As a boy, I spent many nights with my father fishing off the break wall at Edgewater. These experiences – the sights, the smells, the sounds, the feel of the water’s spray as the waves crashed into the stones before us, the sift glow of the Coleman lantern and the smell of the butane, the camaraderie with the other fishermen… these are foundational memories that help keep me in touch with my father even though he passed away many years ago.
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We're listening.
We’ve heard many stories from Clevelanders, reflecting deep connections with Lake Erie, and cherished memories of friends and family.
These stories paint a more detailed picture than traditional histories can. They show the nuance and humanity of our interactions with the lake, and they speak to the heart of our vision for a renewed lakefront.
If you like, please share your own lakefront story. We know it will be a valuable addition to our collection.
Share Your Story
Share your memories of Cleveland’s lakefront. We review submissions before they show up on this page.
Every visit from my hometown of Columbus to Cleveland with my family included a stop at Captain Frank’s Restaurant on the E 9th Street Pier. We would also visit for the annual family reunion on Labor Day weekend when we could also watch the Air Show.
I have gone to the lake for my entire adult life. Lake Erie is my sanctuary, my spot for reflection and relaxing. When out of town guests are visiting, a trip to beautiful Lake Erie is a must.
Ice cream stand behind Captain Frank’s. Watching airplanes take off from E. 9th Street Pier. Walking my dog at Donald Gray Gardens north of old muni stadium. Catching a train to Chicago or Washington at the Amtrak station. Seeing an Indians opener with 80,000 fans.
May seem silly, but my dog absolutely hated water. I think that something traumatic happened to him having to do with water. I went to Lake Erie with a friend and our dogs. Lake Erie was the first time that not only went into the water of his own accord, but actually frolicked in it. There were other dogs who were playing and that helped him to forego his great fear. So amazing for him, but also so cool to see what the power of community can do for us!
My family used to live in Cleveland in the 1970’s, before I was born. I moved here because of school (Case Western Reserve U) but also because of the great stories they would tell about the lake and fishing and hiking. I recently learned how to fish and love it! Following the family tradition.
“Boat on lake Erie”
“Just visiting the museums as a kid.”
“the Mather museum and the USS Cod are great starting points!”
“Coming to the Air Show with my family when I was a kid. Or going to the lake with my grandpa. Baseball and football games at the old stadium.”
“A stories comes to mind… My great aunt moved to Cleveland to pursue a better life. She was a bootlegger and would get liquor supply shipment from Whiskey Island.”
“Sailboat racing every week in summer.”
“I frequently walk to the end of the malls and am disappointed I can’t easily get to the lake.”
“I enjoy visiting Conneaut, E55th Marina, and fishing and picnicking at both places.”
“Many a beach days as a family at Edgewater beach”
“We moved downtown 3 years ago to recreate on lake Erie. We are starting to create new memories.”
“I didn't grow up here but now I live close to the lake. I can hear cars, boats and aircraft at the same time someways. The lake is a frequent feature of my dreams though I can't see it from my house. I'm looking forward to a place that is convenient to access community living along the lake”
“Mentor headlands with my girlfriends in college”
“The lakefront makes me feel rejuvenated”
“I've always felt connected to Lake Erie. Swimming, meditating, listening, and watching the lake is soothing and restorative. The amount of life at our fingertips is one to celebrate, respect, and protect.”
“Love Lake Erie because it is beautiful and where I go to relax.”
“we take long family walks after dinner, ever since the pandemic”
“I am a Great Lakes person and I love freshwater! We love the Great Lakes for kayaking, biking, swimming and skiing. I don't like salt water beaches so we vacation in the Great Lakes!”
“Heard so many reminiscings about Euclid Beach Amusement Park. Additionally recall the original Cleveland Aquarium. I also certainly have fond memories of learning to fish from the piers. Polar plunge. Lake effect snow.”
“Great Lakes Science Center and the pier.”
“Great time at Euclid Beach Park.”
“We are sailors who love being out on the water.”
“Going to the lake to BBQ and listen to music”
“I took a Great Lakes Roadtrip and was thrilled to be able to step foot in Lake Erie. Sorry I missed what is to come but I can visit again and experience this amazing new lakefront park.”
“I loved going swimming in the lake as a kid.”
“This is a beautiful spot for different types of families needs. We found quite, beauty & an incredible tribute to the artists- the rock & roll hall of fame.”
