Breadcrumb Trail Navigation
PA Great Lakes
<<All Roadtrips
Click the above image to see a full-size version.
A drive from North Springfield to North East makes for a pleasant weeklong roadtrip along Pennsylvania's only Great Lakes seashore.
PrintEmail- Switch to North Springfield (requires JavaScript)
- Switch to Historic Girard & Lake City (requires JavaScript)
- Switch to Maritime Erie (requires JavaScript)
- Switch to Presque Isle (requires JavaScript)
- Switch to Erie by Land (requires JavaScript)
- Switch to Harborcreek (requires JavaScript)
- Switch to North East (requires JavaScript)
North Springfield
Your roadtrip begins in the town of North Springfield, near the most northwestern point in Pennsylvania. This town has been known for its summer resorts, camps, and picnic areas since the end of the 19th century, and it's easy to see why - its proximity to Lake Erie and easy access from old stagecoach, train, and trolley routes (now modern roads) make it a convenient destination. It's lovely in the fall, too - the bright colors of the nearby State Game Lands juxtapose nicely with the calm lakeshore.
You'll want to visit Peggy Gray Candies, a sweets shop now in its third generation of ownership. Stop off at Raccoon Park or take a look at the homes of the town's founders, an 1803 saltbox and a larger brick home from 1832. The community cemetery includes a Native American burial mound that is possibly one of the largest in the country.
Take your time, explore, and enjoy your day in this charming old town. Camp out, play golf, take a side-trip to the Harrington Covered Bridge, or just hang out by the lake and enjoy the view. You'll be seeing a lot of it over this weeklong roadtrip, and its beauty never fades.
PA Great Lakes PHOTO GALLERY:
There are no photos for this roadtrip day.
Places to stay
More sights
Visitor information
Historic Girard & Lake City
Old-fashioned and attractive, Girard's Main Street includes buildings and businesses that date from the heyday of the Erie Canal. But Girard also pays homage to its rural surroundings; the Battles Museum of Rural Life encompasses four buildings, each of which offers a sense of early life in the area. Start at the Orientation Center, which is the Universalist Church on Myrtle Street, to begin your walking tour of this unusual attraction. Incidentally, this church and its congregation were very active "conductors" on the Underground Railroad. The Hazel Kibler Museum is also worth a visit.
Right next door, Lake City is known for its fruit and vegetable groves. The excellent soil here, just off the lake, supports this enterprise. The town is also semi-famous for another unexpected reason: circus clown and entrepreneur Dan Rice, who settled in Girard in 1852 and built the road that connects the two towns. So many circuses eventually wintered in the area during this time that Girard and Lake City became known as "show towns."
You'll spend plenty of time on the big lake throughout this road trip. Spend today wandering around these two towns and soaking up the eccentric history and delightful charm.
PA Great Lakes PHOTO GALLERY:
There are no photos for this roadtrip day.
Places to stay
More sights
Visitor information
Maritime Erie
Lake Erie is the 11th largest lake in the world, if you're measuring by surface area, and it comes in fourth among the Great Lakes. It also provides Pennsylvania with its very own seashore, perfect for sailors, beach bums, and others who love the water - fish, for instance. Lake Erie is the warmest and most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, and this makes the fishing most rewarding. But it's not all fun and games! Museums and monuments document and explain the lake's commercial and industrial significance throughout history. Lake Erie's maritime legacy provides curious road trippers with plenty to see and do.
Lighthouses are perhaps the most romantic and evocative evidence of a lake's function as a transportation route, and the Land Lighthouse and the North Pier Lighthouse are lovely monuments to Erie's navigational history. The Erie Maritime Museum is a must-visit attraction as well. Check out the multimedia exhibits about the War of 1812 and the Battle of Lake Erie, and see for yourself what it was like living aboard a wooden warship by investigating the reconstruction of the Lawrence, Commodore Perry's first flagship. For an impressive real-life view of the past, visit the flagship U.S. Brig Niagara.
Had enough history? The lake shore's many beaches, marinas, and fishing areas will keep you busy for as long as you like - no thought required.
PA Great Lakes PHOTO GALLERY:
There are no photos for this roadtrip day.
Places to stay
More sights
Visitor information
Presque Isle
Presque Isle is really a peninsula, but that doesn't matter - the vibe here is all-party, island-style. Presque Isle has the only surf beach in Pennsylvania, so if you're hankering to hang ten, bring your board (and your wetsuit, if you're an autumn surfer). If you're more apt to chill out, P.I. is the place to do it; you can spend all day just soaking up the scenery and watching the four million other yearly visitors along the seven miles of guarded beach.
