My East Tennessee East Tennessee Guides
Home › By county › Bradley County › Cleveland

Cleveland, Tennessee

Bradley County’s seat — a museum of the Ocoee Region, an 1870s opera house on the square, the Mouse Creek greenway, Lee University, and Cherokee history at Red Clay just outside town.

City · incorporated 1842Seat of Bradley County →Pop. 47,356 (2020)Eastern time (ET)Things to do ↓Eat & drink ↓Places to stay ↓Events ↓A short history ↓City hall & resources ↓

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · all times Eastern (ET) · sources at the bottom

In 30 seconds
  • Why stop: spend an hour in the free Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points, eat downtown near Craigmiles Hall, walk or bike the lighted Mouse Creek greenway, then drive south to Red Clay State Historic Park.
  • Before you go: Cleveland is on Eastern time (ET), like Chattanooga and Knoxville, with hotels at I-75 Exits 25 and 27. The museum is closed Sunday and Monday.
  • Don’t confuse: this is Cleveland, Tennessee (Bradley County, about 47,000 people) — not Cleveland, Ohio. Red Clay, Charleston and the Ocoee River are outside the city.

Visitor directory

Things to do in and around Cleveland

In town

  • Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points ↗200 Inman St E, downtown · exhibits and programs on the heritage of the Ocoee Region; the county set the museum up in 1999–2000 (Tennessee Encyclopedia) · Tue–Fri 10 AM–5 PM ET, Sat 10 AM–3 PM ET · admission free, donations appreciated · (423) 339-5745. ⓘ source
  • Downtown Cleveland & Craigmiles Hall ↗More than 40 locally owned restaurants and shops downtown, promoted by MainStreet Cleveland, plus photo-op murals and the Back Alley Gallery. On the east side of the square stands Craigmiles Hall, a Second Empire opera house built in 1877–78 — Cleveland’s first cultural center and a National Register landmark — where, the city says, John Philip Sousa introduced the city song, “The Diplomat,” in 1906. ⓘ source
  • Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway ↗A city–county linear park: more than five miles of unbroken, lighted path along Mouse Creek, with spurs along Fillauer Branch and through downtown; four more miles along Candies Creek, west of I-75, are under development. ⓘ source
  • Lee University ↗Private Christian university in Cleveland. It began in 1918 as a small Bible institute of the Church of God, with twelve students and one teacher, and grew into Lee College on its present site in 1948. ⓘ source
  • Cleveland Bradley County Public Library & History Branch ↗Main library at 795 Church St NE, (423) 472-2163 · the History Branch, 833 Ocoee St NE, (423) 479-8367, holds a collection of material on the Cherokees (Tennessee Encyclopedia). ⓘ source

Nearby: Red Clay, Charleston & the Ocoee

  • Red Clay State Historic Park ↗Not in Cleveland — at the southern end of Bradley County (1140 Red Clay Park Rd SW) · the last capital of the Cherokee Nation in the 1830s, before removal on the Trail of Tears: the Blue Hole spring, replica Cherokee structures, the Eternal Flame and the James F. Corn Interpretive Facility on 263 acres · park office (423) 478-0339. ⓘ source
  • Hiwassee River Heritage Center, Charleston ↗Not in Cleveland — in Charleston, 8746 Hiwassee St (US 11) · panels on the Trail of Tears at the site of the federal Indian Agency and Fort Cass, the U.S. military headquarters for the Cherokee removal; opened May 2013. ⓘ source
  • Rattlesnake SpringsNot in Cleveland — farther north in the county; the Tennessee Encyclopedia calls it the gathering point for Cherokees leaving on the journey west. ⓘ source
  • The Ocoee River & Cherokee National ForestNot in Cleveland — a short drive away: the Ocoee’s whitewater and the national forest’s trails. See our Polk County guide. ⓘ source

Eat & drink

  • Café Roma220 N. Ocoee St, downtown · (423) 339-1488. ⓘ source
  • The Press168 1st St NE, downtown · (423) 584-6077. ⓘ source
  • Mash & Hops168 1st St NE, downtown. ⓘ source
  • Santorini Spoon260 Broad St SW, downtown. ⓘ source
  • Little Diner on First490 1st St NW · (423) 472-5550. ⓘ source
  • The Village Bake Shop201 Keith St · (423) 476-5179. ⓘ source

A sampling from MainStreet Cleveland’s downtown list; Cleveland is also known for its mustard-and-mayo “hot slaw.” Full list: MainStreet Cleveland dining & shopping ↗.

