School’s Out on MLK Day and There Are Loads of Fun and Educational Things to Do

Mon 1/19

Once again, organizations all over town will be hosting special events and open houses for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, many of them oriented to families since kids are off school that day.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is not typically open on Mondays, but it will be on January 19 from 10am-4pm with a variety of events and hands-on activities inspired by Dr. King’s life and mission. Visitors can create prints with Zygote Press, design a flag, craft a journal, leave a message with the Splice Cream Truck, engage in a hands-on filmmaking workshop with Cleveland filmmaker Robert Banks and take a guided tour to learn how art can express strong messages of inspiration. Admission to its special exhibit Renaissance to Runway will be free on a first-come/first-serve basis, and there will be dance, poetry, classical guitar and storytelling performances. Find more info here.

Across the street, Severance Hall will be celebrating its annual open house and day of music, starting at noon. Admission is free and so are the hot chocolate and cookies. There’ll be interactive activities and performances throughout the building, including by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, the 10K Movement dancers, the legendary Shaw High School Band, the St. Edward High School Trash Talkers percussion group and many more. There’s a full schedule at mlk-open-house-and-day-of-music.

Also open and free in University Circle are the Cleveland Botanical Garden (10am-5pm), the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (10am-5pm), and the Cleveland History Center (10am-4pm), with a free shuttle running to take visitors between them.

You can also visit the Rock Hall for free with an advance registration: go here.

Down in Akron, the Akron Zoo will be open from 11am-4pm and free and will have a temporary exhibit called Celebrating Black History in Perkins Woods. The Akron Art Museum will also be open from 11am-5pm—and free—with family-friendly games in the lobby and short films celebrating Black stories in the auditorium.

 And if you’re looking for something really low-key to do, stop by the Summit Lake Nature Center from 10am-noon for its MLK Day of Service, making seed balls with pollinator-friendly native plant seeds. “Martin Luther King Jr. continues to inspire communities with the work he did over half a century ago,” they share. “In his honor we will be making seed balls with native, pollinator friendly plant species that can be planted during spring in areas lacking vegetation. Dress for a mess. Please bring an egg carton to transport seed balls.” Registration is required. Go here.

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