Our Fab-JACK-ulous Staycation in DowntownCLE

This past weekend we had an absolute BLASTTTTTT in Cleveland!!!  Yes you read that right, at the age of 33 I’m still finding new and exciting ways to enjoy my city. If you follow me on social media (which you should) then you got a glimpse into the fun from my posts and Instagram stories. Thanks to JACK Cleveland Casino and the Hilton Cleveland, my husband and I enjoyed our first staycation in downtown Cleveland. Not only did we explore so many cool things, but we enjoyed everything by foot! That’s right– no cars were used during the entire experience. Ohh– and we invited 4 amazing couples to join us! Here’s how it went.

Our afternoon began on a beautiful Saturday around 4pm. We had a busy morning with the kids at our sons football game, dropped everyone to grandma and grandpa and packed our bags for a much needed extended date night. The sun was shining, our windows were down and we were driving downtown to check in to our hotel. By the time we got to 14th and Euclid, there were people everywhere. The Indians had just finished their first game and people were out on patio’s eating and drinking brews, or simply walking the streets in their red and blue. The weather was great, and I was antsy to get out the car and join them to just be in the atmosphere. We drove right to the Hilton, stopped at valet and waved goodbye to our car. We had no plans on seeing or needing it until the next day when it was time to go home. We walked right into the well lit, very modern lobby and waited in line to check into our room. Once at the counter I noticed how extremely happy everyone was behind the front desk. It was a quick and pleasant process. We were told to enjoy our stay and that everything would be communicated by text message- if we needed anything, if we wanted to check out- everything would be done via text (cool right)! Right before we walked away, we were told to enjoy our amazing view. I didn’t think much of it and walked to the elevator.

We were on the 22 floor, which for those who know me was extremely scary at first. Then I thought this is a new hotel, the chances of me getting stuck in the elevator are slim to none (lol). Anywho we opened the door and waaahla- on the TV was welcome Courtney Ottrix! Behind all the curtains of the floor to ceiling windows was an amazing view of the city of Cleveland. On one side you could see the buildings on the other, the water and partial views of the Browns stadium. I didn’t have time to enjoy it now but was excited to wake up to that view. We quickly changed into our gear and headed to our first stop of the night.

So when planning this night, I was definitely hoping for a rooftop. I thought not only would be it be cool to take a group picture (which we did lol), but if the weather was right (which it was), it was the perfect place to start with drinks. Lucky me, I remembered a place I had been to many times on East 4th. I had only seen the rooftop, but had never enjoyed it. I thought it would be the perfect place to start our evening of fun and have our guests meet us. I instructed all 4 couples to valet at  JACK Cleveland Casino and walk over to Greenhouse Tavern by 5:15pm. We met on the rooftop, exchanged hugs and sat down for our first drink of the night. I started by asking how many people had ever been to the restaurant and only one had been there, but– never on the patio. This made me extremely happy because we are all Clevelanders, yet we were experiencing a first in many ways together. I ordered two of their signature drinks (the Pample Juice with vodka, and Gold Dust with bourbon), to toast to a great night out! We then went inside to enjoy our dinner.

I let everyone know I love and always order the fried brussel sprouts, pork and peppers (which are crispy pig ears) and crispy chicken wings (I also love the Caesar salad with chicken or salmon but it’s only available for lunch- so everyone would have to come back for that). I told to everyone not to be afraid to try something new lol and that everything I said comes highly recommended. I gave each couple a certain amount of money to spend on food and drinks- which was more than enough to cover appetizers, entrees and a drink. We ended up with a table of soo much food! Which was great because we shared so people could try different things. Those in my party (including my husband) who no longer eat meat, were pleased to have the option to order scallops, vegan rice or the rice and bean veggie burger. Everyone was happy with the food and the service (our server Brittany was great). We enjoyed a few married couples conversations, finished our food and drinks and then we were off on foot to our next stop.