“Going fishing on Lake Erie with my dad when I was young. Viewing beautiful sunsets that rival Florida or Hawaii”
“When I moved to Cleveland twenty years ago, a friend told me to look for a house on the east side and I followed her advice. My patient real estate agent showed me many houses in the inner ring east side neighborhoods and at some point as I was trying to orient myself in a new place I said, "Where is the lake? Isn't Cleveland on Lake Erie?" and she responded, "Oh that is kind of a west side thing." The first house we bought was in South Euclid but I have worked in Collinwood for 15 years and while we have a nice public beach here, it seems outrageous to me that the Great Lakes shoreline is not considered a public good like the ocean shore line is. I wish Cleveland would take eminent domain and put a trail all along the coast - even through Bratenahl as they did in Newport, Rhode Island.”
“I've grown up going from Cleveland Heights/ Shaker Heights all the way out to Mentor or Vermillion to enjoy the lake.”
“I love the lakefront. Uncle and brother would enjoy fishing here!!”
“I take trips to the lakefront when I need to reset my mind and my day.”
“I think its pretty. But I cannot swim. I fish.”
“I grew up going to the lake every weekend as a child and young teen. As an adult with typical adult stresses, visiting the lake washes away those stresses and allows me to breathe more deeply and see more clearly. The lake has become part of me.”
“I only went there as a kid to the science center. I don't like football.”
“Everyday family fun summer destination.”
“I have always enjoyed riding the good time cruises and spending time in that area. I’ve also enjoyed taking walks down and near the pier on my lunch breaks.”
“I rode the school bus everyday down the Shoreway and would dream of all the amazing things that could happen along the lakefront and in the city so it is exciting to be a part of the process.”
“Being on the E55th Fishing Pier and Cruising on the Goodtime III with family and friends”
“I look at places like Toronto with their access to Lake Ontario and think that could be us. With how much me and my family love going to Edgewater and Huntington Beach, I can't emphasize enough how much better access to Lake Erie would be for Cleveland. Our favorite thing to do with out of towners is to take them to see the lake. Every single time they comment on how they can't believe it's in Cleveland. People don't realize what a gem we have and it's because we as Clevelanders don't even have proper access to experience it. Cleveland could become a real destination, a place people want to be, and not just the punchline to a bad joke about our river catching on fire once. The lakefront deserves to be utilized to its fullest and this plan shows the obvious potential it has to be a place for countless memories to be made.”
“Beach hopping”
“Great memories with my son as he grew up. We live close to the lake in Euclid and started sailing after owning kayaks for years. We met Trash Fish Eddie this last weekend and learned about plastic pollution. We are so lucky to have a river and lake.”
“The lake is where we go to return to something bigger than ourselves.”
“Anything that enhances the natural beauty of the lake is a place I like to visit. Just give me a park bench and sunset and I am happy!”
“Attending the regattas at Edgewater Yacht Club”
“Running and biking along the shoreline”
“Family walks at Edgewater, Lakewood & Huntington Beach Parks”
“Boating!”
“Cleveland Air Show has been integral for us for decades.”
“a good fisherman's wharf and all the tales that go with good eating with family and friends”
“going to Captain Franks and also fishing with my uncle”
“family and friends hangs, fireworks, beach, ice cream”
“I was on a speed boat.”
“walking around north coast harbor.”
“When I lived on W 73rd street, each morning I would be greeted by the lake on my drive while headed to the Shoreway. It just had a calming effect on everything for me.”
“Goodtime III with family”
“I use it as a spiritual sanctuary to talk to my ancestors and offer gifts.”
“Going to baseball games at the old stadium. Going to different events at the lakefront.”
“The many hours spent at Edgewater beach as a young adult listening to WMMS tell you to "turn so you don't burn!"”
“Flying kites at Edgewater. The rib cook offs - National titles at stake. Fireworks competitions”
“Miss captain Frank’s Lobster House”
“My wife and I moved here 5 years ago and fell in love with the city. We, like many others, had not heard the best of things about the city. The people are great, the downtown center has a vibrant culture, and minus a few months in the winter, lake city weather. We quickly found lake access at Edgewater Park and actually had our wedding by the willow tree there. Something we could never understand was why you couldn't access the lake from the city? Downtown has everything someone would want to enjoy but does not utilize a beautiful lake behind it. Everybody that visits wonders the same thing. I hope this development works out because some people can't hop in a car to the lake whenever they feel like it. An easily accessible lake front for downtown residents and tourists would attract so many more people to this great town. And help people fall in love with it like my wife and I did.”
“In my almost 50 years of living in this area I've most enjoyed seeing the cleanup and preservation of our parks and rivers along with greater public access.”
“Kayaking and biking along the lakefront are my two favorite activities.”
