Looking for a Place in Erie, PA

Like others have said, it is a peninsula and the beaches are along the one side of the lake. You will be driving to them regardless of where you stay.

In the past we've stayed at the Homewood Suites near the Millcreek Mall. It has 1 and 2 bedroom suites (with actual separate bedrooms) and a full size refrigerator, microwave, and cooktop.

When we stayed there in the past,besides the full breakfast bar, there was a "manager's reception" M-H where they'd serve a dinner. It had a little salad bar, beer/wine, and an entrée. If you want to really save on meals and are not picky, look into this hotel.

The Marriott and Springhill both have suites but they either do not have a separate bedroom or a fully equipped kitchen.

When I can get to a computer I'll post a bunch of hotels close to the park for you. Hard to do on my phone. I can also give you advice on cheap places to eat and other activities in town :) We're pretty hopping in the summer!

eta
So, the closest hotels are pretty nice. You've got the Clarion Bel Aire, the El Patio, and the Inn at Presque Isle. All of them are at or near 6th and Peninsula Drive, the entrance to the park. A little drive up to 12th Street will find you near a Comfort Inn and the Flamingo Hotel. Other than those, I wouldn't suggest anything else around that area. A little ways down 6th Street to the west, you can find small cottages for rent which also have beach access just a few blocks away, their webpage is http://www.swansonproperties.net/

To eat nearby there are two diners, Takis and the Presque Isle Diner. Both are cheap and have good decent food. Joe Roots grill is pricey. Sara's right at the entrance to the park is also very good for hamburgers and hotdogs and ice cream. There's also a great pizza place called Stevo's, right next to Sara's. I've heard good things about The Ugly Tuna, too.

Things to do at the park: free pontoon boat rides through the marshes, canoe/kayak rentals, bike rentals, fishing, & lots of hiking paths. Many beaches have bathrooms and concession stands, as well as grills (bring your own charcoal). Beach 11 is the only bayside beach, which tends to be shallower and warmer. There are two playgrounds, one at beach 11 and one at the Waterworks beach, near the lifeguard station.

Things to do around town: The Tom Ridge Center across from Waldameer is fun and educational. the Erie Zoo, the Children's Museum (downtown), there are two wonderful playgrounds we like - one in Frontier Park (also a nice place to hang out in general, and they often have concerts and movies there in the summer). and one near the Bayfront Highway. There are tour boat rides both at the Peninsula and down at the foot of State Street downtown. There's a Fireman's Museum near 4th and Chestnut. Waldameer is super fun - as another person mentioned they added a new wave pool this year, and there's no admission to the park, you can just buy tickets and ride a few rides or play at the arcade if you like. Check the Erie Times News the Thursday before you come, there will be a pretty complete listing of activities for the following week in the Showcase section.

*Shameless Self Promotion*
I've lived here my whole life and own a south Asian (Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian) restaurant downtown, if you like that kind of thing. Feel free to message me here if you have any questions or want more info on anything. If I think of something else in particular, I will update this post :)

My family went there last summer for a long weekend. We had a great time. Some great moms on this site who live there gave me good advice. Hopefully they will weigh in for you.

Here is what I know from my trip.

Presque Isle is a state park that is a long peninsula and the beaches are at the end. There is nowhere to stay in the park. Therefore, it is impossible to stay walking distance from the beach. You can stay close to the park, but you'll still have to drive to the beach every day. The good news is there is lots of parking and it's an easy drive.

Since we couldn't stay walking distance, we decided it didn't matter how close we were since we had to drive anyway. So, we stayed at a Fairfield Inn in Erie (no kitchenette, but free breakfast included). Even though we were on the "far" side of town from the park, Erie is small and it was less than 20 minutes from the hotel to the beach every day. The hotel was nice and there was a grocery store almost across the street from us, so we stopped in there to pick up lunch food for our cooler every day, which was convenient.

In my opinion, with small kids, Beach 10 is the best one to go to in the park.

We were only there for 4 days, but had a really nice time. We had good weather, so we went to the beach every day, and didn't check out many of the other things to do.

And, if you like donuts at all, pick some up from Mighty Fine Donuts. They are the best donuts I've ever had...

I would check out tripadvisor.com I use them all the time to see rankings and reviews of places I would like to stay.

Good luck!

You should check out
www.homeaway.com or
www.VRBO.com

I am sure you can find just what you want.

ETA:
Kali-- the hotels NEAR Splash Lagoon are about 15 min from Pesque Isle. It's a state park and they e done a good job of keeping it the way it should be--so expect a little drive.

Check out the hotels associated with Splash Lagoon.

There is a small beautifully landscaped zoo that might reciprocate with Pittsburgh zoo if you are a member there.

Near Presque isle is a small amusement park. ..free to walk through but about $20 per person if you want a pass to ride all day....new wave pool and water area for added fee.

For rainy days there is a movie theater...a mall for shopping.. and if you have little ones a children's hands on experience museum

I can't speak to hotels as we stay with relatives...but it's all an easy drive.

Wineries with in an hour too

tripadvisor is my go-to site for finding accommodations.
khairete
S.