Tag Archives: food erie pa

Zabawa Polish Festival

Posted on by
Reply

Zabawa Polish Festival

We’ve attended a lot of festivals in the Erie area, but this year we had our first experience at Zabawa Polish Festival! This year (2022) the festival runs from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. on August 26, 12 nnon-10 p.m. on August 27, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on August 28. This festival has free admission and free parking! In order to get the free parking, you can park at a lot on 34th and Ash at St. Peter & Paul. From there, a shuttle will take you to the festival.

Our kiddos likened this to Disney World; taking a shuttle to an ethnic festival was kind of like taking the Disney bus from your resort to Epcot and entering through the World Showcase!

Location:

Zabawa is located at Holy Trinity Church, 2220 Reed Street, Erie, PA 16503.

Advertisements

Property Description:

This festival in Erie, PA is put on in the parking lot and streets as well as inside of the social hall building itself.

Outdoors, you’ll find food tents, a bandstand, several tables set up to enjoy your food at, and merchandise.

Indoors, you’ll find more food, a bakery, the festival auction, and a 50/50 raffle.

Bathrooms are located inside the Social Center and outside at various Port-a-John locations.

What to Do:

One of the first things you need to know is that you will have to purchase tickets in order to get most of your food and drinks! The food ticket value is 50 cents per ticket.

These tickets can be purchased with cash only, but an ATM is provided in the social hall with a cash withdrawal fee of $3.50.

This festival is for the foodies! If you enjoy Polish food, you’ll find something wonderful to eat here! In the outside food tent, you can grab some potato pancakes or pierogies, as well as french fries, hot dogs, and popcorn. Inside the Polish Food Court, you’ll find bigos (sausage and cabbage), kielbasa wedzona, kielbasa biala, kiszka, golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls), rosol (chicken soup), czarnina (duck soup), kotlet mielone (pork pattie), gulasz (Polish goulash), zrazy (steak wrapped around sausage and a pickle), kapusta, and haluski. Food and drink prices range from 4 tickets ($2) to 26 tickets ($13).

You can also grab some pigs in a blanket at Golabki Express, located in the social center with a separate line from the other food inside!

Advertisements

The Polish Bakery is also indoors, where you can purchase sweet breads, cookies, nut rolls, and more! Bakery prices are marked on the items, and know that both tickets and cash are accepted at the bakery!

If you’re looking for paczki, you’ll find those outside in front of the social center! You can get paczki, paczki sundaes, ice cream, pie, pr pie with ice cream! Next to the paczki, Presque Isle Wine Cellars is selling wine slushies for $8, as well as their delicious wines!

If beer is more of your thing, you can grab one at the beverage tent which is right across from the wine tent. