55 Free Things To Do Around Lake Erie

1. Scour the shoreline for beach glass and rare blue slag glass at places like Conneaut Beach in eastern Ohio, Freeport Beach in Pennsylvania and Perkins Beach in Cleveland.

2. Hop aboard the free shuttle that makes 21 stops at area attractions between New York’s Niagara Falls and Fort Niagara in Ontario. discoverniagarashuttle.com

3. Relax on the sand while listening to free live music at Cleveland’s Edgewater and Euclid parks during the Cleveland Metroparks’ summer concert series on Thursday nights. clevelandmetroparks.com

4. Watch the nation’s largest D-Day reenactment unfold on Conneaut Beach Aug. 13-15. ddayohio.us

5. Sit back and take in spectacular sunsets from places like Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo, Port Stanley Main Beach in Ontario and Fish Point Nature Preserve on Pelee Island.

6. Smell the more than 2,400 roses at Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens in Ontario. niagarafallstourism.com

7. Relax into one of the colorful Adirondack chairs overlooking the Vermilion Lighthouse at Main Street Beach in Vermilion. cityofvermilionohio.gov

8. Take a free pontoon ride through the lagoons of Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle State Park offered Friday to Sunday in the summer season. dcnr.pa.gov

9. Fly a kite at Buffalo’s Outer Harbor, which has 200 acres of green space filled with public art. buffalowaterfront.com

10. Plan a lighthouse road trip by checking out our guide to the more than 50 that dot the Lake Erie shoreline. lakeerieliving.com/lighthouses

11. Relax under real swaying palm trees installed every summer at Port Dover Beach in Ontario. portdover.ca

12. Drive the backroads of Ashtabula County in Ohio to find its 19 historic covered bridges. visitashtabulacounty.com

13. Climb to the top of the 50-foot observation tower at Lake Erie Bluffs in Lake County Ohio. lakemetroparks.com

14. Explore Detroit’s Belle Isle (free when arriving by bicycle or on foot) by wandering among the exotic plant species at the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory and visiting the playful octopus at Belle Isle Aquarium. michigan.gov

15. Attend one of Buffalo’s hundreds of free seasonal events from outdoor yoga and fitness classes to concerts and summer movie nights right on the Erie Canal terminal at Canalside. buffalowaterfront.com

16. Watch free outdoor Shakespeare performances from mid-June through August at Buffalo’s Delaware Park, one of America’s great urban green spaces. shakespeareindelawarepark.org

17. Spot waterfowl and wading birds weaving through a maze of blooming water lotuses at Great Egret Marsh Preserve in Marblehead, Ohio. marbleheadohio.org

18. Meander atop the St. Thomas Elevated Park, an abandoned railway bridge in Ontario converted into a walking trail with gardens, art installations and views of the Kettle Creek Valley. elevatedpark.ca

19. Stroll Geneva-on-the-Lake’s famous main drag — The Strip — a nostalgic mix of arcades, shops, eateries and lake views in eastern Ohio. visitgenevaonthelake.com

20. Wander the streets surrounding Detroit’s Eastern Market on Saturdays for a glimpse of colorful murals and street art. detroitmi.gov/mural-map

21. Ferry to Put-in-Bay where kids under 16 can angle for fish at the revamped Aquatic Visitors Center, which has live fish displays and interactive exhibits about science, conservation and history. ohiodnr.gov

22. Bring your roller skates and scooters to roll along The Ribbon Roller Trail, a 1,000-foot-long paved at the Glass City Metropark in Toledo, Ohio. metroparkstoledo.com

23. Cast a line during Ohio’s Free Fishing Days on June 20 and 21. odnr.org

24. Gather on the porch at James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio, from which the president-to-be campaigned in 1880. nps.gov/jaga

25. Get creative every weekend at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Community Arts Center, a satellite studio space with a colorful exhibition of puppets and costumes from the popular Parade the Circle, held in June at Wade Oval. clevelandart.org/ca 

26. Head to Showse Park in Vermilion, Ohio, to get a full-body workout on the equipment lining the park’s Health and Fitness trail. cityofvermilionohio.gov

27. Take the trail less traveled to Pelee Island’s Lighthouse Point, where Lake Erie’s second oldest Canadian lighthouse stands guard. pelee.org

