Vermilion Is a Perfect Spot to Absorb Lake Life

 

 

One thing that’s guaranteed — when you’re in Vermilion, you know you’re on Lake Erie. The downtown shops show off beachy décor, side streets lead down to the beach or lagoons, and from the bridge over the Vermilion River, the sense of an opening up is unmistakable. Lake Erie is the backdrop, not just because of the seagulls and the sound of the surf. You just always feel it.

When I was living in Lorain as a teenager, it took me about ten minutes to get to Vermilion. From my point of view then, Vermilion was a quiet and uninspiring town with ranches near the lake and split levels and more ranches by the high school. The Venice-like lagoons with houses close to the water and tucked-away beach coves were the most interesting spots. But I wouldn’t turn down a date when it was at McGarvey’s Restaurant, built in 1929, with its nautical décor and fresh seafood.

Today, the city shows off McGarvey’s landing, a beautiful historic downtown, an expanded beachfront, well-maintained parks, and wineries born of a historic vineyard region. The heart of the City of Vermilion is the Harbour Town Historic District, whose shops, restaurants, parks, and beachfront coax visitors to linger in its nostalgic ambience.

The festivals are often a visitor’s introduction to the quaint downtown. We parked west of downtown and walked past McGarvey’s Landing and over the Vermilion River bridge to experience the Festival of the Fish this past June. We turned north toward Main Street Bridge, passing Chez Francois and quaint shops, to pay homage to the shoreline and the public swimming beach right downtown, direct beach access being a precious natural resource, and the heart of it all. The city and Western Reserve Land Conservancy recently opened a new comfort station, which is also the new home of Shore Thing, which provides visitor information, beach equipment rental, and packaged food items. The sandcastle building and contest created a happy vibe.

The Festival of the Fish was staged at Victory Park, just south of the railroad tracks in the Main Street Vermilion area. Downtown shops and restaurants were open, and vendors’ tents and food trucks lined the sidewalks. So much was going on during the weekend — live music, fireworks, a crazy craft regatta, a lighted boat parade, fireworks, a royalty pageant and breakfast, and a firefighter water fight — that it was easy to lose sight of the fact that there was Lake Erie perch to eat! If you missed one of the biggest festivals of the year, go back any Saturday in July and August for a similar but smaller-scale vibe. Festivals continue all-year round. (Its Chalk It Up! chalk fest takes place this Saturday August 5@ 10am-2pm.)

Route 60 was surrounded by vineyards decades ago. As part of the Lake Erie viticultural region, Vermilion’s location, with its rivers and the lake, its sandy soil and long growing season, is the perfect place to grow grapes. The perfect end to a day in Vermilion is to sit on the patio of one of the three Vermilion Valley wineries — Paper Moon, Matus or Vermilion Valley — and enjoy one of Vermilion’s traditions. All the wineries grow their own grapes, make their own wine, and are enthusiastic about sharing what they do. Sip a Lake Erie Riesling, Cabernet Franc, or Pinot Noir to get an appreciation for the region’s wine. Time your visits well, and you can be entertained by local musicians with a cheese plate or sandwich.

There’s much local bounty in Vermilion. All year long shops and restaurants, festivals, and wine. With Lake Erie as the backdrop.

Claudia J. Taller has been writing for Cool Cleveland since shortly after its inception. She is the author of four books and has written many articles for local and national magazines. Find out more about her at http://claudiajtaller.com/.

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