How to Stay Cool This Summer in Erie PA
Thursday Jul 14th, 2022
Beat the heat this summer and make your lake escape to Erie PA! Our miles of sandy beaches, exciting water parks, refreshing splash pads and more are guaranteed to cool you off during the hot summer months. The Erie region is filled with fun watery adventures! Here are some of our favorite ways to get wet, have fun and stay cool.
BEACHES
With miles of Lake Erie shoreline, the Erie area has several great beach locations for you to stretch out and relax. Erie’s top beach attraction is Presque Isle State Park, (pictured left) a designated National Natural Landmark featuring seven miles of sandy beaches and the only surf swimming in Pennsylvania. The cool, refreshing waters of Lake Erie make Presque Isle the perfect place to take a dip. Presque Isle guarded beaches are open daily Memorial Day through Labor Day. For families with small children, Beach 11 is the best beach, providing shallow swimming waters and a playground area while beaches 6 and 8 are popular with younger adults. The Pat Crawford Beach at Edinboro Lake is a picturesque, guarded swimming beach area that is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Edinboro Lake also features two free public boat launches, a playground, picnic area and an ADA-accessible fishing pier. To view more Erie County beaches, click here.
WATER PARKS
Water World at Waldameer Park (pictured left) is your all-access pass for wet and wild watery fun! Refresh yourself with a leisurely float down Water World’s Endless River, challenge your friends on the 6-lane Rally Racer, experience all 103 water features of the Battle of Lake Erie complex or plunge head first down the Liquid Lightning slide. Families with smaller children can enjoy Water World’s Kidz Zone featuring 30 interactive spray jets and fountains. The always 84 degrees Polynesian-inspired Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park & Resort is consistently ranked as one of USA Today Readers’ Choice top indoor water parks. Splash Lagoon features the gnarly Big Kahuna slide as well as Hurricane Hole and the Maui Wowie, Adventure Bay pool, FlowRider surf machine and a 200,000-gallon Wild Waters Wave Pool, the largest indoor wave pool in the eastern United States. Splash Lagoon's newly updated Tree House opened to the public July 1 and features splash buckets, water sprayers, a giant Tipping Coconut, and two NEW slides: The Typhoon Twister and the Riptide Racers! Get set to get soaked!
SPLASH PADS/SPRAY PARKS
Chill out this summer at the Bayview Park Splash Pad, (pictured left contributed photo: City of Erie) located in Erie’s West Bayfront District, overlooking Presque Isle Bay. The city-run park water attraction uses various sprinklers, a tipping bucket and other spritzing surprises to delight all ages. The ADA-accessible Splash Pad is open daily during the summer months (weather permitting). Just west of Erie in Girard, PA is the YMCA Camp Sherwin Spray and Play Park, a public outdoor recreation and camping center. Their splash pad area includes a whimsical four-piece spraying snake, multiple watery hoops, a tipping bucket and more. Camp Sherwin also has a heated pool with an aqua climb rock wall. Both splash pads are free to enjoy throughout the summer.
WATERCRAFT RENTALS
If you don’t have your own watercraft to get out on Lake Erie or Presque Isle Bay, no worries! The friendly staff at either Port Erie Sports (pictured left) or Hidden Harbor Water Rentals have several rental options to have playing on the water in no time. Port Erie Sports offers a wide selection of boats, jet skis, pontoons, kayaks and paddle board rentals. They are open daily Memorial Day to Labor Day 9 a.m. to sundown (weather permitting). Hidden Harbor Water Rentals features 22’ or 24’ pontoon boats for rent with an optional towable water tubes to help crank up the fun! Hidden Harbor Rentals is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from June to September (weather permitting).
COOL POOLS
Turn your visit into an overnight getaway and enjoy a dip in one of the many indoor or outdoor pools found at local hotels. With incredible views of Presque Isle Bay, the Courtyard Bayfront Hotel’s (pictured left) outdoor infinity pool is by far one of Erie’s coolest pools. Book a room at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites North East, where their unique splash pad and pool area is equipped with water slides and tipping buckets, a children’s area, whirlpool and more. For a list of lodging options, visit here.
