Stories

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.

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“When I was a child my father always took me fishing there, I would like the lakefront to be safe and have more barriers.”
“I love kayaking, rowing, and paddleboarding, it would be great to do this downtown.”
“Enjoy walking along the lakefront - Sims Park and Wildwood park.”
“Collecting shells at Lakeside Ohio's beaches.”
“writing by the beach”
“I grew up boating and jet skiing on the lake. I think Lake Erie has a lot of nostalgia for the people who grew up here and that should be preserved as much as possible.”
“The great lakes are great - I am reminded of this every time I visit.”
“I was on a speed boat.”
“Our favorite family moments with our kids (6,4,2) happen around Cleveland's lakefront. We love grilling and having picnics at Edgewater and Wendy Park, walking along the beach and waterfront and spending time on the Solstice Steps at Lakewood Park or at the beach at Huntington. I cannot wait for the downtown and tourist population to have this opportunity right in the heart of the city.”
“100 year old father loved fishing at the old Power House.”
“Great Lakes Science Center and the pier.”
“Rowing, kayaking, SUP. Music festivals.”
“Riding my bike down to the lake.”
“My Grandma used to take me to The Great Lakes Science Center when I was a kid. I loved it there! They had an observation deck where you could see the lake and birds like to land around there. I remember getting up close and seeing seagulls, ducks, and geese. One time I even saw a seagull snatch a fish from the lake! That was always fun. I love birds.”
“As a kid, my parents always took my sister and I to Cedar Point. I always thought Lake Erie was magnificent.”
“Grew up in Cleveland and will always remember the different views of the city, Lakewood Gold Coast, Burke Lakefront Airport and other sites from different locations s as long the Lake.”
“My husband and I take many romantic day trips to the Lakeshore.”
“My fondest memories are walking along the sandy shore with the waves lapping near.”
“Lake living is my life. I visit Lake parks many times a week. Free parking and accessibility is need for all.”
“I live on a beach club street. It's amazing to have access to Lake Erie everyday.”
“I am a Principal in a nearby district. recently a science teacher in my building has been doing work with her students about the importance of keeping our 'Great Lake' as clean as she can be. Work at the Watershed in the Metroparks was done this year, analysis on local rivers was completed and ultimately our students visited Stone Lab to have an experience of a life time at put in Bay. The importance of this generation to understand the importance of keeping our 'Great Lake' beautiful is imperative.”
“For me it is living there over 35yrs ago and being able to walkout to the end of my parents driveway and be able to see Lake Erie. For me Cleveland will always be my home no matter where I live.”
“Taking walks by the lake in good or bad weather with my dad”
“I go to rrhof fairly often. Very fond memories there and love the architect”
“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.”
“My family is from Alexandria, Egypt but settled in Cleveland suburbs in 1980. They thought Cleveland was similar to Alexandria as it is situated on a large body of water. The body of water resembles youth and love and community for them. With such natural beauty, it's important for it to be shown off, not hidden. Water gives life to people, it's scenic, and it makes people happy. More projects in the city should involve the water.”
“I think of my first time visiting Cleveland. We went to Edgewater beach and spent a day in the sun, then walking along the docks. I loved how the large body of water made me feel, with its tides and serenity. I believe a great sunrise or sunset is the cure for almost everything.”
“The Lake Erie waterfront is the most diverse natural waterway on the planet,”
“Going to the lake to BBQ and listen to music”
“we take long family walks after dinner, ever since the pandemic”
“I graduated from Vermilion High School and spent many days at the lakefront with friends. Being near the lake, either on the beach or on the rocks, were such strong, beautiful memories for me.”
“boatin throughout the summer.”
“I just like sitting and enjoying dinner and watching the water and boats.”
“Nature”
“enjoying my family bond while fishing”
“Family picnics, days looking at wildlife. The beauty of the lake. I could spend hours just looking at the lake itself.”
“I grew up going to Marblehead and I think Cleveland always lacked that easier access and great use of the water. I think this would greatly get families to the water in a much better way!”
“We live on the lake in Eastlake and I love it so much! I grew up boating in Vermillion and now I boat here. I always have appreciated, loved and respected Lady Lake Erie, as I call her. She is a precious jewel, but tough at the same time. So many fun family memories and I love being out on the water!”
“Always spent time at the lakefront. Missed it when I moved away.”
“Since 1986. Municipal stadium. The day my love for Cleveland and the Cleveland browns began. Monday night Vs. The dolphins. I loved the dolphins and dan Marino at the time, I was 8. My uncle. Cousins. Dad. On that fateful night, turned me to a browns fan and Cleveland fan forever. Oh- and we won!”
“When friends and family visit me, I’m always trying to find some place to take them that will allow us to explore, walk about, maybe even ride around, in an open, inviting, yet active, and invigorating space. Cleveland has many places like this… but could have more near downtown!”
“great memories of casting (never catching!), going downtown with parents and seeing the lakefront (which wasn't much back then), but my #1 memory will always be enjoying the air show with my dad - nothing was better than sitting above the train tracks in a gravel parking lot, bringing our lawn chairs and watching the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds roar past us & over Lake Erie!”
“Going to the lakefront to see the beauty and power of the lake. Fishing with Dad and Uncles.”
“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.”
“Love making out our small outboard boat, except when the water was rough! As kid - Euclid Beach was the place to be.”
“Spending time at Edgewater Park provides a experience for Cleveland. For a brief moment you feel as if you are out of town enjoying the beach and weather.”
“fishing with dad. we were west siders but dad would fish at Gordon fishing pier. dad would drop me and my sisters at the aquarium. when we were done we would walk over route 2 on the bridge to meet dad at the fishing pier. we had sandwiches that mom packed us for lunch. great memory.”