“one time I went there and spoke briefly to a guy about fishing”
“Riding my bike”
“Cherished memories were going down to Edgewater Park on the Fourth of July with my friends when I was in high school & college, hanging out on the breakwall rocks while we waited for the fireworks.”
“As a boy, I spent many nights with my father fishing off the break wall at Edgewater. These experiences - the sights, the smells, the sounds, the feel of the water's spray as the waves crashed into the stones before us, the sift glow of the Coleman lantern and the smell of the butane, the camaraderie with the other fishermen...these are foundational memories that help keep me in touch with my father even though he passed away many years ago.”
“I like the lake. I like the tacos at the restaurant.”
“Boating, sunsets, dining”
“I grew up spending summers on Lake Michigan - walking to the beach and good food right on the lake - we lived outdoors on summer vacation. I would love to give my children the same experiences but on Lake Erie. More restaurants please!”
“I just like sitting and enjoying dinner and watching the water and boats.”
“Our family has spent many enjoyable days boating on Lake Erie and would love to experience additional activities.”
“I grew up (MANY years ago) on and around Lake Erie... The lake Erie Islands being the most significant to me. History is tied to the lake and ships like the Niagara and Porcupine and others - this could be part of Cleveland and Ohio ... not just Erie Pa.”
“sunrises with my dog at Edgewater.”
“Edge Water Park checking out the sandcastles a group had built and walking out to Whisky Island.”
“eating good food at bbqs, fun and playing with younger siblings on the beach”
“I was one on the lake front singing 'American Woman'”
“In 1975, when I was in 8th grade, my science project was "Is Lake Erie Really Dying?" I did water quality experiments and decorated my poster area with objects found along the shores of Lake Erie, including "glass shapes" (glass bulbs with filaments - rejects from the Fisher-Body Plant), trash, plastic bottles, tampon applicators, pop-tabs and much more. I studied the fish species in Nine-Mile Creek that flowed into the Lake near my house. They were all carp. As kids, we thought nothing of taking pot-shots at rats and carp in and around the streams flowing into the Lake. There were always large numbers of dead fish washing up on the lakeshore. There was graffiti on the steel walls of the marina along I-90 that read "HELP ME I'M DYING". I believed it back then! Happily, Lake Erie has bounced back and many new fish species are thriving in the Lake. It is no longer dying and we should celebrate our lakefront in every way possible!”
“My mom always walked me to the lake as a child. We would watch the waves, the birds, the sailboats, the power boats and the big freighters. It was a place that combined business and recreation.”
“Many happy Sunday mornings spent sailing on Lake Erie”
“I love the lakefront!”
“The lake is such a natural beauty. I'm lucky enough to be able to boat all summer. I hope others can have more access to Lake Erie as it has been a body of joy for me and my family.”
“laughing and having fun with friends in a beautiful setting”
“Preserve, honor and enhance the beauty of our lake, showcase the gem of nature of which we are blessed..”
“I love going to the lake to watch the sunsets.”
“Just looking at the lake decompresses me. I was lucky to have had an office with a lake view and the lake in all seasons is so beautiful.”
“Fishing with my children”
“Great memories of swimming at Edgewater park with my wife & kids.”
“I've always had fun on the lake!”
“Growing up in Collinwood and raising my own family here has spoiled me. I never take Lake Erie for granted. The lake is always in eyesight. I can hear it. I feel grounded in her presence. She is majestic and creates the most beautiful cotton candy swirled sunsets. The lakefront all along 90 towards the east side needs to be developed. All of Cleveland should have access and enjoy all the lake has to offer. The metro parks have been a godsend to our beaches.”
“It's beautiful and always makes me feel like I'm on a vacation”
“going to the islands.”
“Lakefront is amazing! We have our own beach! Let's keep it clean and nice”
“Ice cream stand behind captain franks. Watching airplanes take off from E. 9th St. pier. Walking my dog at Donald gray gardens north of old muni stadium. Catching a train to CHI or Washington at the Amtrak station. Seeing a Indians opener with 80,000 fans.”
“Going to the old stadium as a kid, watching the Browns in frigid temps, whipping winds, and blinding snowstorms€¦and loving every second of it.”
“Going to the lake and climbing on the rocks lettings the water splash on us as kids”
“Coming from Florida and NYC, both of which have amazing waterfront amenities, I was immediately struck by the immense natural beauty of Lake Erie and the untapped potential this city had if it could just link its people to the lake.”
“the best is air show and sailing ship expo”
“Euclid Beach Amusement Park”
“Went to the rip cookoff in 92 with my old college sweetie. Had not seen her in 21 yrs. Got married 7 months later. Still married (31 yrs)”