AndiOne of my favorite Christmas movies is a Christmas Story. When I found out I can tour the Christmas Story House, it made its way on my bucket list and it did not disappoint!
A Christmas Story House is located in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. The movie was released in 1983. It was a low budget film that eventually became a Christmas favorite.
The House
In 2004, a private developer and huge fan of the movie purchased this home for $150,000 to renovate and restore the home as it appeared in the movie. Originally only the exterior and Ralphie’s room were filmed at this location.
He gutted the home, watched the movie frame by frame and transformed the interior to a near replica of the movie set for an additional $240,000.
Next, he purchased the house across the street and turned it into The Christmas Story Museum which holds props, costumes and memorabilia from the movie. After that he also purchased the home next door and turned it into the Bumpas house for lodging. The Bumpas’s were neighbors in the movie with all the dogs. The gift shop is located to the left of the museum which brings a total to four homes in The Christmas Story complex.
Tour of A Christmas Story House
Tours are timed, run every hour and start in the gift shop. The guide will meet with everyone at the front of the gift shop and then proceed across the street.
As we entered the house, there was a coat rack with props. We were encouraged to put on the hats and scarves from the movie.
The “Fragile” box with the leg lamp is on the floor and family pictures are hanging on the wall.
Use The Props For Photo Ops!
The living room had the Christmas tree, blue bowling ball, Red Ryder BB gun and of course the famous leg lamp. They let us touch all the props and take as many photos as we wanted too.
The kitchen had appliances from that time period and a turkey in a pan….not eaten by the dog yet.
On the dining room table was Randy’s bib and Mr. Parker’s newspaper.
Upstairs there is a phone on the wall. They encouraged us to pick it up and listen to Mrs. Schwartz yell at her son.
Next up, Ralphie and Randy’s room. A Red Ryder poster hung above Ralphie’s bed and in the corner was his desk. It held the assignment from school that he received a C+ on.
In the bathroom we found the Little Orphan Annie decoder commercial and the bar of soap. The guide told us that people have put their mouth on it to replicate the experience! That may be a little much, but to each their own.
While we explored the house, the tour guide answered questions and was very informative. He told us a lot of fun facts about the house, the making of the movie and the actors. The winter the movie was filmed happened to be the only winter it did not snow in Cleveland! They used soap flakes and fire fighter’s foam to create snow.
A Christmas Story Museum
After we toured the home, we continued across the street to the museum. There are pictures in here from the set and many original movie props. Like Randy’s snowsuit, his bib, a Red Ryder bb gun, the mom’s robe, and the chalkboard from Miss. Shield’s classroom. Plus a whole lot more!
Lodging
*Bonus: If time permits, you can spend the night in the Parker house! The Bumpas house also offers lodging. If this is a must do, make sure to book early!
A Christmas Story House is definitely worth the trip for those that love the movie! They have done a wonderful job with making this a fun experience and the details they have added are just awesome.
I loved this tour too! It was so much fun to be able to roam the completely interactive house and relive all our favorite moments! There was so much attention to detail that went into recreating this home. It’s a wonderful homage to the movie and really a work of art in and of itself! Definitely a must see when you’re in Cleveland!
Yes! I was so impressed with all the details! It exceeded my expectations.
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