New Year's Activities in Cleveland

If you're not going to ring in the New Year at your Cleveland-area home, now is the time to start planning where to go out. If you're not going to stay overnight in a hotel, please make sure you have someone to drive you home, so you can have a safe 2007.

OVERNIGHT STAY
Quality Inn & Suites in Richfield is having a New Year's Eve bash. It is centrally located in Northeast Ohio at the convergence of Interstate 77, Route 21 and the Ohio Turnpike. The price is $199, and the party will go from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Semi-casual attire is requested for this age 21-and-over party.

The price includes overnight accommodations for two with a 1 p.m. check out time (there's a good idea).

The cocktail hour will be at 8 p.m. with a cash bar and free hors d'oeuvres. Starting at 9, it's open bar for the rest of the night. The buffet dinner will be served from 9-10:30 p.m. A DJ will spin tunes, and the bash will also include party favors, and a midnight balloon drop and a champagne toast.

If you can drag yourself out of bed in the morning and get into some semi-casual clothes, you can enjoy a breakfast buffet from 8-11 a.m. To make reservations, call (330) 659-6151, extension 521. This party is a good idea if you don't feel like venturing into downtown Cleveland on New Year's Eve. The hotel is located at 4742 Brecksville Road in Richfield.

Baricelli Inn in Cleveland is another place to spend the night on New Year's Eve. The luxurious Murray Hill hotel is located at 2203 Cornell Road in Cleveland. You can make reservations by calling (216) 791-6500.

OUT ON THE TOWN
Brennan's Party Center will welcome The Breakfast Club (the Ultimate 80s Rock Band) for its 23rd annual New Year's Celebration.

The doors will open at 7 p.m. with an open bar and hot hors d'oeuvres. The buffet will start at 8 and includes prime rib roast loin of pork, chicken marsala, and penne with meat sauce; as well as rice, potatoes, salad, rolls, coffee ad pastries.

The bash will also include party favors and a champagne toast at midnight, as well as continental breakfast at 1 a.m.

The cost is $80 per person. For tickets, call (216) 251-2131 or go to brennanspartycenter.com.

Brennan's is located at 13000 Triskett Road in Cleveland.

Velvet Dog, located at 1280 W. 6th St., has won several awards for being the best nightclub in Cleveland. The three-level bar in the Warehouse District features a Tiki Patio on the roof that offers a beautiful view of the Cleveland skyline. The New Year's Eve packages range from $35 to $125. Call (216) 664-1116.

Metropolis is a warehouse-themed bar at 2325 Elm Street in Cleveland. This is the place to go if you want to rock out to techno and house music all night.

Fat Fish Blue, located at 21 Prospect Ave., hosts a Mardi-Gras themed New Year's Eve Bash each year. The restaurant will have reserved seating at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. The Swamp Boogie Band will start playing at 8, specializing in jazz, swing and blues rock. Confetti and free champagne will ring in the New Year at midnight, and the Mardi Gras style party will go on until 2 a.m. The early seating at 6 p.m. costs $49.95 per person, with the price rising to $59.95 for the 8 and 10 p.m. seatings. There is a non-refundable $20 reservation charge. Call (216) 875-6000 to let the good times roll.