Places to stay

  • Hampton Inn Cleveland4355 Frontage Rd, off I-75 at Exit 27 · (423) 458-1222. ⓘ source
  • Holiday Inn Cleveland110 Interstate Dr NW, just off I-75 at Exit 25, with an on-site restaurant · (423) 478-1212. ⓘ source
  • Holiday Inn Express & Suites Cleveland Northwest4355 Holiday Inn Express Way, off I-75 and Paul Huff Parkway · (423) 790-1199. ⓘ source

More from county tourism: Visit Cleveland TN ↗.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · businesses from MainStreet Cleveland and Cleveland/Bradley tourism listings and each hotel’s own page — free listings; call ahead, hours change. All hours Eastern (ET).

Coming up in Cleveland

  • Sat Oct 31 — 39th Downtown Halloween Block Party5–10 PM ET downtown on Church, Ocoee and Broad and First and Second streets · Treat Street opens 6 PM ET on Church Street; costume contest 6:30 PM ET; live music at 5:30 PM ET and 7:30 PM ET. ⓘ source
  • Sundays — Farmers on First11 AM–2 PM ET at First Street Square downtown — MainStreet Cleveland’s Sunday market. ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 7 — Table Scaping at the Museum Center10:30 AM–12 PM ET · a table-decorating program at the Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points. ⓘ source
  • Mon Nov 9 & Nov 23 — Cleveland City CouncilThe council meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays at 3 PM ET at the Municipal Building (UT MTAS) — check the city’s agenda center for changes. ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 14 — Tour of Red Clay State Historic Park1–2 PM ET · ranger-led tour · Outside town (south Bradley County). ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 21 — Christmas on the Square & Community Tree LightingA free afternoon of art, handmade items and downtown shopping, ending with the tree lighting at 6 PM ET at Broad and First streets. ⓘ source
  • Sat Dec 5 — MainStreet Cleveland Christmas ParadeSteps off at 6 PM ET on a new, shorter route: from the lot at 3rd St SE and Edwards St SE behind the Museum Center, west on Inman, north on Ocoee, around the monument, south on Broad to 3rd Street, ending at South Lee Highway and Keith Street. ⓘ source

Every year downtown: the Hot Slaw & Art Y’all Festival (April), Friday Festivals (June), the MainStreet Cruise-In (fourth Saturdays, April–October), the Cleveland Apple Festival (October) and the Halloween Block Party — MainStreet Cleveland events ↗.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · times Eastern (ET) · dates from MainStreet Cleveland, UT MTAS, the Museum Center via Visit Cleveland TN, Tennessee State Parks and the Cleveland Daily Banner. More Bradley County events on the county guide.

Area news

Headlines · Cleveland & Bradley County

  • Cleveland Daily Banner · Oct 28, 2026

    MainStreet Cleveland will receive a $300,000 state Downtown Improvement Grant, one of 14 Tennessee Main Street and downtown communities sharing more than $3.9 million for facades, wayfinding signs, gateways and streetscapes.

    Read at Cleveland Daily Banner →
  • Cleveland Daily Banner · Oct 28, 2026

    “Tall Betsy,” the 7-foot-6 black-clad Halloween specter of Cleveland folklore, returns for the Oct. 31 Block Party; a researcher traced a “woman in black” sighting to the Sept. 27, 1894, Chattanooga Daily Times.