“Some of my daughter's first steps were at Voinovich Park. We would often walk down 9th street to hang out near the water and enjoy the atmosphere the lakefront provides.”
“I grew up on Lake Erie and there has always been the stigma with Cleveland as having nothing to do on the waterfront. Summers as a kid were spent on the water and at the sandbars on our boats and I've been able to give that same experience to my kids. Some of our fondest memories come from time on the lake.”
“I remember going to Edgewater and the rocks fishing with my Mom & Dad. The quietness of nature being with my beloved will always live in my mind.”
“I spent most summer weekends at my grandparents cottage near Mentor Headlands playing in and on the lake. My brother had a boat when we were older and we spent lots of time on the lake and Cuyahoga river”
“We take our jet skies to the area frequently and would love to see the area with human life rather than parking lots”
“I remember as a child, just heading to the old lakefront stadium and enjoying Indians baseball. Takes me back to how big the lake looked from my perspective.”
“I spent almost 30 years in an office overlooking the lakefront across from the Coast Guard Station. When I walked to the Lakefront, there was no place where I could touch the water.”
“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.”
“For years when we would be in the area for travel softball we always would take the time to visit the water.”
“My happiest memory of the lake was when I got to experience walking on it during the winter when it was frozen. I took my dog out on the ice with me and we had a lovely winter adventure. I love going to Edgewater park.”
“Fishing with my father. On the beach with my son and dog.”
“Miss captain Frank’s Lobster House”
“fishing with my father on the lakefront”
“I biked down to this area to hang out after I got my first covid shot at the Wolstein Center.”
“Going to Euclid Beach amusement park and beach as a child.”
“Spent summer vacations at GOTL, Cedar point and Cleveland. Love Lake Erie!! have a son who lives in Cleveland now--love to visit. Also gone to very CIFF.”
“Fishing, fishing, fishing.”
“I remember fishing on the pier with my granddad.”
“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”
“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.”
“Great memories of swimming in the lake in the summer and watching the fireworks and music events in the parks looking out to the lake.”
“Going to baseball games at the old stadium. Going to different events at the lakefront.”
“I almost drowned when I fell in. What looked like hybrid of a giant porpoise and a manatee with arms saved me by gently nudging me to the surface and pulling me to shore. People who saw it say it was a rescue diver, but I don't believe them. Definitely a manatee with arms.”
“I've lived in Cleveland all of my life. I visit the Flats and Edgewater Park frequently. I fish in Lake Erie from a boat on occasion.”
“Black Joe was Cleveland’s guide from buffalo. He helped to navigate and guide Moses to Cleveland and Addendum.”
“having fun just watching the water”
“I grew up here, and stayed. I've always enjoyed being near the lake and thought there should be more public access. My teen years included swimming at Edgewater at weird hours and bad conditions, when it was far dirtier than it is today, and jumping the fence and climbing down the cliff to the lake below Lakewood Park, before there was public access. (Access which is STILL disappointingly limited, as one can get 20 feet from the water, but not officially, legally, touch it.) People want access to the lake. We should make it open, free, easy, safe, and hassle-free.”
“The weeping willow tree at Edgewater is iconic. The tree is one of the most consistent places in my memory throughout my entire life. Visiting it and playing on the rocks around the tree are one of my earliest memories as a child - and I have visited it dozens of times at various points and periods in my life. This just speaks to the power and longevity of trees. I hope trees are incorporated in the final plan to create similar relationships with the lakefront for generations to come.”
“I walk often at Edgewater, it's just a beautiful area now. I was on jury duty, and walked to North coast harbor one day just to see what was happening there. I walked down W.3rd, in front of the Science Center and Rock Hall to the area in front. I sat and enjoyed the people and the lake. It made me look at Cleveland as a tourist. It was a great area. I would like to get to the water instead of being on top of it.”
“Indy car races "Cleveland Budweiser 500" was always great! Cleveland air show longest running national air show. swimming at Edgewater park with picnics. Cleveland ribfest and Cleveland oktoberfest,”
“We love watching the sunset at that small park on the lake in Rocky River.”
“Boating every summer with my family - until my parents divorced. The lake reminds me of happier times.”
“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.”
“Too many to tell, maybe watching the sunrise walking on the ice a mile out a few years ago.”
“always love fishing - Walleye Capital of the World”
“Growing up, my family and I used to go for walks along the lake (on the west side since there weren't many walking areas along the lake downtown). I always enjoyed Edgewater and Huntington beach for all the interesting rock croppings you can journey out on. Downtown, I'd like to see something similar to what is along the water at Bangaroo Reserve at the Sydney Harbor.”
“Spent time with family.”
“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!”
“watching the sunset at Lakewood Park with my loved ones - including my dog”
“My dad would “take us to the lake” every warm Friday. We would mostly sit in silence and enjoy our surroundings. I would give anything to have a Friday night like that again!”
“The lake in winter when it's quiet and the snow mixes with the sand.”
“I go for walks around the lakefront regularly (weather-permitting) since I work downtown. It helps rejuvenate me and helps me feel like there's more to life besides just work.”
“Last year I visited Cleveland and enjoyed everything I saw. One of my favorites was the Aviation Museum of Women. The best place I went to was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
“Love the amphitheater also going to the beach”
“We overlook the lake from our apartment and I look out on it every day.”
“My fondest memories are fishing from the rocks, watching the airshow from the old aquarium hill and biking along MLK drive to the lake.”
“Going down to lakefront in winter”
“I grew up one block away from the lake. Because of that, water has always played a huge part in my life whether it was going to the beach, fishing, boating, kayaking or recharging and finding peace.”
“Had a great time at the lakefront with my family walking around.”
“Jump in the lake as kids.”
“Edgewater is the prettiest beach. I walk my dog there.”
“I was one on the lake front singing 'American Woman'”