Entry No. 35 — the Cleveland file — filed under: history
A Christmas Story House
The actual Tremont house used for exterior shots in the 1983 film A Christmas Story, bought and restored to match the movie interior down to the leg-lamp glowing in the front window — with a museum across the street full of original props, including the bunny suit.
The story
In 2004, a Navy veteran who built a business selling leg lamps bought this 1895 Victorian sight unseen on eBay for $150,000. Director Bob Clark had used the Tremont exterior for Ralphie Parker’s home in the 1983 film A Christmas Story, but shot all the interior scenes on a soundstage in Toronto. The buyer, Brian Jones, poured roughly $240,000 into gutting the structure and rebuilding the interior into a replica of the movie set, matching the floor plan, kitchen layout, and wallpaper patterns frame for frame.
What you see from 11th Street is a quiet row of late-19th-century working-class homes built within sight of the steel mills in the Flats. Step past the crate on the front porch, however, and you are standing inside a physical recreation of the movie. Across Rowley Avenue at the museum annex, you'll find the actual screen-used items: Randy’s original stuffed pink bunny suit, the chalkboard from Miss Shields’ classroom, and the vintage toys from the Higbee’s department store window display.
Unlike standard museums, nobody is going to yell at you for touching things inside the main house. You can crawl under the sink where Randy hid from the world, hold a replica Red Ryder BB gun in the living room, or head upstairs to the bedrooms. If you want the place entirely to yourself once the daytime crowds clear out, you can actually book the upper floors for an overnight stay.
What it's like
You’ll arrive on a residential block that looks like every other working-class Tremont street until you spot the leg lamp glowing in the front window and a crowd gathered outside. Guided tour groups move through the house regularly, where the vibe is entirely interactive—people actively line up to pose under the kitchen sink or hold the BB gun under the Christmas tree. Admission covers the house tour, the prop museum across the street, and the gift shop. If you want to avoid peak crowds, skip November and December weekends entirely; book a weekday morning off-season, and head across the corner to the historic Rowley Inn when you're done.
The move: Take the tour where you can pose in the pink bunny suit and hide under the kitchen sink like Randy, then cross to the museum for the original props and leave with a leg-lamp you will both regret and treasure.
📍 Before you go Timed tickets on holidays; you can actually book an overnight stay in the house.
- 📍 Tremont
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 3159 W 11th St, Cleveland, OH 44109
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Ukrainian Museum-Archives — After exploring a recreated 1980s movie set, head seven-tenths of a mile down Tremont's residential streets to examine thousands of rare Ukrainian books and folk artifacts preserved since 1952.
- Porco Lounge & Tiki Room — Trade 1940s Midwestern holiday kitsch for heavy-handed rum drinks and midcentury tropical overload half a mile away in Ohio City.
- Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick — Pivot from nostalgic cinematic Americana to authentic occult history and wiccan artifacts two miles south in Old Brooklyn.
Good to know
Are you allowed to touch the objects inside the house?
Yes, the main house interior is interactive, allowing visitors to handle replica Red Ryder BB guns, open the kitchen cabinets, sit on the furniture, and pose under the sink. The actual screen-used movie props are protected inside glass cases across the street in the museum annex.
Can you stay overnight in A Christmas Story House?
Yes, the upper floor of the main house and the neighboring Bumpus House can both be booked for overnight stays, granting private access to the lower levels after daily tour operations end.
Do you need advance tickets?
While walk-up tickets can be purchased at the gift shop, timed advance tickets are essential if you plan to visit during peak holiday months in November and December.
Where are the original movie props kept?
The original screen-used costumes and artifacts—including Randy's original pink bunny suit and Higbee's store window display props—are located across the street at the museum annex on Rowley Avenue.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · clevelandhistorical.org · wkyc.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-21