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A Food Lover's Guide to Downtown Erie Restaurants

Local breweries, cafés, bakeries, and restaurants serve everything from elevated comfort food to creative new flavors, making downtown a must-visit destination for food lovers.

A mom and dad relax on chairs on the beach while a young girld makes a sand castle.

Erie, PA Beaches

Erie's beaches are more expansive than many visitors expect. With cool breezes, calm waters, and room to roam, Lake Erie's shoreline invites you to slow down, stay a while, and soak in the simple joys of lake life. Whether you're spending the day at Presque Isle State Park or discovering a quieter stretch of sand, there's always another reason to stay a little longer.

Presque Isle Beaches

Presque Isle State Park offers seven miles of free sandy beaches and endless room to spread out. Beaches are guarded and open for swimming daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but open for visitors anytime the Park is open. 

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A man walks onthe beach with his child on his shoulders.

Beach 1

Best for: Beach glass

Beach 1 is the closest beach to the entrance to Presque Isle State Park, featuring restrooms, pavilions, and a Mobi Mat for those in wheelchairs or with strollers to more easily access water's edge. Beach 1 is a rocky beach, popular for hunting beach glass or stopping in quickly to watch the sun set.   

A few children run into the water on the beach.

Beach 3, Beach 11

Best for: Kids and Young Families

Beach 3 is wide open and Beach 11 is the most sheltered of Presque Isle's beaches, but both are smoke-free beaches that feature restrooms and changing areas. 

Two young children build a snadcastle on the beach.

Beach 6, Beach 7

Best for: Energy, Activities

If you're staying for the day, these beaches are popular and offer lots of other activities. Beach 6 is a long beach with 8 sand volleyball courts and a beach house, and Beach 7 is adjacent to the Waterworks Playground. 

A girl and her brother in a wheelchair pose and smile at the beach in front of a mobi-mat.

Beach 8

Beach 8 features restrooms and a Mobi-Mat ramp that provides access to water's edge. Beach wheelchairs are available at no cost at the Public Safety Building on a first-served bases during the swimming seasons. 

The silhouette of a man and his leashed dog watch the sunset on the beach.

Mill Road Beaches

Best for: Dogs

This section of unspoiled, and unguarded, shoreline is a quiet space for walkers, readers, and pet owners to enjoy the shore. 

Other Erie County Beaches

Shades beach with the famous painted chair.

Shades Beach

Best for: An Alternate to Presque Isle

Located in eastern Erie County near Harborcreek, Shades Beach is a wide, sandy beach with volleyball courts, boat launches, a playground and picnic pavilions

A rocky shoreline is shown on Freeport Beach in North East, PA.

Freeport Beach

Best for: Beach Glass

Along a small stretch of rocky coastline, Freeport Beach offers lake access close to North East's wineries. The rocky beach is great for beach glass and stone collectors, and there is a playground, volleyball nets, and picnic shelters nearby. 

A gazebo on beautiful Avonia Beach.
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Avonia Beach

Best for: Sunsets

Quiet by design, Avonia Beach Park is a 3-acre park where Trout Run, a popular trout stream, empties into Lake Erie. The beach is more rocky than sandy, but offers a respite area for sunsets and quiet time on the shore. 

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Hit the Sand

Itineraries and inspiration to guide your next beach day.

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