I know, I know. When you first hear the word “Ohio,” you immediately think the word “beaches,” right? No? Well, you should and I’ll tell you why. In my hometown of Cleveland, there are at least 5 beaches within an hour’s drive of my house. And if you’ve never visited a Great Lakes beach on a family trip, you don’t know what you’re missing. But, I can tell you. You are missing the jellyfish and sharks to start with. The waves are more gentle, which is great if you have a little one or a non-swimmer in your family. And, if you’re on a budget, Ohio is an affordable family vacation spot.
Also, with COVID 19, I’m finding that many of my travel agency clients are only wanting to travel domestically this year. So, let me introduce you to our best-kept secret and your next family road trip: Ohio’s beaches.
Nickel Plate Beach – Huron Ohio
Nickel Plate Beach is a small beach near Sandusky, home of The Roller Coaster Capital of the World, Cedar Point. It’s smaller than most of the other beaches, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Nickel Plate Beach is tucked into a neighborhood in Huron and can be a little tough to find at first. Nickel Plate Beach features a playground, picnic tables, and beach gear rental. We recently rented a small house near the beach, it was a perfect weekend getaway!
Pros: Nickel Plate Beach has lots of activities for the whole family to enjoy, including ping pong, cornhole, and beach volleyball. Nickel Plate Beach is also less rocky than many other Lake Erie beaches.
Con: No lifeguards on duty.
TJ is a man on a mission
Huntington Beach – Bay Village Ohio
Huntington Beach is located on the West Side of Cleveland. It’s got a unique set up because the beach is located on the other side of a literal cliff. You park up top and then take stairs down to the beach. (There is a boat ramp/handicap accessible entrance to the beach, but it’s drop off only, no parking). Huntington Beach has lifeguards on duty throughout the summer, picnic areas “up top” and concession stands.
Pro: The “Hut” Concession Stand sells Honey Hut Ice Cream, which is made just up the road in Cleveland. Honey Hut ice cream is an absolute staple of a Cleveland summer. You haven’t lived until you have tried the Fresh Banana ice cream.
Con: You have to haul your toddler down a lot of stairs. I consider a trip to Huntington Beach to be leg day.
TJ considers himself an amateur food critic, he rates the sand at Huntington Beach a 4 out of 10.
Edgewater – Cleveland Ohio
Edgewater is located just outside of Downtown Cleveland. Edgewater frequently has special events, including the popular Edgewater Live concert series on Thursday nights all summer long. Edgewater has lifeguards posted during the summer. It’s a really beautiful beach, with a great view of the Cleveland skyline.
Pro: The beach is dog friendly in some areas.
Con: Edgewater has a lot of “red flag” days when swimming or even just putting your feet in the water, is not allowed. If your kids love to swim, I would recommend you check the status of the water before you go.
Edgewater is a great spot for a birthday party! Photo courtesy of Sarah of Sarah Jean Strong
The Cleveland script sign at Edgewater is a popular spot for both 2 and 4 legged families to get a picture! Photo Courtesy of Sarah of Sarah Jean Strong
Headlands Beach State Park – Mentor Ohio
Headlands was my first beach growing up, and I know a lot of Ohioians can say the same. It’s the largest beach in Ohio, with a mile of sand along the water. It has ample parking and picnic shelters. It’s a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the water, so be prepared. Headlands has a gorgeous historic lighthouse. It’s not open to the public but you can walk around the grounds. There are also many trails in the park if you need a break from the beach, or from your kids.
Pro: Because Headlands is so large it’s less crowded. There are many different parking lots, don’t be afraid to drive around until you find one that isn’t crowded. Good to know: There is a bathroom in front of every other parking area.
Con: This beach is pretty rocky, especially down by the water. Water shoes would be a solid investment.
There’s nothing better than Headlands in the morning and mini-golf in the evening. Photo Courtesy of Erik Drost via creative commons.
Bonus Beach: Presque Isle State Park- Erie Pennsylvania
I consider Presque Isle a bonus because it’s not in Ohio, it’s right over the border in Pennsylvania. But it’s a really nice beach and a really great area so I’m sneaking it in. First thing you need to know is that Presque Isle is not actually an island, it’s a peninsula. The second thing you need to know is that it’s huge. There are many beaches to choose from and they offer different amenities. My family is a fan of beach 11 because it has a playground nearby and changing areas. Beach 7 is wheelchair friendly. Even though we live less than 15 minutes from Edgewater, we still find ourselves coming to Presque Isle for a weekend getaway.
