A Christmas Story House Museum - a Great Place to Visit

For a truly unique Christmas treat, visit the house that was featured in the 1983 Christmas classic "A Christmas Story." Although the film was supposed to take place in Indiana, the real house that was used for the film that starred Peter Billingsley and the late Darren McGavin is located in the Tremont neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio.

The outside of the house, which was built in the beginning of the 20^th century, was used in the film based upon a story by humorist Jean Shepherd. Most Americans are familiar with "A Christmas Story" as it plays pretty much non-stop during the entire holiday season.

Over recent years, the film developed a commercial following. After "It's A Wonderful Life" was pulled from its status as a public domain film by Aaron Spelling in the late 1990s (this case has never gone to court), those who wanted to commercialize Christmas even more turned to this 1983 classic in which a nine year old boy, played by Billingsley, wants a BB gun for Christmas. Although the story is told with much humor, it is a very touching film about a boy's "coming of age" when he finally gets treated "like a man" by his unnamed father, played by McGavin. When Ted Turner purchased the rights to the film, it replaced "It's a Wonderful Life" as a non-stop Christmas viewing classic.

The original house used for the film was in disarray when it was purchased by film buff Brian Jones in 2005 from Ebay. Today, it stands as a museum - an ever lasting tribute to this wonderful Christmas classic that previewed 24 years ago.

Visitors can tour the interior of the house that has been renovated to look exactly like how it appeared in the film. The museum opened in 2006 and drew hundreds of visitors. The "leg lamp" stands in the window of the home as a tribute to one of the films funniest moments. A guided tour is provided throughout the house that contains many of the original props used in the film as well as "behind the scenes" photos.