Photos of A Christmas Story House: The nicest fictional place I’ve every been

I love A Christmas Story. Who doesn’t?

Hard to believe the movie bombed when it came out 30 years ago… but it did. Making it was a lifelong goal Bob Clark had, and it was only because he had made a monster hit in Porkys did he have the (temporary) clout to get the film green-lit in the first place.

While it tanked in theatres, repeated reruns (especially the Christmas marathons from cable channel TBS) has made it a huge success and a cultural phenomenon. When I learned last week that my work schedule would bring me to Cleveland, Ohio I quickly realized that it would give me the chance to visit… the house.

Yes, THE house where they shoot both interior and exterior scenes for A Christmas Story. And the amazing part about this real-life Chistmas story is what happened to the location.

Purchased years ago by an obsessive fan (and owner of a company that makes replica Leg Lamps), the house was almost a complete write-off when he bought it. So, he did what anyone do under the circumstances… he spent a quarter of a million dollars restoring it, and added a museum and gift shop to boot.

To say that stepping into the Old Man and Ralphie’s house is surreal is an understatement. It literally IS the room they shot the film in, and is filled with furniture that replicates the original to exacting detail. They even have the original shed in the back that Black Bart used as his fort to save the family… AND the museum has the original costumes from every cast member, including the costumes from the cut Flash Gordon dream sequence. Plus, the museum features making-of photos, props, script pages…

And after reading this you aren’t ready to hop in a plane/car/bus to go visit by now, then maybe this post isn’t for you. But if it is, and getting to Cleveland is not a simple task for you, here’s some photos that will make you happy. LOTS of photos. Enjoy.

Thanks again for the owners of the Christmas Story House for letting me take these pics!! And buy a Leg Lamp from them!

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