Hey Guys!
This post will conclude our Great Lakes Adventure!
Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here, Day 7 here, Day 8 here, Day 9 here & Day 10 here…..click here to see links to all of my blog posts.
We woke up to a gorgeous sunrise!
It’s definitely worth the money to stay in a hotel with a view of the falls!
Another shot of the beautiful sunrise.
My hubby enjoying the views
After getting checked out of our hotel, we headed to our final destination in Ohio.
The drive there would take 2.5 hours.
We had to drive back over the Peace Bridge to get back into the US.
We passed this beautiful church as we were going through Silver Creek.
Our first stop along the way was the Dunkirk City Pier in Dunkirk, NY.
The pier extends out onto Lake Erie.
Here you can launch a kayak, have a picnic lunch, bird watch or just sit and enjoy the views.
Next, we headed a short distance to the Dunkirk Lighthouse.
After getting parked, we spotted this buoy.
It was called the Milk Bottle Buoy…it was built in 1905 and once served as a lighthouse.
The Dunkirk Lighthouse and a beautiful victorian house were built in 1875 to replace another lighthouse that was threatened by erosion.
Bricks from the original keeper’s house formed the foundation for the new house. The old cylindrical tower was moved adjacent to the new keeper’s residence. A square tower was built around the old tower to be more compatible with the keeper’s house.
There was a lot to see and do here such as a museum that had an extensive collection of military artifacts. The large collection of museum pieces are displayed in the Keeper’s Home, Gift Shop and a building on the grounds.
We didn’t have time to do the lighthouse tour or museum so, we just walked around the property.
This building was used to store oil and supplies used in the lighthouse from 1875-1960.
There were lots of old boats scattered around the property.
We spotted a sign that pointed out the original spot of the first lighthouse that stood here in 1827.
This rudder from 1850 was on display.
And this 40 ft pier light from 1939.
This is also a Veterans Park Museum so they had lots of military artifacts on the property.
After spending about 30 mins here, we continued our drive.
We passed a sign for the Lake Erie State Park.
We also passed the Barcelona Lighthouse.
The 40 ft lighthouse was built in 1829 and was the very first natural gas lighthouse in the world.
About 10 mins after passing the lighthouse, we passed over into Pennsylvania.
Of course, we had to pullover and take a quick picture under the “Welcome to Pennsylvania” sign!
As we continued our drive, we passed hundreds of acres of grapevines!
This area is the largest grape-growing region east of the Rockies, famous for concord grapes.
We arrived to Erie, PA around lunch time so decided to find somewhere to eat.
We decided to eat at a place that I had tried to eat at when I went on my girl’s trip to Niagara in 2023. It was closed when I had tried to eat there.
The restaurant was called Smuggler’s Wharf and it sat very close to the shores of Lake Erie.
It was located in Dobbins Landing.
Dobbins Landing was originally known as the Public Steamboat Landing, and then the Public Dock. It was named after Captain Daniel Dobbins, an early 19th-century sailing master in the U.S. Navy who supervised the construction of a squadron of warships, built here in Erie, that were used during the War of 1812.
The outside of the restaurant is so cool…it’s covered in vines and hanging baskets full of flowers!
We were seated at a table with views of Lake Erie.
Trying to decide what to order….
The moment we discovered that lobster rolls were the special of the day, the decision became much easier …..we both ordered one! We love lobster rolls!
Turned out to be a great decision because they were delicious!
Read reviews here
After lunch, we decided to walk around.
There are a few things to see and do here such as climb the Bicentennial tower, boat tours to Presque Isle, a riverboat cruise on the Victorian Princess, a pirate boat tour and more!
As we strolled along the shores of Lake Erie, huge fish swam alongside us in the clear water.
Tons of ducks dotted the water, drifting together in loose clusters.
After spending a few minutes walking around, we decided to continue our drive.
Shortly after leaving Dobbins Landing, we spotted the Beach Zero souvenir shop so we decided to make a quick stop to look for our usual souveniers, a coffee cup and t-shirt. 
After making our purchase, we headed to Presque Isle State Park.
Pennsylvania’s only “seashore,” Presque Isle offers visitors a beautiful coastline and many recreational activities, including swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, bicycling, and in-line skating.
Read reviews here
The drive into the park was beautiful!
Our first stop would be the Presque Isle Lighthouse.
The construction of the Presque Isle Lighthouse began in September of 1872 and was completed in July of 1873 at the cost of $15,000.
Initially, the square brick tower was only 40 feet high, but an additional 17 feet-4 inches were added to the tower in 1896, to direct the projection of the light from the Fresnel Lens out further over the lake.
Over the next few years, the bricks of the tower were painted white, so that the tower would serve as a day mark for travelers.
You can climb the 78 steps to the top of the lighthouse tower. Though the outside of the tower is square, the inside is actually circular.
The attached dwelling had nine rooms and was home to the U.S. Lighthouse Service keepers and their families until 1944.
The oil room is where the keeper prepared the oil lamps each night during the shipping season.
The keeper was responsible for keeping the light shining all night long to alert all of the travelers on Lake Erie.
