DAY 4

On the Road to Cleveland

Fairport Harbor

If you brought your tackle box, now’s the time to throw your line in the water as the Fairport Harbor pier offers some of the best walleye, perch and steelhead trout fishing in the region. Take a break at the Pompadour, a small plates restaurant and cocktail bar, or enjoy all-you-can-eat seafood at Pickle Bill’s Lobster House in nearby Grand River. Before making your way to Cleveland, be sure to visit Mentor’s Headlands Beach, the longest beach on Lake Erie that provides a phenomenal view of the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse. The James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor also is worth a stop.

“For anybody who’s into history, it’s an absolute must,” says Neil Stein, executive director of the Lake County Visitors Bureau. “There’s so many original things there.”

Cleveland

Take in spectacular views of the city’s skyline at Voinovich Bicentennial Park, also home to one of the Cleveland Script Signs. Nearby, music lovers can cross the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame off their bucket list before embarking on an evening filled with entertainment. Options include rooftop bars and breweries, a cruise on the Goodtime III, a comedic city tour on the Funny Bus Cleveland, the Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar, the Improv Comedy Theater & Restaurant and, of course, sporting events. After a night on the town, hit the pillow at Aloft Cleveland Downtown, a stylish boutique hotel in the center of Cleveland’s hip Flats East Bank. If you’re lucky, you might get to witness a 700-foot-long freighter navigate the Cuyahoga River’s tight curves.

Vermilion

This Lake Erie gem is known for its quaint downtown full of shops and restaurants, including Erie and Anchor, SOS Wines, Main Street Threads Boutique, Harbourtown Trading Co., the Wine Vault and Hometown Bakery. Meanwhile, Chez Francois — one of Lake Erie’s premier restaurants — expanded its offerings with the 555 Lounge, which includes a raw bar and craft cocktails.

Sandusky

“With so much great energy and opportunity, there are a lot of reasons to want to enjoy time in Sandusky’s downtown,” says Jill Bauer, of Shores & Islands Ohio, highlighting the Merry-Go-Round Museum as one of her favorites. “My family loves to visit the museum and take a spin on the carousel,” she says. “My kids love watching the carvers and doing crayon rubbings.”

Dive farther into the city’s roots at the Maritime Museum of Sandusky, which teaches visitors about ice harvesting, shipwrecks, boat