Pickle Bill’s Lobster House

Ohio’s oldest summer resort has been drawing visitors to this exact lakefront strip since the 1870s, and the Sunset Grille has 150-plus years of Lake Erie sunset tradition to lean on.

Ashtabula’s natural harbor played a real role in the Underground Railroad, which makes a tropical-themed bar named for a lazy pineapple a genuinely delightful contrast to the city’s actual depth of history.

Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s War of 1812 fleet was based right here, and Pier 6 pours cold drinks from the only rooftop bar in Pennsylvania with an actual Great Lakes view.

Kelleys Island is the largest American island on Lake Erie and a National Natural Landmark for its glacial grooves, and this brewery serves the quieter crowd who want the island experience without the Put-in-Bay party scene.

The Lake Erie islands sit visible in the distance from one of Ohio’s most active recreational marinas, Bay Harbor gives Sandusky’s boating community a proper waterfront to call home.