A Christmas Story: Touring the Cleveland House

Ralphie’s bunny suit…the leg lamp….the red ryder bb gun…Who hasn’t seen the timeless classic which now runs 24 hours on TBS starting every Christmas Eve evening? TNT began airing the 24 hour marathon in 1997, followed by TBS which still holds the tradition today.

Personally, I was one of the old-school fans who loved this movie way before it developed a cult following. Today, this is one of the few holiday movies I watch at least 2 times even though I own a pretty hefty sized collection. Even though I own the blu-ray, I still like watching the 24 hour airing just for nostalgia’s sake. I love walking up on Christmas morning and seeing which part of the movie happens to be on randomly.

Honestly, I never even knew you could tour the actual house until my first trip roadtrip to Cleveland. As a long time fan of the movie, this was #1 on my bucket list.

Update: More than a decade after first seeing this house, I actually moved to the region. After checking out most of the events and holiday festivities, I still recommend this tour as one of the top holiday events in the city. While I initially took the tour during the slow summer season, I think a winter/holiday tour is so much more special. It’s a lot more crowded, but also more fun this time of year.

A fun & informative tour with so many photo opps

This is definitely one of the more fun tours I’ve taken in recent years. Your tour guide will give you a brief synopsis of the filming process, and then you will be able to roam around each room of the house.

Our tour guide was friendly enough to take our pictures together & even suggested we take a few next to famous props like the Red Ryder BB gun. We really lucked out as we were the only people on this tour so the experience felt super personalized. It’s normally super crowded, so expect a big line especially leading up the holidays!

Taking our picture with the iconic gun was probably the highlight of the tour. Really, who could forget the iconic line “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!”

There are lots of fun scenes you can recreate from the movie. I love that they remodeled the house to look exactly like the movie. It is definitely a step down memory lane. If you are a big fan like me, then you should have a blast!

The house looks exactly as it appeared in the movie, which is a pretty cool experience for fans. Check out my photo gallery below, profiling each room of the Parker House. As the only couple on this tour (this does not happen that often!), we had plenty of time to explore and take extra photos.

The living room with the famous leg lamp in the window. Our tour guide told us that the living room has been recreated to look exactly as it did in the film. They did a pretty good job. What I love most is that you can see the famous lamp anytime of the year driving by.

On a side note, I noticed that lots of houses in the historic Tremont neighborhood (where the house is located) leave a lamp up all year-round which is pretty cool. You will also see it displayed in many local restaurants and bars including Rowley Inn, a popular local pub located just across the street (more on this later).

The “Fra-gee-lee” box with the leg lamp inside. “Would you look at that?” “It’s a major award!” This has always been my favorite part of the movie. I love how Ralphie’s mom tries to turn the lights off so the neighbors can’t see the Old Man’s major award!

It’s crazy that one ugly leg lamp became such a popular decoration – I now own an ornament, a mini house display, and nightlight myself. Really, you can’t walk into any store and not see at least one lamp holiday decoration this time of year. In the gift shop across the street, you will find lots of knick knacks and odds and ends if you want to add to your collection.

Family photos in the living room

The kitchen with the turkey in the oven! I love the scene when the Bumpus hounds eat the turkey. The Old Man’s rant about “no turkey dinner” is one of the funniest parts in the film.

The Little Orphan Annie secret decoder pin. All that waiting and hiding just for “a crummy Ovaltine commercial.”

See Ralphie’s famous bar of soap after he got in trouble for saying “Oh, Fudge” (although we all know what he really said).

Ralphie & Randy’s room is pretty simple just as it appears in the movie.

A glimpse of the driveway and back of the house. You will get to walk around and take shots of different angles of the house. You can also see Ralphie’s shed.

Unique film facts

Our friendly tour guide entertained us with plenty of fun interesting facts about the filming process. The coolest part about this tour is all the unique cast and filming anecdotes you’ll hear. As a movie buff, this is what I enjoyed the most!

Here are a few interesting tidbits we learned from our guide:

• The year the movie filmed was one of the few years in which the city did not get any snow. All the snow you see in the movie is fake, compliments of a snow blower. They did a really great job – honestly, I would have never known!
• Some parts of the film were shot in the house, while the rest filmed in a sound stage. Watch the movie closely: when the curtains are closed, a set is being used, when open, the actual house is being used. Everytime I watch the movie now, I keep this in mind!
• The man who owned the home did not want it used for filming. However, he quickly changed his mind when offered $20,000. Really, who wouldn’t?
• Years later, the house was turned into a duplex. It was sold on eBay for $150,000 and was remodeled to the original setup used in the movie.
• The director of the film, Bob Clark (who also directed Porky’s) refused to do a sequel to Porky’s until he was given money to do this movie. Sounds like this turned out to be a smart idea!
• The director offered Melinda Dillon (Ralphie’s mom) a role without submitting a resume because he loved her performance in “Close Encounters.” A great decision: I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing this character!

“A Christmas Story” Museum

After your tour, make sure to take a browse around the museum (included with your ticket). I loved seeing some of the original clothing items and props from the movie. Check out a few of the photos I took of some of the cool movie props on-site. Surprisingly, the bunny suit is nowhere to be found.