    Read at Cleveland Daily Banner →
  • Cleveland Daily Banner · Oct 27, 2026

    MainStreet members toured the former Cherokee Hotel, the seven-story 1928 building being renovated as Cleveland’s next city hall; reopening is expected in spring, with new council chambers next door ready in February or March.

    Read at Cleveland Daily Banner →
  • MainStreet Cleveland · Oct 22, 2026

    The Dec. 5 Christmas Parade moves to a new staging lot behind the Museum Center and a shorter downtown route, after 37 years of staging at a county high school; entries are due Nov. 20 at 4 p.m.

    Read at MainStreet Cleveland →

Short summaries in our words — tap through to read the full story at the source. All area news → · Outlet requests: [email protected]

A short history

This was Cherokee land in the Ocoee District. The city traces its start to Andrew Taylor, who, its history says, had married “an Indian woman” and built a log house where the downtown post office now stands; “Taylor’s Place” became a favorite stop for travelers because of the many springs nearby. The General Assembly created Bradley County in February 1836, and on Jan. 20, 1838, the legislature named Cleveland the county seat, honoring Col. Benjamin Cleveland of North Carolina, a Revolutionary War hero of Kings Mountain. The town soon counted about 400 people. The city’s history page says Cleveland was incorporated on Feb. 4, 1842; UT MTAS lists an incorporation date of Nov. 1, 1842 under the Private Acts of 1841–42. The present charter dates from 1993.

In the 1830s Red Clay, in the south of the county, was the last capital of the Cherokees as they fought removal by appealing to the president and Congress and suing in the federal courts; in 1838 they were driven west on the Trail of Tears in a forced removal run from Fort Cass at Charleston. During the Civil War, soldiers from the county fought on both sides, and Abraham Lincoln considered holding the railroad near Cleveland a key to victory in the western theater.

After the war Cleveland became a manufacturing town. Christopher Hardwick began casting iron stoves in his Cleveland backyard in the 1870s and opened Cleveland Woolen Mills in 1880; Hardwick, Magic Chef and Brown Stove made the city known for stoves, and Hardwick built World War II aircraft parts from 1942 to 1945 before Maytag bought it in 1981. The old Hardwick Woolen Mills complex joined the National Register in 2001. Three denominations keep their headquarters in the county — the Church of God, the Church of God of Prophecy and the Church of God Jerusalem Acres — and Paul Huff, born and raised in the county, received the Medal of Honor for World War II.

Cleveland had 47,356 people in the 2020 Census; East Cleveland and South Cleveland are separate, unincorporated census places outside the city. The city has adopted the submarine USS Tennessee and both of its crews.

Visit: Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points ↗ · Red Clay State Historic Park ↗

Bradley County’s history → · East Tennessee history hub →

City hall & local resources

City of Cleveland official site ↗ — agendas and minutes, the city calendar, 311 service requests, parks registration and news. Cleveland has a council–manager government: the mayor and two council members are elected at large and five council members by district, each for four years; the council meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays at 3 PM ET (UT MTAS). City offices are moving to the renovated former Cherokee Hotel downtown, expected to reopen in spring. Bradley County government is also based in Cleveland.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · official sites only · numbers copied from each agency’s own page — tap ⓘ to confirm. Times Eastern (ET). Emergencies: call 911.

Around Bradley County

← Bradley County guide — Red Clay’s council grounds, Charleston and the Hiwassee River Heritage Center, and county resources.

Other Bradley County places: Charleston (city). Communities: McDonald · Flint Springs · Georgetown · Black Fox · Tasso · Prospect. Next door: Hamilton · McMinn · Meigs · Polk county guides.

Other county-seat guides: Wartburg (Morgan County) · Kingston (Roane County) · Huntsville (Scott County) · Jamestown (Fentress County) · Crossville (Cumberland County) · Dayton (Rhea County) · Clinton (Anderson County) · Decatur (Meigs County) · Athens (McMinn County).

Sources

Checked Oct 29, 2026