Cultural Programs and Education
There are 35 established cultural gardens within the Cleveland Cultural Gardens and 11 more are in development. Within each garden are the artists, musicians, poets, philosophers and scientists who are cultural icons of their countries. Chopin, Dante, Gandhi, Copernicus, Tesla, Twain and Mother Teresa are just some of the many historic figures you’ll find in the Cultural Gardens.
Feel free to walk or bike “around the world” and learn about each of the cultures represented in the Gardens.
There is literally no other place like the Cleveland Cultural Gardens in the entire world.
During One World Day, special activities are held in each Garden to share with visitors the rich history, culture and beauty of each ethnicity represented. Here are some cool experiences from 2019 to name a few:
- Learn to pinch Pierogi in the Polish Garden.
- Make a Finnish flag, receive a Finnish word stone, hear Finnish music and language in the Finnish Garden.
- Experience a Modern Afternoon English Garden Party – photo op with the royal family, play Nine Men’s Morris, make your own garden hat, Quidditch game in the British Garden.
- Try your hands at solving the Rubik’s Cube in the Hungarian Garden.
- Experience an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony and participate in the traditional dance Eskista in the Ethiopian Garden.
- Go through the Corridor and Doorway of No Return and envision the experience of the African American ancestors and participate in the Jeopardy! game about in The Glorious African American Experience.
- Write your name using the Croatian alphabet, listen to the Immigrant Mother tell about the struggles of refugees who came here after WWII in the Croatian Garden.
- Learn what the monument in the Estonian Garden represents. Make an Estonian flag.
- Learn about how the marionettes helped preserve the Czech language, manipulate the marionettes in the Czech Garden.
- Learn Lebanese dancing and the history of Lebanon, observe the preparation, baking and eating ethnic bread in the Lebanese Garden
- Write your name in Arabic and play some trivia games about Syria in the Syrian Garden.
- Experience special foods, arts, music, fashion, history and language of Vietnam in the Vietnamese Garden.
- Experience the setting of an outdoor café with food, music and dance and decorated with Slovak folk motifs in the Slovak Garden.
- Explore the Walk of Fame celebrating Russia’s cultural heroes, see the bust of Yuri Gagarin, get a Matryoshki doll, in the Russian Garden.
- Learn the history of the Rusin people and the significance of Andy Warhol to their culture in the Rusin Garden.
- Try on a traditional dress, ride a rickshaw, and listen to ethnic music in the Pakistani Garden.
- Experience traditional Korean music and dances in the Korean Garden.
- Experience the Bandura, a traditional Ukrainian instrument, in the Ukrainian Garden.
- Learn about the story of the tulip, make a tulip craft, eat Turkish dessert (baklava) while sitting on Turkish carpets and playing backgammon, a traditional Turkish game, in the Turkish Garden.
- Experience Ireland through food, music, and dance. Listen to a Shanakie, a traditional Irish story teller, entertain with legends of Ireland in the Irish Garden.
- Write your name in the Armenian alphabet, learn an Armenian dance, enjoy Armenian coffee in the Armenian Garden.