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CLEVELAND — With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, one of northeast Ohio’s biggest tourist attractions is back and inviting visitors to spend the night.

Linda Towns was excited for her visit as she punched the code to enter her special home for the night before she walked up the steps to see the loft located upstairs in the house from the movie classic, “A Christmas Story.”

“I love it,” she said. “This is just so sweet. I’m so excited. This is just so cool.”

Towns traveled all the way from Washington D.C to spend the night at the home of the 1983 classic film.

“I guess about four years ago, I came here and did the tour, and I heard you could stay overnight,” she said. “And it was always in the back of my mind, and late last year my husband passed away way too young, and this was his favorite movie, and on Christmas Day it had to play all day long 24 hours on TV.

“And I just thought it would be really nice pilgrimage, a way to honor him, and so that’s why I’m here.”

Now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted people are eager to get out and explore. Towns said she feels lucky to be able to experience a night in Ralphie’s house.

“I made the reservations probably about four months ago or so when everybody wanted to get of the house, and I was looking forward to when we could, and so I was able to find a time that worked for me, and it was wonderful having that on your plate knowing that soon you’ll be able to do this” she said.

Linda was married to Kevin Towns for 35 years. He worked for the Navy fixing submarines. He died of prostate cancer in October at the age of 62. She believes he would have loved spending the night here.

“He could recite every, every, every word of it,” she said. “Things like ‘you used all the glue on purpose’ and ‘it’s a major award.’ He would recite…He would actually say it all year long, and he would just love this, so I’m here for him.”