A few of Randy’s actual outfits on display. My favorite is his over-the-top winter apparel. I love the “I can’t put my arms down!” scene. Growing up in Chicago, I was more than used to bundling up head to toe to walk to school everyday.

The original castings for the fake teeth scene in the classroom. Remember the scene where the kids all put on the teeth as a joke and then the teacher throws them into a drawer with all the other gag items?

Photos of Peter Billingsley on set & a letter sent to a fan. A bit blurry, but obviously fun to read in person.

Various movie stills and memorabilia and of course another leg lamp.

French movie poster “It is better to give than receive”

A beautiful Thomas Kinkade painting. While most Americans love his paintings, many art critics consider his work to be tacky. My take? I actually love all of his work including this painting. I guess I am not an art connoisseur.

The front desk features a beautiful display of light up houses, set up like the town in the movie (you can buy several of the light up houses in the gift shop). I received Ralphie’s house as a gift and proudly display it every holiday.

The amazing gift shop: A dream for fans!

You can visit the gift shop for free even if you are not taking the tour. I highly recommend browsing around – there is so much cool stuff here that would make great gifts. You will find anything you could possibly think of here, including leg lamps, mugs, glasses, T-shirts, cookie cutters, board games, magnets, holiday lights, and more! You will also find a few Elf and Christmas Vacation souvenirs. A great shopping stop for fans of any of these movies! Since moving here, we have picked up a few cute holiday gifts.

Looking back: The 30th Anniversary

2013 marked the 30th Anniversary of the film. Mike and I were lucky enough to be roadtripping through this area at this time. We received these beautiful special tickets to commemorate the event. I never knew that we would be moving to the area almost exactly 10 years later. And yes, the house still looks exactly the same more than a decade later!

Additional details/special Events

Overnight stays. You can stay in either the main house or the neighboring Bumpus house. Rates are quite high and can range from $240-1100 per night. However, if you are a big fan, this may be a great opportunity to relive your favorite holiday movie!

The annual holiday 5k: One of the most unique things you can do is sign up for the annual 5 or 10k. The sprightly race starts in front of the old Higbee’s department store. Feel free to dress up in the Bunny suit or leg lamp costume – you will see lots of crazy fans out there. Bonus – the race includes free admission to the house! Update: The Cleveland Christmas Run replaced this 5k. Check the Facebook page for updated details.

Address: 3159 W. 11th Street. It’s located in a historic neighborhood called Tremont. Free side street parking is available. I recommend also driving by the house at night to see the lamp lit in the window (they leave it on all night).

Admission Prices: $20 Adults (plus tax and digital fee), Kids under 5 free. In November & December, online tickets are required. This time of the year will be super busy. I recommend visiting on a weekday, or better yet visit outside of the holiday season!

While our first tour was empty and we didn’t even have to wait in line, I now see crowds all the time. This is a typical crowd line on a Sunday afternoon in winter of 2025.

Tour Dates & Hours: 10:00am-5:00pm, 7 days a week (select December nights open until) . Open until 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Closed: Nov. 28th, Christmas, and New Year’s.

Pricing and hours subject to change. Please check the website for updates.

More info on the house, tours, and overnight stays

On a side note, what do I think of the sequel released 33 years later? Although I can tell that they tried really hard (both the cast and writers), it just wasn’t up to par. The same can be said for all sequels created almost a decade or more later (as in the case in many movies today). You just can’t recreate a certain time period and the nostalgia just isn’t there. For those interested, it’s available on HBO Max.

Dining in Tremont

Located directly across the street is the popular dive bar, The Rowley Inn. By showing your ticket stub, you will receive a 10% discount. In addition to a leg lamp outside the window, the bar showcases many behind the scenes filming photos on their wall. It’s a cool place to dine especially if you are taking the house tour as it is convenient and you get to enjoy some more movie memorabilia. For anyone who follows Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, Guy Fieri visited the bar in winter of 2022.

On an interesting side note, we learned on our tour that the makeup and wardrobe dept. used the upstairs of the building. Darren McGavin (“The Old Man”) was a regular each day after filming.

The menu is quite varied with a bit of something for everyone. Quite uncommon for a pub, there are plenty of vegetarian options which was a bonus for me. This city is known for Polish food, so you will find numerous tasty pierogi dishes.

For breakfast, I recommend the Pierogi Omelet (pic below). It’s basically a giant pierogi stuffed with eggs, hash browns, kielbasa (as a vegetarian I asked to omit the Polish sausage), and cheddar, served with a side of sauerkraut.

If you are looking for a great coffeeshop before a morning tour, then you are in luck. There are a lot of great choices to pick amongst in this city especially in this part of town. Civilization, Roasted, and Rising Star are all wonderful local cafes. Civilization is located in a historic building and the vibe is very local and authentic. Roasted’s setting is so cozy – I love the colorful eclectic decor and special seasonal drinks here.

And Rising Star is one of the top roasters in town. This Tremont location is spacious with nice brick walls and a big fireplace. They serve delicious coffee and the best bagels with seasonal cream cheese (I love the Dill red onion flavor). If breakfast is more your style, I recommend Grumpy’s – a long running local favorite serving a creative menu in a creative and colorful dining room.