This post was part of an invited trip. Photos and opinions are our own.
Ashtabula County, tucked along Lake Erie in northeast Ohio, offers a delightful mix of activities for families, groups of adults, a friends’ getaway, or a couples escape. We got to spend a weekend there this summer as a family, and it was pretty easy to put together a list of our 10 favorite things to do in Ashtabula County!
The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake is one of the region’s premiere hotels for any visit. The beautiful property looks over Lake Erie, features in-house restaurants and bars, and hosts event spaces. It sits next to Lake Erie Canopy Tours, and offers golf cart rentals and free bikes. You can easily pick up a bike or cart and follow the trails to Breakwater Beach or into downtown Geneva-on-the-Lake.
We found the accommodations to be very comfortable, and The Lodge serves as a perfect home base for exploring the region. We saw multiple shuttle busses bring groups to and from the area’s many wineries.
Of course, you might find that you just want to relax at The Lodge itself! It features multiple outdoor pools with expansive patio spaces, and a full outdoor bar so you can kick back with drinks. You can later wind down the day by hanging out around the firepit and roasting the perfect s’more.
It’s wonderfully convenient that The Lodge offers free bike rentals! You can hop a couple bikes to get around town, but one of the best destinations is Breakwater Beach just west of The Lodge. It’s part of Geneva State Park, and features public facilities, plenty of space to spread out, and designated swimming areas.
We swam during the day and caught a beautiful sunset one night. And during the day there was a cart there that let you rent kayaks by the hour!
Lake Erie Canopy Tours is open seasonally and is situated next to The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake! It makes for an exciting outdoor adventure that’s great for all ages.
You can sail over the treetops with views of Lake Erie on their zip line course or try one of their Adventure Courses for different ages. We loved that different zip lines covered varying lengths, and that some let you race side-by-side!
One of our favorite activities was exploring downtown Geneva-on-the-Lake. The main drag features a huge collection of food stands, bars, restaurants, and live music venues. It’s easy to take a golf cart and drive up and down looking for fun stuff to do.
One of our favorite stops was for burgers and fries at Eddie’s Grill. Eddie’s has been serving Geneva-on-the-Lake since 1950. You walk up to the window, place your order, wait for your number to be called, then find a spot inside or on the huge back patio. We loved our taste of classic cheeseburgers, crispy fries, cold root beer, and fried fish.
There’s plenty more to do in Geneva-on-the-Lake. You can pick out sweets at Pucker Up Candy Shoppe, where you can even spin your own ball of cotton candy.
And we spent loads of time at Adventure Zone, a big complex of arcade games, go karts, bumper boats, climbing walls, batting cages, a zip line, and much more!
You better believe I’m going to recommend a local breakfast to start your day! All across Ashtabula County you’ll find everything, from easygoing, down-home cooking to elegant brunches.
Judging by the crowds waiting patiently outside the door, Mary’s Kitchen in Geneva-on-the-Lake is a popular spot for the morning meal. They dish up colorful breakfasts like avocado toast with eggs, cinnamon rolls, pancakes topped with fruit, breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy, and much more.
Becker’s Restaurant in Ashtabula is known for its home-style cooking. Its weekend brunch buffet is especially popular!
Yes, Madsen Donuts deserves it’s own slot on our list! The beloved donut shop has been serving visitors to Geneva-on-the-Lake since 1938. From their tiny storefront they make everything from scratch daily, and customers line up for longjohns, frosted cake donuts, and glazed yeast donuts.
On our visit, owner Keith Biery showed us around the shop and actually let us help frost some donuts! Keith’s parents bought the shop when he was very young, so he grew up making donuts and interacting with seasonal customers to Geneva-on-the-Lake.
Madsen Donuts is open every day in season, and they scale back their hours to weekends through the end of the year. (Pssst… there are also two franchises in western PA.)
Ashtabula County is home to 32 wineries, from large-scale operations to small tasting rooms! It’s a popular draw for visitors, to explore the options all throughout the county and bring home a case of the good stuff from Ohio wine country.
Check out the full list on wineries on the Ashtabula County Visitors Bureau’s website!
The Old Firehouse Winery in Geneva-on-the-Lake makes the most of its lakeside views. The winery features a large patio where guests can kick back with comfort foods like burgers, fries, and nachos, all while sipping on a wine slushie and listening to some live music.
The winery also features an old Ferris wheel with great views of the lake – and you can still ride it!
Meanwhile, Debonne Vineyards in Madison is Ohio’s largest estate winery, spanning 175 acres in the Grand River Valley. The family-run winery covers a beautiful property with expansive patios, a food bar, stage for live music – they even have their own in-house brewery, Double Wing Brewing Company!
There’s no shortage of great coffee shops around Ashtabula County, and Scribblers Coffee offers a full espresso bar, pastries, light breakfasts and lunch. Love your coffee? Pick up a couple pounds of beans on the way out!
Ashtabula’s annual Beach Glass Festival fills Bridge Street and lines it with tents selling jewelry, artwork, clothing, and other pieces made with colorful beach glass. The festival usually lands towards the end of June, and is a fun way to browse the beautiful goods while hanging out in downtown Ashtabula, hitting up the shops, and enjoying views of the river and the lift bridge.
While you visit the festival, you can explore local shops and restaurants, like Briquettes Smokehouse in a beautifully restored, two-story historic building with a giant patio.
You can also get a unique view of the river, the waterfront, and Lake Erie by renting kayaks, hydrobikes, and paddle boards from Harbor Yak. They’re located right across the river from the Beach Glass Festival site, in a former Coast Guard station.
We hopped on a couple hydrobikes and scooted around the riverfront for a while, admiring some of the old industrial pieces and the bridge itself.
There’s so much more to do around Ashtabula County! To learn more about places to stay, wineries to visit, parks to explore, restaurants to try, historic sites, arts and culture, and so much more, visit the Ashtabula County Visitors Bureau!
This post was part of an invited trip. Photos and opinions are our own.
