Best Driving Vacations 2024: Go on the ultimate full-circle adventure around Lake Erie

Today we continue on our journey highlighting four of the best driving destinations from central Ohio.

From a circle tour of “our Great Lake” to the architectural wonders of a modernist sister city three hours away, these extraordinary adventures are wonderful ways to widen your horizons in 2024.

Today's installment is Part 3 of 4 destination packages from Columbus Monthly's annual travel guide. We hope you enjoy.

Part 1: Best Driving Vacations 2024: Explore the Northern Shore of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Experiencing Lake Erie

Lake Erie was the last Great Lake to be discovered and explored by European adventurers. Don’t make their mistake. And if you decide to do some lakefront exploring this year, consider something more than a quick trip to Cedar Point or Put-in-Bay.

Sure, Ohio’s lakeshore is packed with fun and interesting destinations. But three other states and the Canadian province of Ontario also share the Lake Erie shoreline. A multiday international circle tour of our Great Lake offers something for every traveler, including wineries, history, city lights, natural delights, beaches and fun in, on or next to the water.

From Columbus, a complete circle tour of the lake requires at least 12 hours of driving in total. So allow three or four days for a leisurely circumnavigation with plenty of stops along the way.

Of course, it doesn’t matter which direction you circle the lake, but assuming your coin flip demands “counterclockwise,” a good first stop from Columbus is Ohio’s Grand River Valley wine region east of Cleveland.

The region, which includes the Vines & Wine trail in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, takes advantage of a lake-influenced microclimate to grow a wide variety of grapes, especially American-European hybrids that allow production of some tasty and sophisticated vintages. Several good lodging options in the area, including some at the wineries, also offer a good choice for a first night’s stay, especially after a few tastings.

Part 2: Best Driving Vacations 2024: Take a Battlefield Tour of Pennsylvania and Maryland

Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle State Park is a large, sandy peninsula that juts into the lake, forming a natural barrier protecting the harbor at the city of Erie and featuring beaches, nature trails and plenty of room for stretching your legs before the next segment of the journey. Buffalo, New York, is a better travel destination than its reputation might suggest, at least if you visit after the last of the winter’s lake-effect snow has melted. The city has a number of sites associated with famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, including the Martin House, one of Wright’s great achievements in Prairie-style architecture.

Niagara Falls may be a cliche, but it’s a magnificent, awe-inspiring one. Cross the border into Canada for the best views of the natural wonder and the best places to spend the night.

Remember, you’ll need a current passport to make the international crossing. (You don’t have a passport? What are you waiting for?) Driving along the northern shore of Lake Erie reveals a stretch of lovely farms and orchards dotted by a series of lakeside towns, each seemingly more charming than the last. Port Stanley, Leamington, Kingsville, Amherstberg and others offer pleasant waterfront business districts with shopping, cozy bed and breakfasts, historic sites and restaurants and diners often featuring local and scrumptious lake-caught perch.

Point Pelee National Park is situated on and around a natural point that sticks out far into the lake. It’s a prime spot for watching the migrating birds that use it as a jumping-off point before flying across the lake every spring. (And if you walk out to the very tip of the ever-shifting sandy-stony point, and pocket the last pebble above the waterline, you’ll have the southernmost point of the Canadian mainland as a souvenir.)

Lake-rambling gamblers can, of course, play in the casinos of Toledo or Cleveland, but why not give the slots and tables a try at Caesars Windsor, across the border from Detroit (which has several casinos of its own)? The view of the Detroit skyline is quite lovely from Windsor. Plus, there’s something a bit exotic about placing a bet with colorful Canadian currency. And every $100 Canadian lost is only $75 American — so you’re already ahead!

Toledo is another town that doesn’t get its tourism props, but be sure to stop by the National Museum of the Great Lakes at the Toledo Maritime Center on the Maumee River near downtown. The center has many great exhibits about all of the Great Lakes, including their natural history, commercial activity, shipwrecks, lighthouses and much more. Visitors can also tour the retired coal ship Col. James M. Schoonmaker, once the largest freighter on the lakes.

From Toledo, a traveler can call it a tour and head south on U.S. 23 toward central Ohio, or continue along the lake to more familiar Ohio stops such as Port Clinton, Put-in-Bay, Sandusky and on to Cleveland.

Or you might just be tempted to turn around and try the drive in the other direction.

Where to Stay Along the Way

The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake is a great place to stay while exploring Ohio wine country, and even offers a shuttle to and from several area wineries. Stays range from about $110 per night. Many hotels in Niagara Falls, Ontario, offer magnificent views, such as at the Hilton Fallsview, with rates for view rooms beginning at less than $150 per night. Lake Erie’s north shore has many cozy inns and B&Bs, including the Hallmark-cute Kettle Creek Inn in Port Stanley, with rooms beginning about $100 per night. thelodgeatgeneva.com, niagarafallshilton.com, kettlecreekinn.com

This story is from the Best Driving Vacations package in the February 2024 issue of Columbus Monthly.

This article originally appeared on Columbus Monthly: Take a Circle Tour Around Lake Erie With a Side Trip to Niagara Falls