The best things in life are free, indeed, and our monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up all of the free #CLE events that get our "stamp" of approval. See what's on tap for January here. 
 

From Nela Park to Public Square, Cleveland is full-on festive when it comes to the holidays. Fresh Water managing photographer Bob Perkoski set out to capture our city in all of its glittery glory this holiday season.
 

‘Tis the season to feast with family, hit the malls, and surf the sales. It’s also time to open our hearts and support worthy causes and others who may not be as fortunate. Here are a few ways you can give back in the #CLE this “Giving Tuesday.”

From making pilgrimages to the A Christmas Story House to downing 30,000 barrels of Great Lakes Christmas Ale, Clevelanders take holiday celebrations very seriously. This year offers a significant addition for The Land’s yuletide revelers: a bar dedicated entirely, for just over a month, to Christmas cheer.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...for foodies. Cleveland Restaurant Week kicks off today with more than 50 restaurants on board stretching as far as Sandusky, Twinsburg, and Akron, but mostly located in the 216.

Participating restaurants are offering three-course prix fixe menus for $33 (not including tax and gratuity). The name is a bit of a misnomer since the event actually goes on for two weeks (November 1-15), but all the better to try all six dishes on t... Read more >

If a beautifully lit church has ever caught your eye while driving down I-71, you can thank Cleveland Restoration Society (CRS). Through its Sacred Landmarks Assistance Program, 19 of the city’s steeples and bell towers along the busy interstate freeway have been illuminated as part of its Steeple Lighting Program.

And that’s not all the organization is shining a light on: On Saturday, Nov. 4, CRS will celebrate Cleveland's hundreds of historic places of w... Read more >

While some people may see a morbid link to it, the fact that the Komorowski building at 2258 Professor Ave. in Tremont used to be a funeral home has never creeped out the building’s new owner Dave Ferrante.

“From the moment I bought it, I never experienced any negative feelings,” he says. “It has a peaceful feel to it. And the positive part is I got 26 parking spots.”Ferrante bought the building last year to re-open Visible Voice Books, which... Read more >

The Buckland Gallery of Witchcraft and Magick opened inside Tremont's A Separate Reality record store earlier this year, but it's remained one of the city's hidden gems—until recently.

"At first, we just had small vinyl lettering on the door; we were very quiet when we first opened," says co-director Jillian Slane. "A few weeks later, my husband painted the words 'Witch Museum' on the window. Now we've put a stand-up sign out o... Read more >

As a third-generation Clevelander and a Plain Dealer arts and entertainment reporter, Laura DeMarco has heard her fair share of Cleveland stories that begin with “Remember when Cleveland used to be…”

In fact, most lifelong Clevelanders wax sentimental whenever places like Euclid Beach Park, Higbee’s, or Municipal Stadium come up in conversation. So much so, that DeMarco decided to write a book about these gone, and sometimes forgotten, places. Los... Read more >

Despite its storied past as a historic grand mansion and Cleveland's first public art museum, Olney House & Gallery has long sat abandoned at 2241 W. 14th St. in Tremont—until now. A comprehensive restoration effort is almost complete, bringing the two buildings back to their original 1800s glory. Read about the restoration process here.

The ever-evolving Towpath Trail now includes a small but mighty quarter-mile stretch from Sokolowski's University Inn to Hart Crane Park (near Merwin's Wharf) with a passageway under the Inner Belt Bridge. 

Wondering where to sip in style? The new class of Wine Spectator's 2017 Restaurant Awards recipients might be a great place to start. The magazine's annual awards celebrate the world's best wine lists, and seven Cleveland restaurants made the discerning cut. Among the local honorees are Lola, Bold Food & Drink, Dante, Pier W, L'Albatros, Edwin's Restaurant, and Morton's, the Steakhouse. The full list of winners can be viewed here.
 

Fresh Water managing editor Erin O'Brien bids readers farewell with a good long walk along an offbeat path.

Is there an east/west divide when it comes to summer's top treat? What's the mystery behind a legendary local malt? Does a secret ice cream menu lurk in Ohio City? Fresh Water's got all the insider 411 on cool faves in the 216.
 

As the summer solstice looms, groups of cycling advocates invite riders to celebrate Cleveland’s best bike year ever amid a host of two-wheeled activities with something for everyone.

Secret staircases, sexy cocktails and the bartenders who shake them up are some of the things Fresh Water readers will find behind the doors of these five under-the-radar watering holes.