Read reviews here
Near the lighthouse, was a small path that led to the lake so we decided to go check it out.
The beach was huge!
After checking out the lighthouse and beach, we decided to head to our next destination as the park was so crowded it was difficult finding parking.
Tip: There are 3 lighthouses in this area so be sure to check them all out when visiting this area.
Our next stop was only five minutes from the lighthouse….it was the Smolen-Gulf Covered Bridge.
At 613 feet, it is the longest covered bridge in the United States – a title formerly held by the Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge in New Hampshire and Vermont – and the fourth longest covered bridge in the world.
This is the 3rd bridge that has been built here. The first covered bridge was built in 1867, the 2nd one was built in 1949 and this bridge was built in 2008.
The bridge is one of 17 drivable covered bridges in the county and cost 7.8 million to build.
We were surprised to see that it looked older than it was as it had a wooden plank floor.
You can drive or walk across the bridge.
After this bridge, we headed to another covered bridge called, Harpersfield Covered Bridge.
This bridge was built in 1868 and later renovated with a pedestrian walkway in 1991–92.
The double-span Howe-truss structure ranks as the third-longest covered bridge in Ohio at 228 feet. A steel span was added after flood damage in 1913.
The bridge recently underwent a major renovation, reopening to traffic in May 2024.
Our next stop was another bridge called, the Mechanicsville Road Covered Bridge.
Built in 1867, this 156 foot Howe truss bridge is the third-longest single-span covered bridge in Ashtabula County.
The bridge is believed to be the oldest of Ashtabula County’s covered bridges.
It was renovated in 2004 when it was once again opened to traffic.
The bridge sits near the historic Grand River Manor, Ashtabula County’s oldest tavern, established in 1847.
The US is full of historic covered bridges with Pennsylvania having the most with 200+ covered bridges and Ohio has the second most with around 120+ covered bridges.
After this bridge, we continued our drive.
We drove through the very popular town called, Geneva on the Lake.
The small, historic town is known as Ohio’s first summer resort town, drawing visitors for more than a century for beach fun and classic roadside attractions.
It was originally a New England settled area, it developed into a summer resort in the late 1800’s.
The heart of the town is the strip — a nostalgic mile long stretch full of arcades, go-karts, mini golf, bumper boats, classic diners, shops and more.
As we were driving, we passed this gorgeous historic home and this beautiful church.
Before arriving to our hotel, we decided to stop and have dinner.
We found a place called Hil-Mak Seafood Restaurant.
After being seated outside, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.
We started out with the smoked gouda bites….they were so good!
For our main course, we decided on a steak with the twice baked potatoes.
After dinner, we decided to share a dessert….we ordered the tiramisu and it was delicious!
Read reviews here
After dinner, we headed to our hotel.
Driving through Ashtabula, OH.
Ashtabula is a small city in northeastern Ohio, right along the southern shore of Lake Erie, near the Pennsylvania border.
It has a strong lakefront identity and a history shaped by shipping, railroads and immigration.
Arriving to our hotel, Riverbend Hotel & Suites.
The hotel opened in 2023 and overlooks the harbor and Lake Erie. It represents the first new hotel in Ashtabula in over 100 years.
The hotel was very nice and modern.
After getting checked in, we headed to our room.
The room was very nice!
The views from our window.
We also had a view of the historic lift bridge.
After getting settled into our room, we headed outside to check out the lift bridge.
There was a small park across from the hotel near the lift bridge.
The city had recently revitalized this area to bring back tourists.
The lift bridge was built in 1925 at a cost of $179,000.00. The bridge is famous for its ability to rise and lower, letting boats pass upstream and downstream while still serving vehicle traffic.
The bridge uses electric motors and a large concrete counterweight to operate the lifting mechanism — technology that was quite advanced for its time.
It replaced earlier river crossings: a pontoon bridge and then an 1889 swing bridge to accommodate larger ships.
It’s one of only two remaining bascule lift bridges for cars in Ohio and the only one still part of the Ohio State highway system.
In 2025, it celebrated its 100th anniversary ….it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
You can also walk across the bridge so, of course, we couldn’t leave without walking across the historic bridge.
Views from the bridge
The bridge typically lifts on the hour and half hour, allowing both large freighters and smaller recreational craft to navigate the river.
It was very cool to watch.
We couldn’t leave without taking pictures in front of the bridge and the Ashtabula sign.
After taking our pictures, we headed back to our room.
The area around our hotel was very nice….lots of historical buildings that had been converted to shops and restaurants.
A shot of the bridge from our hotel window…..At night, the bridge is lit up.
Later, we called it a night…it had been a long day and we were exhausted.
The next morning, we woke up to views of the bridge.
After getting dressed, we headed to have breakfast in the hotel.
We weren’t impressed at all with the breakfast….not many choices.
Read reviews for the hotel here
After checking out of our hotel, we headed to the airport in Cleveland to fly home.
The airport was approximately 1 hr 15 mins from our hotel.
This concludes our 11 night trip exploring all 5 Great Lakes!
I hope this helps you plan your own trip to see all of the beautiful Great Lakes!
Stay tuned for our next adventure….we had several in 2025!
