Top 3 things to do in Dunkirk, NY (western New York)

 

Dunkirk Harbor, NY

Our pack (myself, my wife, and our Pomeranian dog Toby) had a very busy month of June during our stay in western New York town of Ellicottville.  More than 15 days out of the month were spent visiting places (old and new), and trying out new things (treetop adventures, vegan restaurant).

During the month of June, we decided we would go out as long as it didn’t rain that day.  Luckily, the rain would come after we had come home in the late afternoon or evening, so this plan worked out great!

It was one warm and sunny day late June, that we decided to visit Dunkirk, NY.  We have to admit we had no idea where or what Dunkirk was while we were planning this trip to western New York.  We decided to go there on a recommendation from a very friendly mother/daughter who we had met at a laundromat, to check out Dunkirk.  

In fact, at that same laundromat, even the manager chimed in to recommend a destination in western New York!  We were glad we decided to go to that particular laundromat on that specific day.  The recommendation turned out to be great.  

We left at our usual time of 9 a.m. heading west.  The route would take us over countrysides, valleys, and meadows, and small towns, until we got to Lake Erie.  

Once we got near Lake Erie, we saw the enormous lake come up on our right.  It was as if we were looking at an ocean!  The blue colors, visible from miles away, and the distant horizon, played tricks with our eyes, and convinced us that we were indeed looking at an ocean, and not a lake…

We arrived shortly thereafter, and headed for the Dunkirk Harbor area as our first stop.  

Dunkirk Harbor is a city harbor that has a beautiful promenade, beach chairs at the front of the harbor facing the lake, shops/restaurants, and a great place to view the impressive Lake Erie.  It is a popular spot for fishing, picnicking, and launching boats.  

The harbor is beautifully maintained and clean.  Once we parked, we got out and was immediately greeted by the smell of the lake, which reminded us of the ocean.  There was a nice sea breeze hitting us, and we took a moment to take in our surroundings.

We took Toby out for a walk around the harbor and noticed he was already happy we were visiting the harbor.  We walked along the promenade and viewed boats slowly drifting out to the sea and fish near the harbor.  We walked towards the front of the harbor and sat down on one of the brightly colored beach chairs.

Beach chairs where we sat down
Beautiful view!
Toby enjoying the harbor

We took several minutes taking in all the beautiful scenery surrounding us.  While we were sitting, we counted numerous cars driving by the front of the harbor enjoying the scenery as well.  

We got up and headed toward the Boardwalk Market, where the shops and restaurants were.  Unfortunately, all these shops/restaurants were closed at that time of the day.  No matter, we still walked around the shops and enjoyed our walk with Toby!

We met a nice lady at the Boardwalk Market, who commented on how cute Toby was.  We told her Toby was 14 years old.  She was very surprised at how active he looked!

After our brief encounter, we headed for our car to go to the second stop, Dunkirk Lighthouse.

Dunkirk Lighthouse, also known as the Point Gratiot Lighthouse, is located about a mile and a half from the Dunkirk Harbor.  The lighthouse was established in 1826 and it is still operational.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

We arrived after a quick jaunt from the harbor.  The lighthouse is an impressive structure all by itself but the surroundings are impressive in their own right.  Lake Erie plays a main role as it is just majestic!  

It was at the Dunkirk Lighthouse that we decided to eat our lunch.  We parked next to a truck with its windows open, and we were a bit hesitant to eat right next to someone quietly sitting down and enjoying the view.

It turned out, what we initially thought was a person, was actually a large brown colored dog!  He was sitting so calmly that we had mistakenly thought it was a person.  Haha!  Stupid us!

We couldn’t help but notice the calm dog watching us, trying to decide if we were friend or foe.  We laughed at how quiet he was!!!  He just looked at us with his cute brown eyes, as if asking us if we knew where his dad was…

After finishing our lunches, with the dog staring at us all the while, we got out of the car to explore the area.

The colors of the lake were green, blue, turquoise, and navy.  We looked at the lake for several minutes, watching a pair of jet skis skimming the surface of the lake, and enjoying seeing seabirds slowly riding the  jet stream high in the sky…

Afterwards, we examined the grounds.  To the left of the lighthouse is a memorial for veterans.  We saw fresh flowers on the memorial and one Vietnam-era personnel carrier at the far end of the memorial.  It was an impressive sight.  

We next looked at displays of boats, sterns, and other ship related items near the lighthouse.  A plaque commemorating the War of 1812 and the role Lake Erie had, is displayed near the front of the complex facing the lake.  

Dunkirk Lighthouse 
Lake Erie viewed from the grounds
Another view of Lake Erie 

We played with Toby and gave him his after lunch snacks.  He happily ran around the grounds enjoying his day.

After few minutes of that, we headed out to our third stop, Point Gratiot Park.

Point Gratiot Park is a lakefront park popular with locals and visitors alike for swimming, tennis, picnicking, hiking, and biking.  It is located right next to the lighthouse, and it took us no more than 5 minutes by car!

We parked at one of the lots facing the lake and briefly thought we were back in Atlantic Beach.  The lake had beautiful colors to it, and the lake’s horizon was visible miles out into the distance.  

We walked around the beach area admiring the beauty and for some photos.  We saw people enjoying the lake by swimming, playing in the sand, surfing, and walking.  

Far out in the distance, we saw several boats just floating in the waters.  What a sight…

Different views of the beach



We sat down at one of the benches facing the lake to enjoy the lake for few more minutes.  Afterwards, we headed home, realizing how beautiful Dunkirk had been.

We were glad to have heeded the advice from friendly people we met at a laundromat!  We will always be grateful for their advice!

We hope you get to enjoy Dunkirk area if you’re ever visiting western New York.

Thank you all for reading!


Jake

Wandering Money Pig 


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