A Christmas Story House in Cleveland, OH: Everything You Need to Know About Visiting

If you’re a fan of the classic movie A Christmas Story, then a tour of the house in Cleveland, OH is a must see. It’s open year round so you can get your Christmas in July fix or whenever you feel the need to feel a little jolly. It’s a tour of the whole house and the photo ops are so much fun!

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A Christmas Story House Location

The house from the classic movie A Christmas Story is located five minutes from downtown at 3159 W 11th St, Cleveland, OH 44109 in the Tremont neighborhood. It’s literally located in a regular neighborhood. You drive down the street like you’re going to visit someone you know.

Parking at A Christmas Story House

All parking is FREE. There’s a parking lot located next to the House on the left or another parking lot across the street to the right of the Gift Shop. You can also park on the street, but just be mindful of the people that actually live in the neighborhood.

Parking lot at A Christmas Story house. There is a black fence with a sign that says, "House from A Christmas Story Parking Only". There are cars in the parking lot and the blue Bumpus House on the left.

Tickets and Pricing for A Christmas Story Guided Tour

You can purchase tickets online or at the Gift Shop. However, the website says that during November and December, tickets must be purchased online only. We went in March and were able to walk up to the counter and purchase same day tickets.

Tickets are $17 per person, free for 5 years and younger.

White sided building with a "Gift Shop" sign hanging from the side of the building. This is the gift shop at A Christmas Story house.

If you really want to feel like you’re part of the movie, you can rent Ralphie’s famous bunny suit to wear while you tour the house. What an iconic photo you can get with you in the bunny suit coming down the stairs!

Sign that has a girl in a pink bunny suit that says, "Bunny suits now available for rental". "Wear on your tour!" "$10 per hour rental".

Hours

Monday- Friday 10AM- 5PM. The guided tours are every hour. The last tour is at 4:15PM.

How Long is the Tour?

The tour lasts about 1/2 hour. It begins in the House and ends in the Museum.

What to Expect on Your Visit

If you’re a fan of the movie, you’re in for a treat. When you step inside the A Christmas Story house, it feels like you’ve walked right into Ralphie Parker’s world. The first thing you’ll notice is the living room, where the famous leg lamp takes center stage in the front window. Yep, the “major award” is there, and it’s just as ridiculous and amazing as you remember. You can even take a picture touching it.

A Christmas Story house- living room. The image shows a cozy living room decorated for the holidays. On the left side, there's a Christmas tree adorned with colorful ornaments, next to a fireplace with garland and candles on the mantel. A blue couch with a white lace throw is positioned in front of the fireplace. On the right side, a window is partially covered with lace curtains, and in front of it is a distinctive lamp shaped like a leg wearing a high heel, referencing the iconic leg lamp from the movie *A Christmas Story*. The room has a warm, nostalgic ambiance with vintage furniture and decor.

Not to Miss Places on the Tour

In the kitchen, it’s like the Parker family just stepped out. Everything is like you remember from the movie. It’s a fun photo op if you want to channel your inner Randy and recreate when Randy got under the sink and said, “Daddy’s gonna kill Ralphie!”

A Christmas Story house- kitchen. The image shows two scenes from a vintage kitchen. On the left, I am wearing a white winter jacket and crouching inside a cabinet beneath a large farmhouse-style sink with retro kitchen appliances and jars on the counter. The cabinet doors are open, and the checkered floor adds to the retro feel. On the right, there is an antique stove with a turkey in a roasting pan in the oven, and various vintage kitchen items such as a blender, toaster, and coffee percolator are displayed on top. Shelves above hold old-fashioned containers and a radio.

Don’t skip the bathroom—this is where Ralphie eagerly decoded Little Orphan Annie’s secret message with his trusty decoder ring. You can picture him sitting there, working through the code only to get that famous “Ovaltine” reminder. Just be sure to “drink your Ovaltine” while you’re there!

A Christmas Story house- bathroom. The image shows a vintage-style bathroom with a pedestal sink, clawfoot bathtub, and a toilet with a wooden seat and an elevated wooden tank. The tiled floor and walls give the room a clean, classic look. On a small hamper next to the bathtub, there are old comic book pages and a notepad with handwriting, along with a golden coin placed on top. The close-up view highlights the comic strips and the handwritten note, which appears to be a code or puzzle, adding a quirky, nostalgic element to the scene.

In the hallway at the top of the steps, you can pick up the phone and hear Mrs. Schwartz screaming.

Wooden staircase with white railings. There is a small shelf with flowers, a couple of photos, and a black phone hanging on the wall at the top of the stairs.

You can also step into Ralphie and Randy’s bedroom and see their beds. Ralphie’s desk even has his essay about his Christmas wish of getting a Red Ryder BB Gun.

A Christmas Story house- bedroom. The image on the left shows two twin beds with matching blue bedspreads and a poster hanging over each bed. There is red wallpaper with sailboats all over the walls. There is also a yellow window with curtains.
The image on the right shows a desk and chair and a large bookcase. The desk has some trinkets and a notebook on it. It is sitting in front of a yellow window with curtains. There is a rug on the floor.