28. Catch the fun of fishing on Pennsylvania’s Fish-for-Free Days, held May 24 and July 4. fishandboat.com 

29. Skip the gym and run the 60 steps at Huntington Reservation in Bay Village, Ohio. clevelandmetroparks.com

30. Watch Barcelona Falls spill onto the sand just east of the Barcelona Harbor pier near Westfield, New York. westfieldny.com

31. Wander through the Cleveland Museum of Art to see famous works, such as Monet’s “Water Lilies.” clevelandart.org

32. Peruse the collection of modern and contemporary art at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum on the first Friday of every month. buffaloakg.org

33. Take a self-guided audio tour while hiking through the rugged Niagara Glen, deep in Ontario’s Niagara Gorge. niagaraparks.com

34. Swim at one of the 13 sandy beaches within Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle State Park, a seven-mile-long peninsula with a 13.5-mile-long recreational trail connecting them. pa.gov

35. See where Ice Age glaciers carved deep ridges into Devonian limestone at Kelleys Island’s Glacial Grooves State Memorial. nps.gov

36. Skip rocks on one of Lake Erie’s glacially tumbled shale beaches (which yield some of the finest skipping stones in the Midwest), including Freeport Beach in Pennsylvania, Pebble Beach on Kelleys Island and Point Gratiot Beach in Western New York.

37. Browse exhibits on Monroe’s role in the War of 1812 at the Monroe County Historical Museum in Michigan. monroecountyhistoricalsocietymi.org 

38. Road trip along Ontario’s Talbot Trail (Highway 3) from Windsor to Fort Erie, a scenic coastal 125-mile route along Lake Erie’s north shore. ontariotrails.on.ca 

39. Take a free hour-long tour (offered at noon Monday through Friday) of Buffalo City Hall, an Art Deco masterpiece with an exceptional view from its 28th-floor observation deck. explorebuffalo.org

40. Hike through dramatic coastal dunes and bluff forests at Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve in Mentor, Ohio. ohiodnr.gov

41. Get a bird’s-eye view of ships transiting the Welland Canal at the St. Catharines Museums and Welland Canals Centre at Lock 3 in St. Catharines, Ontario. stcatharines.ca

42. Learn about the ecology and natural history of Lake Erie at the state-of-the-art Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania, which features a 75-foot-high observation tower. trecf.org

43. Watch researchers band migrating bird species during the spring or fall migration at Long Point Bird Observatory near Port Rowan, Ontario. lbo.lprca.on.ca

44. Attend one of six free concerts (June 6 at Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania) hosted by America250PA. america250pa.org

45. Note that Niagara Falls State Park in New York is always free, but to avoid parking fees, head to Lot #3 at the east end of Goat Island Tuesday through Thursday year-round and daily Sept. 8 to May 21. niagarafallsstatepark.com

46. Learn about one of Canada’s bloodiest battles at Old Fort Erie on July 1, when all of Canada’s national parks are free to visit. niagaraparks.com dobbinslandingerie.com

47. Take advantage of free admission to all National Park Service sites on May 25, June 14, July 3-5, Aug. 25, Sept. 17, October 27 and Nov. 11. nps.gov

48. Ride to the top of Erie, Pennsylvania’s Bicentennial Tower on the first Tuesday of each month from May through September. dobbinslandingerie.com

49. Hike a section of the 100-mile Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. nps.gov

50. Watch the 180 dairy cows get their 4 p.m. milking at Calder Dairy and Farm in Carlton, Michigan. calderdairy.com

51. Visit Michigan state parks on June 13 and 14 for “Three Free” weekend, which includes access to off-road trails, boat ramps and fishing at no charge. michigan.gov

52. Marvel at how the Heidelberg Project transformed a neglected neighborhood on Detroit’s East Side into an outdoor art gallery that has helped rebuilt the community. heidelberg.org

53. Spend a rainy day at Cleveland’s Rockefeller Park Greenhouse, the city-run botanical garden and greenhouse filled with colorful blooms. rockefellerparkgreenhouse.org

54. Wander among the 35 large-scale works of art at Windsor Sculpture Park, found along the Ontario side of the Detroit River. citywindsor.com

55. Enrich your knowledge about currency at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s Money Museum. clevelandfed.org

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