Presque Isle State Park
This 3,200-acre peninsula curving into Lake Erie is considered the state’s only real seashore — and it sure does lake life right. Besides water activities such as swimming, surfing, scuba diving, boating, and fishing, and land-based ones such as hiking and inline skating, it’s also a popular stop for migrating birds, including many that are endangered.
Hagen History Center
On Millionaires Row in Erie, the restored Watson-Curtze Mansion, built in 1892, is itself a sight, with stained glass, mosaic tiles, and intricate wood carvings. But it’s also now part of the Hagen History Center, dedicated to preserving the area’s legacy. Also on site are the Wood-Morrison House and Carriage House Gift Shop.
Lake Erie Arboretum Frontier (LEAF)
Simply put, LEAF is a tree museum. With more than 1,000 trees in the arboretum that sits inside the city’s Frontier Park, the free park has sections of pine, beech, oak, dogwood, and elm trees, as well as a wetlands area and Cascade Creek running throughout. There’s also a labyrinth, for walking meditations, and a winter garden that showcases plants that peak when others aren’t in season.