Ralphie's school essay about what he wants for Christmas. It is written in a notebook. There is a grade of C+ in red pen at the top and P.S. You'll shoot your eye out at the bottom of the paper.

Outside in the garage, you can see the “old man’s” 1938 Oldsmobile and the 1939 Ford Fire Truck that rescued Flick when he was dared to stick his tongue to the flagpole in the schoolyard.

The image on the left shows a 1938 Oldsmobile in a garage. The garage door is open and has a chain in front of the car.
The image on the right shows an informational sign about the car and how it was used in the movie.

The image on the left shows a 1939 Ford red Fire Truck in a garage with an open door. There are chains along the side of the truck.
The image on the right is an informational poster telling about the firetruck and how it was used in the movie.

Across the street is the A Christmas Story Museum, where you’ll find original props and costumes from the movie, including Ralphie’s iconic bunny suit. It’s packed with fun movie memorabilia and trivia and it’s included in the guided tour.

Black fence in the front of the picture with a tree behind it. In the background is a large white building. There is also a sign that says, "Museum" in red letters.

The image on the left shows a pink robe and other memorabilia from the movie inside a glass case.
The image on the right shows a Red Ryder BB gun inside a glass case. There is a red sign with white lettering on the front of the table. It says, "I want an official red ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time!"

Photo Ops

After your tour guide tells some fun stories about the making of the film, you get to roam around the house and take pictures. You can touch almost anything you want for some unique photo ops.

Don’t forget to take a picture with the leg lamp! We got a picture while we were touching it like Ralphie. Dominic also got a picture holding the Red Ryder BB gun.

A Christmas Story house- living room. Dominic and I are standing in front of a window with our hand on the leg lamp. The leg lamp is on a small table. Behind Dominic's leg is an outlet that's overloaded with plugs.
The image on the right is Dominic posing with a Red Ryder BB gun in front of a Christmas tree with presents on the floor.

It’s one of the most interactive tours I’ve ever been on. It’s very hands-on and something that we’ll be talking about for years to come. We’ll have a new excitement next Christmas when we watch the movie knowing that we were in that exact house.

Tips for Visiting

You may want to purchase your tickets online to be sure there’s availability at the time and date when you want. Don’t forget the website says that in the months of November and December, tickets must be purchased online ahead of time
To avoid large crowds, try visiting during the week and not around Christmastime.
Leave yourself time to look around the Gift Shop. There are so many things that would make a great souvenir. They have ornaments, t-shirts, leg lamps, and so much more. You can even get your very own Red Ryder gun.

Spend the Night at A Christmas Story House or the Bumpus House

Yes, you can actually spend the night at either the house from the A Christmas Story or the neighbor’s with the hound dogs, the Bumpus house that’s right next door.

The picture on the left is a blue house with a sign in the front yard that says, "Bumpus House". I am standing with my hand in the air next to the sign.
The picture on the right is a tan house with green windows and a large front porch. Next to the house is a red brick driveway. It is the house from A Christmas Story.

Rates vary based on the time of year and which house you stay in.

Rates for the A Christmas Story house begin at $545 per night and can accommodate up to 6 guests. The guided tour is included in your stay.

There are 2 options for The Bumpus house. The “Hound Dog Haven” sleeps up to 4 guests and you get a dedicated parking spot. It’s a first floor handicap accessible suite. Rates begin at $195 per night. The other option is the “Stolen Turkey” suite which can sleep up to 6 people. This suite is takes up the 2nd and 3rd floors and also comes with a dedicated parking spot. Rates begin at $245 per night.

This would be the ultimate way to feel like you’re part of the movie! Check out their website if you’re interested in spending the night.

Where to Eat

After your tour, make sure to leave time to stop for a bite to eat at Rowley Inn directly across the street from the A Christmas Story house. I wish we had time to stop in, but we had somewhere we had to be.

This gray building with white windows has a sign hanging from the side of it and writing on the front window that says, " Rowley Inn". There are cars parked in front of the building.

Our tour guide told us that when the scouts for the movie were looking for the owner of the house, they were able to track him down at the Rowley Inn and had a few drinks with him and then ultimately able to make a deal to film the movie in his house.

It’s a favorite neighborhood pub that’s more than a century old and has been featured on multiple TV shows like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and Good Morning America. It’s also won local awards such as “Best Brunch in Cleveland” and “Best Happy Hour in Cleveland”.

You can also see exclusive behind the scenes photos since a lot of extras hung out there until needed as well as Ralphie’s father, “the old man”, Darren McGavin. He was known to hang out at Rowley’s after filming for the day was over.

Live Stream

Check out the live stream camera to see what’s going on at A Christmas Story house.

A Christmas Story House Wrap Up

A Christmas Story House tour was definitely one of the highlights of our trip and way better than we imagined. We enjoyed how interactive it was and our guide was an amazing story teller. This was a well worth stop in Cleveland and a must see for any fan of A Christmas Story.

Road Trip Add-On

Looking to extend your time in Ohio? Want to visit a really cute small town? Check out my post about Wooster, OH. It’s about 1 hour south of Cleveland. There’s shopping, coffee shops, and even a unique spa experience.