Top 3 things to do in Erie, PA (Pennsylvania)

 

Perry Monument, Presque Isle State Park, PA

When my wife and I lived in the state of Pennsylvania, we always wanted to visit Erie, PA.  We heard of the city from my colleagues at work who raved above the area, and from travel guides/brochures we picked up from one of many Pennsylvania’s rest areas.  The distance from where we lived near Philadelphia to Erie, was one of the biggest hurdles for us visiting Erie, as it would’ve been at least a 6 hour ride to get there.

All the hurdles disappeared thanks to our month long trip using Vrbo to western New York, in a town called Ellicottville.  The location of Ellicottville is awesome.  Niagara Falls State Park is under a 90 minute drive, Letchworth State Park is about a 60 minute drive and Erie, PA is under a 90 minute drive.

We had to check out Erie!

We prepared lunch, snacks, drinks, and Toby’s treats for our trip to Erie.  We left around 9 a.m. on a beautiful June weekday going west!  Road trip again!

Toby (our Pomeranian) was waiting to get out of our temporary home as he already knew his pack was going somewhere!  He would jump up and down, and scratch at the front door so we would take him with us.

All of us were excited at driving these roads for the first time.  It would be our first trip to Erie for all of us.

The drive west took us past Jamestown (Lucille Ball’s hometown), past Lake Chautauqua, then onwards towards Lake Erie.

As we approached Erie, we started to see the lake far away in the distance.  The immensity of the lake was on full display as we got nearer to Erie.  It almost reminded us of an ocean, and not a lake, as we could see  miles and miles out into the horizon, just like an ocean…

Our first destination was Presque Isle State Park.  This was definitely the most famous of the 3 attractions that we wanted to check out.  

We arrived at the park surprised by how many people and cars/RV’s were already at the park.  There were people walking/jogging, biking, and just enjoying the beautiful views of the Lake Erie and the Presque Isle Bay.  

We stopped by a restroom past the entrance to the park, then we pulled over at a small parking area overlooking the bay for our lunch.  

I personally believe everything tastes better when you’re traveling!  It sure did that morning.

After enjoying our lunch, we gave Toby some food.  We were then off to the races, to discover everything Presque Isle State Park had to offer!

We made our way to the Perry Monument.  The monument, which stands 101 feet tall, is dedicated to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, who was a naval squadron leader during the War of 1812.  You’ll also find a boat cruise right at the monument area, near the parking lot.

We walked along the nicely paved walkway to take a closer look at the monument area.  The views were simply majestic.  

We spent several minutes there admiring the area, including the monument itself, the many beautiful trees, and the bay.  Toby had a blast walking around the monument himself.

Had lunch here with this view!
At the Perry Monument overlooking the bay 

We continued our journey.  We drove on Thompson Drive then Peninsula Drive, until we arrived at one of many beautiful beaches dotting the road.  

We had to stop to check it out.  We noticed how colorful the lake looked.  It had colors you would normally associate with warmer weather places, like Florida.  The water showed colors green, light blue, blue, and even a hint of turquoise.  We were blown away by that!

We saw people doing normal beach activities:  swimming, playing in the sand, jogging/walking, and several people sitting side by side on chairs enjoying the lake.  

Beach view!
Toby enjoying himself at the beach!
Amazing view of Lake Erie  
Lake Erie beach area

We drove on further until we got to the Presque Isle Lighthouse.  Presque Isle Lighthouse is one of Erie’s historic treasures and it still provides navigational aid to ships in the area.  Built in 1873, the lighthouse is open to visitors during the summer months.  It has a visitor center/gift shop, and features tours to the lighthouse and the keeper’s house.

Plenty of parking spots were available across the street from the lighthouse.  We parked, then made across to the lighthouse.

The grounds were perfectly manicured and the surroundings were superb.  The beach in front of the lighthouse was especially beautiful.  

While my wife shopped at the gift shop, Toby and I walked around the area.  He enjoyed it, I could tell!

Beautiful views of the grounds
Another view of the lighthouse and the beach area

We drove out of the lighthouse area enjoying the leisurely drive out of the park.  We were glad to have explored this park!

We were headed to our next destination:  Liberty Park.

I had read about Liberty Park from my Google search of the area.  It features a beautiful waterfront setting in Erie downtown, near Presque Isle State Park.

It took no more than 10 minutes to drive out of the Presque Isle State Park to Liberty Park.  We arrived at the park and noticed a small group of people practicing yoga, right in front of the picturesque waterfront.  

We also saw a large amphitheater which is a popular venue for concerts and fairs.  We walked around the park and enjoyed the amazing water views of the Presque Isle Bay and the downtown Erie, PA.

Found this compass facing the bay
Quite a view!
View of Erie downtown 
Another view of the park, with amphitheater on the left

We explored the entire park in under 20 minutes, as the park isn’t very big.  We took few minutes people watching, especially the fisherman and fisherwoman.  

We slowly made our way to the parking lot, and happened to meet a nice couple who had been practicing yoga, when we entered the park.  We chatted about our trip to the Erie area, and little bit about us and about them.  

Feeling connected to the world around us, we made our way out, then on to our last destination:  Bicentennial Tower area.

Bicentennial Tower may be one of the most iconic buildings in all of Erie, PA.  It’s usually featured on visitor guides, promotional videos, and while you’re driving around the Erie downtown area.

The 187 foot tower features two observation decks offering beautiful panoramic views of the downtown Erie and Lake Erie/Presque Isle Bay.  

When we arrived, we already saw bunch of visitors heading towards the tower.  We parked our car then enjoyed the views of the area.  Bicentennial Tower area is a popular area for locals and visitors alike, as we saw numerous hotels, restaurants, and boat tours nearby.

After enjoying the beautiful view and the weather, we headed back to our temporary ‘home’ at Ellicottville, NY.

Toby was knocked out on our way back home as usual, as he had walked quite a bit!  We congratulated ourselves on job well done!

On our drive back, we talked about how grateful we were to be able to visit places like this since our early retirement.  We never could get around to visiting there up until then.  

We were glad we did, as Erie, PA area has so much to offer.  Lake Erie maybe the biggest draw, but the places we visited that day were awesome in their own right!

Thank you all for reading and happy trails to you!


Jake

Wandering Money Pig 


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