We walked through the crowd on East 4th right to the Indians game- It was such an enjoyable 5 minute walk! Nice surprise right? In planning, it was the high point of the downtown experience! On the way we were able to see the new visible changes to the Arena which we all stated were all pretty nice from the outside.  We continued to the entrance where we posed for another picture… then SURPRISE– an Indians player hit a homerun and the ball bounces out of the stadium and right into the hands of one of our guest! It was so exciting and happened oh so fast- it was actually a really cool moment where for a few seconds literally everyone was looking in our direction! It confirmed for us that this was a special night. I passed out the tickets and we walked in to find our seats. Once inside I gave each person $20 to be used anyway they wanted. For us it was drinks, for others it was food, and for one lucky couple it was used towards the purchase of their first Cleveland hat from the team shop. The Indian’s game was so much fun (well until the Twins hit that grand slam LOL). We enjoyed sitting in our amazing seats, doing the wave, singing Hang on Sloopy, talking to our friendly neighbors (who were strangers of course)– and just walking around the stadium. The drinks were great and the atmosphere was exhilarating and FUN! We had a blast, not just our husbands who are the crazy sports fans, but everyone! Our entire group of husbands and wives enjoyed the entire experience. It was a beautiful night in downtown Cleveland and the weather was still perfect!

We stayed until the 9th inning and decided to end out night at the only place that made sense. The only way to properly end and amazing night out in downtown Cleveland… at JACK Cleveland Casino! We grabbed some free skull caps on our way out the stadium and started on foot to our final destination. For our guests it made perfect sense because it’s where they parked to start the night, for us it was a quick walk back to our hotel at the end of the night! Everything we did was walkable, and enjoyable. Nothing was too far, nothing required us to take a break- it was the perfect setting for a downtown experience that allowed us to see and enjoy so much that Cleveland has to offer.

We arrived at JACK Cleveland Casino and met the amazing Alyssa. Alyssa has helped plan the entire night with Courtney Covers Cleveland and made everything thus far possible. She is amazing- seriously thank you Alyssa! Anywho- we arrive and I give everyone Free Play for slots and tables, it’s like hey we are here let this get you started! We to take a few pictures at Blackjack table in High Limits and the amazing staff educate me (and a few others) on some of the popular games. It was a great way to begin our time in the Casino. We then head to The Library which is a swanky VIP lounge that only high rollers have access to. This is where we spent most of our time before hitting the slots/tables. We found the cutest area, under a chandelier, and talked and had drinks! We sat there for what seems like forever, talking about life, the amazing night we had and enjoying the discounted drinks. It was literally the perfect way to end the night. Once we realized how late it was (after midnight) people started heading out. My husband and I stayed to enjoy one more drink before heading back to the hotel.

On our walk back, East 4th seemed to still be busy. We walked through,  and ended up at Pizza 216 where we ordered a pizza. Lucky us, they were open until 1pm so we just made it! After that, we enjoyed our stroll holding hands back to the the Hilton.

We passed the cutest lights on our way, which honestly helped us feel safe because it kept the city streets well lit. We passed attendees from a wedding that looked like it  just ended, and laughed at the bridal party who was having a crazy what’s next conversation. We talked about how much fun we had until we arrived to the lobby. We walked in and really felt like we were out of town. We looked up and the bar was still open and said to ourselves I guess the night doesn’t have to end here. By the time the got to our room, the entire downtown was lit so the view was simply STUNNING! Literally half of our room, was floor to ceiling windows allowing us to see Cleveland. I posted this on my stories so you could see it from a video, but I also tried to take a picture but it didn’t do it much justice. We literally laid in bed with all the windows opened and enjoyed the view. I eventually closed them LOL so we could enjoy a good nights rest without the sun waking us up… our kids do that enough at home. The bed was super comfy and we slept well! We woke up and i immediately opened the curtains to take in the view before we left.

I loved our stay at the Hilton. It’s new, it’s clean, it’s modern and it has everything you need inside. Two bars, open to 1am and 2am, a restaurant offering breakfast lunch and dinner– and of course room service. The rooms and entire hotel was clean to the max! It was so fresh and open, and well lit with natural light, I honestly didn’t want to leave. I told my husband I couldn’t wait to come back. It was the perfect location to everything downtown! I told him imagine staying there for a Browns game? wouldn’t that be an amazing experience?

Well, this is was the best staycation ever! It was perfect from start to finish and a bonus that it took place in downtown Cleveland. It just shows that you don’t have to go far to have a great time, or fun experience, you can do that right here in Cleveland. I hope this gives you an idea of how to enjoy this city. Honestly, as long as you end the night at JACK Cleveland Casino you’re guaranteed to have fun. It’s a place that doesn’t sleep, once you’re inside you don’t know what time it is, you just know to keep having fun until you get tired. I couldn’t have planned a better night out with friends. Major thanks to JACK Cleveland Casino for the awesome night out and major thank you to the Hilton for being our sponsored hotel.

*This is a sponsored article but the thoughts and honest experience are my own. Everything but the drinks at the Casino were provided through a partnership with JACK Cleveland Casino.