Two years ago, we hit the road with our four kids, ages six to 14, in search of FAMILYFUN's "Ten Family-Friendly Cities." The result was a list of urban gems--too many, in fact, to fit in a single article. While that story focused on giants like Chicago, Washington and San Francisco, we now present the rest of the story. Each offers a host of great family activities and cultural attractions, yet is easy to navigate, uncrowded and manages to retain a character all its own. One of the small cities you might like to explore on your next family getaway is colorful Cleveland, Ohio. Go there, and you'll come to know what the locals know: Good things don't always come in the biggest, fanciest packages.

A MIDWESTERN CULTURAL MECCA

Our friends harrumphed when we told them we were heading to Cleveland for a family getaway. "Cleveland?" But we'd heard this once-gritty industrial city had turned itself around. Why not check it out? After three days of nonstop fun, we were fans. We had touched a two billion-year-old rock, traveled to Mars, cruised Lake Erie on a barge and biked through leafy parks. All that before heading out to test our nerves at the area's three (yes, that's right--three!) major theme parks--SeaWorld, Six Flags and Cedar Point.

This vibrant, renascent city sports spanking new stadiums, a plethora of please-touch museums and clusters of colorful neighborhoods, all wrapped in a necklace of parks and bikeways.

WHO KNEW? That Komodo dragons, fishing cats and poison dart frogs lived in Cleveland. Give them a peek at the two-acre RainForest, one of the largest of its kind in the country. More than 10,000 exotic plants, waterfalls and tropical rainstorms (complete with lightning!) create the setting for 600 jungle animals. At the rest of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, you can walk among the wallabies and 'roos and get an up-close look at a pack of gray wolves. Zoo and RainForest admission is $9 for adults, $4 for kids ages 2 to 11; call 216-661-6500.

DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT... your autograph books for snagging that sought-after signature of a Cleveland Indians slugger. Don't miss the behind-the-scenes tour of Jacobs Field. Who knows? Star outfielder Manny Ramirez may be warming up in the batter's box. One-hour tours are $6 for adults, $4 for kids ages 14 and under; call 216-420-4200 for updated rates.

DON'T LEAVE TOWN WITHOUT... taking a space shuttle flight to Pluto (with actual NASA footage of the planet) at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Feel the vibrations of an earthquake, touch a meteorite, come face-to-face with a 70-foot-long Haplocanthosaurus and more. Museum admission is $7 for adults, $5 for kids ages 7 to 18 and $4 for kids ages 3 to 6; call 800-317-9155.

CLEAN-PLATE CLUB Family-owned Mama Santa's in Cleveland's Little Italy is a local fave, serving up steaming plates of pasta; or share a large, ultracheesy pizza. Call 216-231-9567.

LOCAL DIGS The centrally located Wyndham Hotel at Playhouse Square features special family weekend rates with free breakfast; it has a smallish indoor pool too (rooms range from $129 to $159 for a family of four; call 216-615-7500 or 800-WYNDHAM). Or check out the Hampton Inn--Downtown, where kids stay free. A double room with free continental breakfast and passes to a nearby recreation center with an Olympic-size indoor pool costs about $120 per night (call 216-241-6600).

HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN Admission to the Cleveland Museum of Art is always free. Pick up THE MUSEUM SLEUTH WORKBOOK ($7 in the museum's gift shop) and wander the galleries in search of hidden gems. Don't miss the 4,000-year-old Egyptian statues and the collection of fully-suited knights in shining armor. Call 216-421-7340.

If you're traveling with 'tweens, head over to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While you're checking out John Lennon's 1964 Rickenbacker guitar, the kids can peek at costumes worn by Britney Spears and 'N Sync. Hall admission is $20 for adults and kids ages 12 and up, $11 for kids ages 9 to 11 and free for kids under 9; call 888-764-ROCK.

BEST LOCAL COLOR "Eeyeww! A goat's head!" We hurried past this display at the lively West Side Market and on to the more appealing samples of fresh fruits, veggies and homemade goodies (try a to-die-for hunk of raspberry cheesecake brownie from Cameron's). It's the largest indoor/outdoor market in the country.

BEST SOUVENIR "Can we? Can we?" the kids clamored at the end of our tour of Malley's Chocolates. You betcha. Our Billy Bobs chocolate-covered pecans and caramels were gone before we hit the interstate. Tours are $2, free for kids ages 2 and under; call 216-362-8700.

F.Y.I. Call 800-321-1004 or click here.

Travel writers Diane Bair and Pamela Wright are regular contributors to FAMILYFUN and the authors of 18 guidebooks and numerous magazine articles.

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.