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.
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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.
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“I love the lake. So peaceful.”
“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.”
“Enjoy walking along the lakefront - Sims Park and Wildwood park.”
“I use it as a spiritual sanctuary to talk to my ancestors and offer gifts.”
“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!”
“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 went kayaking once on Lake Erie with the Port of Cleveland.”
“Swimming, picnics with family”
“Probably not very applicable, but I remember going fishing with my father off East 72nd pier.”
“Taking the kids to lake beaches is awesome.”
“going fishing and hanging out on the large rocks”
“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)”
“Going to Edgewater with my family to watch the fireworks every Fourth of July”
“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.”
“It's beautiful and always makes me feel like I'm on a vacation”
“I love the beach at Edgewater.”
“I enjoy sitting at the lakefront and reflecting on life and relaxing my mind. I would like to see more flowers, benches, water fountains, playgrounds, historical statues, food places to eat.”
“Stunning views of downtown when you’re on a boat in the lake.”
“When I was a child my father always took me fishing there, I would like the lakefront to be safe and have more barriers.”
“Walking the lakefront area, always a relaxing experience.”
“The many hours spent at Edgewater beach as a young adult listening to WMMS tell you to "turn so you don't burn!"”
“Love making out our small outboard boat, except when the water was rough! As kid - Euclid Beach was the place to be.”
“We are sailors who love being out on the water.”
“Being on the E55th Fishing Pier and Cruising on the Goodtime III with family and friends”
“I haven't lived in Cleveland for the last 50 years, but visit family frequently and am still a Charter Member of R&RHOFM. It's wonderful to hear that the lakefront continues to be revived!”
“Loved going to Huntington Beach when I was young. Thrilled that Edgewater was redone.”
“I like to go to concerts.”
“Was a regular fisher on Lake Erie.”
“Watching fireworks”
“I remember as a child my mother bringing all 11 children to Mentor Headlands swimming, picnics and my husband and I would bring my 3 sons to Edgewater for picnics and fireworks. I'm creating the same memories with my 3 grandchildren.”
“I was on a speed boat.”
“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.”
“Dad would take me fishing on Lake Erie. Always liked looking at city from the water.”
“I loved going swimming in the lake as a kid.”
“love being by the lake - I live nearby and walk there weekly”
“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.”
“I biked down to this area to hang out after I got my first covid shot at the Wolstein Center.”
“a good fisherman's wharf and all the tales that go with good eating with family and friends”
“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.”
“I love going to the lake to watch the sunsets.”
“Fishing at Lake Erie at E. 55th Marina”
“I love Edgewater, so having another park and recreational area that Clevelanders can enjoy would be vital to the city.”
“The great lakes are great - I am reminded of this every time I visit.”
“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.”
“I grew up swimming in Lake Erie, near Mentor Headlands.”
“I remember lake day and fishing. Festivals at the beach.”
“Like to exercise and the walking.”
“Fishing, boating, walking along the stones at edge water.”
“sunrises with my dog at Edgewater.”
“Being able to go down to the lake front for a picnic, some quiet reflective time, sunrises, sunsets”
“fishing and fishing peers, the industry along with cleaner water helped bring the fun and jobs back to north coast”
“There is nothing like Lake Erie and its scenery and serenity”
“I worked on the Cleveland Lakefront Plan, adopted in 2004. Spent many many many days and evenings along the lakefront (west side, downtown, and east) to understand the natural and human-made interface between land and water. The convergence of Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga, experienced from the causeway by the lighthouse is breathtaking.”
“When I was young, we used to frequent Mentor Headlands Beach often to spend the day at the lake and have an afternoon picnic. Good memories!”
“I only went there as a kid to the science center. I don't like football.”
“Love the Rock Hall music on the plaza...family friendly. A great start to come down and enjoy the area.”
“Attending the regattas at Edgewater Yacht Club”
“I've enjoyed a wonderful brunch on the waterfront.”
“the Mather museum and the USS Cod are great starting points!”
“Love the amphitheater also going to the beach”
“My favorite lakefront memory is my parents bringing us kids down to the lake to jump on the big rocks. It was always so much fun and a way for us to enjoy the waterfront as a family.”
“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.”
“Family walks at Edgewater, Lakewood & Huntington Beach Parks”
“Part of the reason I moved from Akron to Cleveland is to enjoy the lakeshore.”
“Back in covid lockdown, I used to visit & hangout at the lakefront park – it was so peaceful and grounding.”
“The Browns 0-16 parade”
“I live a couple of blocks from Edgewater Park and some of my favorite memories are visiting Lake Erie in winter. It is an extra special place when it's snowing and windy or the lake is frozen - it's quiet, mysterious and magical and like no place else in Cleveland.”
“We love looking for beach glass and the metal balls that weight the ships down”
“one time I went there and spoke briefly to a guy about fishing”
“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!”
“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!”
“We made a giant hole in the sand - with my friends. We buried each other. It was funny.”
“Peace serenity camaraderie”
“I've been on the Goodtime. Its a lot of fun to dance on a boat.”
“When I was a child, I was in girl scouts. We had a father daughter day and I rode the Good Time III with my dad. I still have the polaroid photo we took in front of the boat. It was such fun time, spending quality time with my dad meant a lot to me.”
“Spent time with family.”
“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.”
“Going down to lakefront in winter”
“Our family went to the beach in Mentor Headlands, since our cousins lived in Wickliffe and Euclid. Not often, but when we did, it was a grand outing with plenty of food, softball with the uncles, badminton, some fishing.”
“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.”
“Every time my parents visit, I take them to Huntington Beach. So I can (ugh) hear again how they used to "neck" there. Ha! Also stories of how my father and his father used to fish off the (original) Euclid Beach pier.”
“I like Edgewater concerts. It would be cool to go to a beach downtown where I live. Also a pool like in the Flats.”
“going to Euclid Beach as a child...I used to love having picnics with my family on the beach”
“fishing with grand daddy back in the day”
“My mom has a dock at 55th and enjoys paddling with inflatable kayaks. I grew up in Lakewood and loved Lakewood Park, Edgewater, Perkins Piers, the Gold Coast, Huntington in Bay. Used to layout and read books on the large rocks. Loved water skiing. The ability to just relax and be while enjoying nature. Skipping stones. People do like looking for sea glass.”
“One of my favorite memories is on the goodtime - friends who are now married met there!”
“Euclid beach”
“I grew up at the beach, swimming, kayaking, paddling boarding, surfing the list goes on. The lake is critical to showcase and protect.”
“Lots of picnics, dog walks”
“Going to Captain Franks”
“Being together”
“I had a neighbor who rode horse and carriage across the lake to lemington Ontario”
“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.”
“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.”
“I love taking my kids to the beach since my oldest was 2. Like to be able to do that via public transit without having to cross any major highways”
“Captain Frank's Restaurant the ship, history.”
“Grew up going to lakefront beaches, fond memories with my family”
“I loved going to Huntington Beach growing up and collecting sea glass.”
“Edgewater Park on weekends to play volleyball”