Not a beach bum? No problem! You can waterski, sail, birdwatch, hike, picnic, or just fly a kite and enjoy the seaside atmosphere. There are also, happily, quite a few wineries in the area, so you can sample the local vintages and decide which you like best. And what goes with wine better than fish? Presque Isle is a perfect place to practice the piscatorial pastime; bring your tackle and catch some bass, walleye, northern pike, or crappie for dinner. Game fishing is also popular farther out on the lake.
Presque Isle has been the site of various ecological preservation projects over the years. Visitors to the Presque Isle Lighthouse can survey the Army Corps of Engineers breakwater project, designed to protect the sensitive environment from erosion. Those who enjoy vigorous exercise can bike, skate, or hike the ten-mile Multipurpose National Recreational Trail, which encompasses the entire park and shows off the area's diverse ecology.
PA Great Lakes PHOTO GALLERY:
There are no photos for this roadtrip day.
Places to stay
More sights
Visitor information
Erie by Land
Erie's more than a big lake - it's an exciting small city packed with cultural opportunities, excellent restaurants, and historical attractions. Visitors can take in a show at more than half a dozen playhouses or enjoy live music ranging from blues to classical and everything in between. Three dance companies, art galleries, restaurants, and a thriving nightlife scene ensure you won't be bored for a second.
For those of a more scholarly bent, Erie offers dozens of museums, historical societies, and historically significant artifacts, locations, and monuments. Quite a few sites are dedicated to the memory of Commodore Perry and his exploits in the War of 1812. Nearby covered bridges give a more land-based picture of the area's history, and the many lighthouses illustrate the interaction of land and sea that originally defined this area and continues to do so today.
If you're in the mood to shop, you can find local specialty boutiques, major national retailers, antiques and crafts stores, and more within easy reach. Sports fans can watch hockey and baseball or give the golf courses a try. And wine enthusiasts will think they've landed in heaven - the Lake Erie Wine Trail includes 11 vineyards.
PA Great Lakes PHOTO GALLERY:
There are no photos for this roadtrip day.
Places to stay
More sights
Visitor information
Harborcreek
Pretty Harborcreek is home to lakefront beaches, fruit orchards, parks, golf courses, and, of course, local wineries. It also boasts a unique and somewhat bizarre attraction - keep reading!
Many buildings from the early 1800s are still standing in Harborcreek; architecture buffs can take a walking tour and see the Fiddle Inn, built as a stagecoach stop around 1800, as well as a collection of other buildings of varying styles and vintages. Shades Beach Park is a lovely place for a picnic, and the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission's Lakeside Public Access provides boaters and anglers a place to launch their craft. Scenic Wintergreen Gorge, created by Four Mile Creek and an easy drive from Harborcreek, is worth a look - waterfalls, wildlife, and mature forests make this natural formation a pleasant place to explore, especially when autumn paints the leaves.
But what about the unique and somewhat bizarre attraction you were promised? That would be the Gravity Bridge. Take Moorheadville Road south, cross over the I-90 overpass, and stop. Put your car in neutral, facing north, and watch in amazement as your car slowly coasts uphill across the bridge. It's only an optical illusion, but the entertainment value is inestimable.
PA Great Lakes PHOTO GALLERY:
There are no photos for this roadtrip day.
Places to stay
More sights
Visitor information
North East
>>>>>>>>>>Wine festivals, picnics in the park, and a revitalized small-town Main Street make North East a charming end (or beginning!) to your road trip.
Railfans already know that the first rail line in the county came through North East in 1842; the old depot is now the headquarters of the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society. Gibson Park, the centerpiece of this Victorian town, is a popular place to meet or people-watch; enjoy the tranquil surroundings, then stroll through the town and take in the 100-year-old buildings and businesses that line the quiet streets. The buildings of Mercyhurst College are particularly attractive.
Local wineries provide tipplers with plenty of tasting opportunities, and the town's yearly Wine Fest celebrates the fruit of the vine with bacchanalian brio. Other community festivals make North East a lively place year-round, and farmers' markets make for delightful and tasty shopping sprees.
PA Great Lakes PHOTO GALLERY:
There are no photos for this roadtrip day.