Pro: Lots of amenities to choose from and a lot of space to spread out, so not a lot of crowds.
Con: Not located in my favorite state, Ohio. Just kidding! Because Presque Isle is so big, you can find yourself driving around in circles if you don’t go in with a game plan.
If you aren’t afraid of heights or stairs, you can get a great view of Presque Isle from the nearby lighthouses. Photo Courtesy of Diane Homza-Dacek
If you’re looking for a unique road trip this year, consider visiting the less crowded beaches of Lake Erie. Ohio and Pennsylvania are a lot of fun to visit and you can take in all of the unique sites that both states have to offer as add-on day trips.
Getting There
If you are coming to the Ohio beaches, your best bet will be to fly into Cleveland Hopkins Airport and pick up a rental car. Public transportation is unavailable to any of the beaches except Edgewater, which is serviced by Cleveland’s RTA system. If you would like to visit Presque Isle State Park, Erie PA does have an airport, or it’s about 90 miles from Cleveland.
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Being a theme park enthusiast I have heard of cedar point (obviously) but haven’t been. Next time I’m in the USA I’ll probably go there, and now I know there’s some beaches nearby too that’s even better! I didn’t realise there were so many beaches in that area
My Husband and I have season passes to Cedar Point. It’s a really nice, well rounded theme park. Lots to do for everyone in the family, even the little guys. Did you know that Cedar Point is celebrating 150 years this year?
We gave been to the Canadian side of Lake Erie. And were fascinated by how blue the water looked. When we can travel again, this post will have me setting off to explore the Lake Erie Beaches in Ohio. And I would check out Presque Isle along the way. Good tip about checking on the water status before heading to a beach. Especially if you really want to swim!
If you’re up for a road trip, you could circle Lake Erie, hit Detroit, Cleveland, and then Buffalo! The water is gorgeous! In downtown Cleveland you can even rent paddle boats to take out on the lake.
okay firstly Im always looking for dog friendly beaches so thats a win for me. edgewater is now on my list of places to visit.. I also want to hold my dog a birthday party haha what a cute photo! nickel plate beach.what an lovely name! I hope i am able to visit some of these beaches one day! Love all of the pro tips! super helpful to remember before heading out
My sister takes her dog to Edgewater all the time! She loves to swim in the lake!
This is one part of the states I’d love to explore a bit more. All the beaches look fantastic, I had no idea you had so many options. It must be great to have so many swimming places so near to your house. Presque Isle sounds like fun, even if you are driving around in circles for a while.
Presque Isle is great, we love to visit even though we live closer to the other beaches on the list. There’s maps available if you are worried about driving around in circles. It’s a huge park, which is great but it can be a little overwhelming. My husband and I have accidentally wound up circling before, overwhelmed by choice! So my advice is to look at the map before and pick 1 or 2 beaches to check out.
You are absolutely right that Ohio and beaches weren’t exactly word associations I would make. Haha. But we definitely do need to get creative with our domestic travel plans with Covid. Edgewater is especially appealing because then we can bring our dogs on our roadtrip and they won’t have to miss out on beach day!
There are lots of other dog friendly parks nearby. Another idea for you off the top of my head is Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Cuyahoga Valley National Park has lots of trails, and waterfalls to check out.
That is so cool that you have so many beaches close to your house. I wish I lived close to the beach. Honestly, I had never heard of these beaches before but good to know that there are so many wonderful blue beaches. I will consider visiting them the next time I am in this area of USA.
I think a lot of people don’t realize there’s beaches in Ohio! I love being so close to the lake, we get some gorgeous sunrises and sunsets.
Thank you for sharing these tips! We have been there once but it was a bit crowded. I agree that you just need to drive around to find the perfect spot. Would love to try Pickle Bills. Will keep this in mind during our next trip.
Pickle Bills is delicious and has lots of outdoor seating to enjoy a beautiful day. I have found the beaches on the edge of Headlands are sometimes a little less crowded, I think that maybe people don’t drive clear to the end?
Going to beaches for family fun day is always amazing thing to do. Good to know there are so many family friendly beaches at lake Erie. As Huntington Beach is only about 20-30 minutes from Downtown Cleveland, it will be very quick to reach here. Taking the view of of Presque Isle from the nearby lighthouses is also interesting thing to do but will keep in mind to climb stairs too.
It’s definitely a lot of stairs, it’s a good workout if you’re up to it!