Erie County 9
9 places to explore in Erie County, Pennsylvania — part of the Great Lakes Region region.
Museums 3
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Tom Ridge Environmental Center
The gateway to Presque Isle, with exhibits on the peninsula's dunes, wetlands and Lake Erie ecology, and an observation tower with views over the bay and lake.
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Erie Art Museum
Changing exhibitions and a wide-ranging collection strong in American ceramics, Asian art and bronze sculpture, shown partly in the marble 1839 Greek Revival Customs House downtown.
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Erie Maritime Museum
Home port of the U.S. Brig Niagara, a reconstruction of Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship, with exhibits on the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie and the region's maritime past.
Historic Sites 2
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Presque Isle Light
A square brick tower of 1873 rising from its keeper's house beside a Lake Erie beach, on the open-lake side of the Presque Isle peninsula.
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Erie Land Lighthouse
Standing on a bluff above the lake, a sandstone tower of 1867 marks the site of one of the first lighthouses on the Great Lakes, with a small park around it.
Public Parks 3
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Presque Isle State Park
A sandy peninsula curving into Lake Erie, with miles of swimming beaches, a lighthouse, the Perry Monument, lagoons for paddling and a spring bird migration that draws birders from far and wide.
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Erie Bluffs State Park
Tall bluffs above wild Lake Erie shoreline, left free of development, with steelhead runs in Elk Creek, rare oak savanna on sandy soil and sunsets over the water.
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Tom Ridge Environmental Center
The gateway to Presque Isle, with exhibits on the peninsula's dunes, wetlands and Lake Erie ecology, and an observation tower with views over the bay and lake.
Theme Parks 1
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Waldameer Park
Right at the gateway to Presque Isle, a family-owned amusement park dating to the 1890s, with wooden roller coasters, classic rides and the Water World water park.
Zoos & Aquariums 1
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Erie Zoo
A compact, family-friendly zoo in Glenwood Park, with animals from around the world, a children's area with a carousel, and a little train that crosses Mill Creek.