Recreation and Leisure
Baseball and hockey fans will be in their glory in Erie since the city boasts minor-league teams that play each sport. The Erie Seawolves play baseball for thousands each year at the historic 6,000-seat Jerry Uht Park at 110 East 10th Street. Individual tickets cost $6 to $8 each. The Erie Otters can entertain hockey lovers for $9 to $13 per ticket at the 5,500-seat Louis J. Tullio Arena. The Otters won the 2002 Robertson Cup.
The 15-acre Erie Zoo and Botanical Gardens at 423 West 38th Street is home to more than 500 animals from more than 100 species. Plus visitors get to see 2,500 specimens from 600 species of plants as they walk through beautifully landscaped grounds.
Those who love to watch car racing should check out the 3/8 mile Lake Erie Speedway (LES) and watch the weekly racing show every Friday night. Cars that typically race include NASCAR late models, trucks, street stocks, Legends, Bandoleros and Figure 8s. Call for more information.
Visitors who enjoy swimming are encouraged to visit the family-friendly Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park Resort at 8091 Peach Street. Or maybe visit the Waldameer Park and Water World at 220 Peninsula Drive. The Water World Park features slides, live shows, modern arcade, midway games, picnic groves, landscaped grounds, and more than 75 rides like the Giant Carousel and Express Train. Like cruises? Check out the Victorian Princess Cruise Lines at 1040 and enjoy daily cruises on boats that seat 120 passengers. Cruise prices start at $18 per person.
For something a little different, try visiting the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm at 4940 Peach Street. See the farm. Visit the gift shop. Try fresh bison in the Buffalo Grill Restaurant.
Erie and the surrounding area is also the home to many museums. Some of the most popular ones are the Erie County Historical Society (417 State Street), the Erie Maritime Museum and Brig Niagara Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (150 East Front Street), the family-friendly Experience Children's Museum for ages two to 12 at 420 French Street, the Firefighters Historical Museum (428 Chestnut Street), The Marx Toy Museum (50 East Bloomfield Parkway), the Erie History Center with archives on Erie County’s history, and the Erie County WWII Monument. The WWII Monument is dedicated the 725 men and two women who gave their lives during WWII.
Erie 59 parks and playgrounds, 107 tennis courts, 85 outdoor basketball courts, seven miles of beaches, 11 miles of hiking trails, and a 13-mile paved, multi-purpose national recreation trail.
There are also plenty of golfing, fishing and hunting, and skiing and snowmobiling opportunities in Erie.
Erie is also one of the United States top birding spots, according to Birder’s World Magazine.
- Four of America’s Top 50 plastic companies are located in Erie.
- Erie is the home to the oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes.
- The character Alice from the Brady Bunch was born in Erie.
- Erie is covered in 167,634 acres of farmland.
- Average summer temperature in Erie is 76.4°F.
- Average winter temperature is a low of 20°F and a high of 35°F.
- Erie is 19.3 square miles.
- The total area of Erie is 21.54 percent water.
- Birthplace of 2005 NFL player Bob Sanders