Hi there D-RAVEL’ers’! It’s Darc (@darcbert) again, back to give you a completed Pennsylvania travel guide!
Just two weeks ago, I went to visit my best friend in her hometown of Erie, PA. As a Pennsylvania native, Sara was able to show me the best of the best all throughout Erie (with a quick stop in Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh as well!).
The Pennsylvania Travel Guide You Need
Although the trip had a little bit of a different feel because of COVID-19, we still made the best out of our time together, and I can’t wait to tell you about each of my favorite spots!
I have created a comprehensive list of all of the restaurants, trails, parks, ice cream shops, and bars to give you the Pennsylvania travel guide I know you need. I have done my best to take pictures of each of these places as well, but as I’m sure you all have experienced, sometimes it’s too much fun to be wrapped up on your phone! I hope you all enjoy it!
Cleveland, Ohio: Lindsay’s Lake House Downtown Cleveland
1146 Old River Rd, Cleveland, OH 44113
I flew out of D-RAVEL’s hometown of Cedar Rapids, IA, and had a layover in Chicago before making it to my destination of Cleveland, Ohio. After giving my best friend a masked hug, we realized we were both in need of some drinks and dinner. Our first stop? Lindey’s Lake House restaurant.
We had so much fun drinking our moscow mules and catching up and anything and everything over our burgers and fries!
Erie, PA: 6 Mile Cellars
5727 Firman Rd Erie, PA 16510
Our next stop on Monday was to tour the town of Erie, PA and experience 6 Mile Cellars. After stopping quickly at Burch Farms Country Market and Winery for some snacks, we were on our way to 6 Mile.
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(Mask was only off for this photo when we were not around anyone!)
Presque Isle State Park
301 Peninsula Dr, Erie, PA 16505
After trying all of the wine and seltzers we could, we decided to run home for some dinner before Sara took me to Presque Isle State Park to experience Lake Erie.
I was so impressed and in awe by how beautiful this lake is! I made sure to drag Sara to the beach any chance I got! I mean, it’s impossible to get over this view.
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(Mask was only off to take this cute picture with Sara and the beautiful sunset!)
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Brick House Coffee Shop
3741 W 26th St, Erie, PA 16506
Mad Mex Restaurant
5800 Peach St, Erie, PA 16509
The next morning, Sara and I woke ourselves up with a quick stop to Brick House Coffee Shop. Sara and I are both obsessed with lavender lattes, and I think we stopped there at least 4 times over the course of the week. It was a little bit ridiculous…
We wanted to spend the day relaxing since Monday was such a long day, so we decided to stop at Mad Mex before making it to our nail appointment at Neon Nails.
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(Mask was only off because we were sitting at our table and eating! Anytime we got up from our table our masks were back on.)
As I’m sure you can expect by now, we devoured our margaritas and guac. It was such a beautiful outdoor seating area! (I can’t forget to mention, PA has a statewide mask mandate for all indoor facilities! The only time our masks were off were when we were sitting at our table eating!)
Neon Nails
2305 W 12th St, Erie, PA 16505
Relaxing and getting our nails done was SUCH a smart move. I, sadly, don’t have the luxury to consistently get my nails done, so it was fun to add this into our vacation. We made sure to make our appointment ahead of time, and were lucky enough to be the only two women inside the salon! Here is a picture of my nails from the beach day we had the next day!
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(Mask was only off for this photo when we were not around anyone!)
Sara’s Restaurant
25 Peninsula Dr, Erie, PA 16505
Our beach day on Wednesday was one of my favorite days. We got up a little early so we could claim our socially distanced spot on the beach and stopped at the grocery store for some snacks before settling in! We also stopped at one of my favorite ice cream places (we went to a total of three because ice cream consumption is an incredibly important part of traveling) called Sara’s! It is an ice cream and ‘fast food’ restaurant only about 5 miles away from the beach! Sara and I got hot dogs and curly fries to eat for lunch while we tanned and played in Lake Erie! (We played mermaids, obviously).
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Creamland, Ice Cream
6221 W Ridge Rd, Erie, PA 16506
Cloud 9 Wine Bar & Restaurant
25 E 10th St, Erie, PA 16501
Asbury Woods
4105 Asbury Rd, Erie, PA 16506
And just like that it was already Thursday. In order to properly celebrate Sara receiving a job offer, we made plans to get Creamland Ice Cream and some drinks at Cloud 9 Wine Bar and Restaurant. But, before we could devour some amazing food, Sara and I decided to go on a short hike at Asbury Woods. This was such a beautiful trail! I loved the fact that PA has much taller, skinny trees, as opposed to Iowa, in order for the sun to peek through while walking!
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(Mask was only off for this photo when we were not around anyone!)
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Pittsburg, PA: Andy Warhol Museum
117 Sandusky St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
The Strip District
East End Brewery Company
147 Julius St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
By Friday, Sara and I decided it would be the perfect day to spend in Pittsburgh. We wanted to meet up with one of Sara’s friends and hangout in the city for a little change of pace. I had so much fun in Pittsburgh and it was only a short drive away from Erie. We conquered the Andy Warhol Museum, The Strip District, and got dinner at East End Brewery downtown.
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(Mask was only off for this photo when we were not around anyone!)
@darcbert
@darcbert
(Mask was only off for this photo when we were not around anyone!)
As my last day came around, I was so sad to be leaving my best friend (and am starting to get sad again while reminiscing on this trip!). We wanted to have a fun, and calm day spent together, so we decided to stop at Jekyll & Hyde’s for some famous mac and cheese and drinks before going to Rita’s for some Italian Ice and Frozen Custard.
Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
1406 W Gore Rd, Erie, PA 16509
Jekyll & Hyde’s Gastropub
8 E 10th St, Erie, PA 16501
I couldn’t have asked for a better tourguide to show me around Pennsylvania and I am so happy I am able to share her secrets with all of you! I have written a comprehensive list below with all the places we stopped and the addresses of their locations in case you want to book your own trip! My biggest recommendation is to do this trip with your best friend. We had so much fun and were finally able to celebrate both of our graduations from college!
I hope you all enjoy this Pennsylvania travel guide, and if you happen to try any of these locations, please tag @D-RAVEL in all of your posts and pictures! We would love to see you!