only thing you will need to buy is transit fare, if that.