10 top family-friendly beaches on Ohio's Lake Erie coast
Families with younger kids appreciate beaches with bathhouses, lifeguards, calm water and a playground. Here are our suggestions for beaches that fit the bill on Ohio’s Lake Erie coast (and one in Pennsylvania), all within a two-hour drive of Cleveland.
Lake Erie’s westernmost public beach is the centerpiece of one of the state’s premier parks, Maumee Bay. The beach here is nearly a half-mile long, with plenty of space to spread your towel. The park also maintains a beach on a small inland lake, a short walk from the Lake Erie shore, with paddleboard and kayak rentals (note: lifeguards patrol the inland lake, not the Lake Erie stretch).
When the kids get bored of playing in the sand, there’s a playground here, a nature center and an amphitheater with weekend entertainment.
Location: 1400 State Park Road, Oregon
(Photo courtesy Ohio Department of Natural Resources)
The beach at Kelleys Island State Park is small and shallow – perfect for younger kids and their nervous parents. The best part may be getting here: hopping a ferry from Marblehead and then renting a golf cart for the ride to the north side of the island.
Location: 920 Division St., Kelleys Island
(Photo by John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer)
East Harbor State Park, Marblehead
The 1,500-foot-long beach at East Harbor is protected by several breakwalls, which keep the water calm and shallow. There’s a new bathhouse here, plus a playground and picnic tables. This beach is adjacent to the state’s largest campground – with nearly 600 sites – so go ahead and make a weekend out of it.
Location: 1169 N. Buck Road, Marblehead
(Photo by Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer)
Lorain’s lovely Lakeview Park has everything a beach-going family wants: clean restrooms and changing areas, picnic areas and concessions, plus lifeguards. The 1,700-foot-long beach is also home to a couple of popular, extra-large, sand-protected playgrounds.
Location: 1800 W. Erie Ave., Lorain
(Photo courtesy Lorain County Metro Parks)
Huntington Reservation, Bay Village
What’s not to love about Huntington Beach? The park offers more than 2,000 feet of sandy beachfront in the heart of suburban Cleveland. Several sets of stone staircases take visitors from the shaded bluffs above to sandy beach below. Lifeguards are on duty daily through mid-August, then weekends through Labor Day.
After a day in the sun, stop by the Hut at Huntington Beach for a scoop of Honey Hut ice cream. Also nearby: the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center.
Location: 28649 Lake Road, Bay Village
(Deloy Johnson, age 6, plays in the sand on June 1, 2017; photo by Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
The beach at Edgewater Park, part of the Cleveland Metroparks’ Lakefront Reservation, continues to get better and better. New this year: the Beach House, with concessions (including Honey Hut ice cream), a bar (for grown-ups in the group) and places to gather and get out of the sun.
Kids, however, are probably most interested in the park’s 2,400-foot-long sandy beach. This beach, too, has lifeguards on duty daily.
Location: 6500 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, Cleveland
(Photo by John Kuntz, cleveland.com)
Headlands Beach State Park, Mentor
Ohio’s largest stretch of sand, a mile long and a football-field deep in some spots, is in Lake County about 30 miles east of downtown Cleveland. Though Headlands is one of the state’s most popular parks, you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a stretch of sand here on a hot day: There’s room enough for all in this giant sandbox.
Among its family-friendly features: lifeguards, restrooms and concessions.
Location: 9601 Headlands Road, Mentor
(Photo by Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer)
Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park
Fairport Harbor’s stretch of sand, part of the Lake Metroparks’ system, is perhaps the state’s most family-friendly – with lifeguards, a playground, concession stand, restrooms and more. There’s a boardwalk here, for beachgoers with limited mobility and parents pushing strollers, and a designated dog beach for your four-legged family members.
Note: Though the beach here is free, there is a parking fee, $2 for Lake County residents, $3 for others.
Location: 301 Huntington Beach Drive, Fairport Harbor
(A wooden walkway makes the beach accessible to those in wheelchairs and parents pushing strollers. Also, some of the picnic tables are raised from the sand. Photo by Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer)
Head to the northeastern corner of Ohio for this terrific stretch of sand, clean and well-maintained, with a network of boardwalks for stroller-pushing parents. Amenities here include a playground, restrooms and concession stand.
Location: 480 Lake Road, Conneaut
Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pa.
Presque Isle – a peninsula that stretches 7 miles into the water, offers 13 sandy beaches – one (or more) for every kind of beachgoer. Among the most popular with families: Beach 7 (Waterworks Beach), with restrooms, playground equipment and picnic areas; and Beach 11, with shallow water, concessions, a playground and more.
For a full day of activity, spend a few hours at nearby Waldameer, a family-friendly amusement park on the Lake Erie shore.
Location: 301 Peninsula Drive, Erie, Pa.
More Lake Erie beaches
Read more:
* Lake Erie beach guide: Where to find the best stretches of sand on Ohio's North Coast
* Top 10 beaches for activity lovers on Ohio's Lake Erie coast (plus one in Pennsylvania)
* Top 10 beaches for nature lovers on Ohio's Lake Erie coast
And: Is it safe to swim in Lake Erie? It's easier than ever to find out
Read the entire package in the Plain Dealer's Travel section on Sunday, June 11.
(Photo of Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor; by Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer)
Ad Choices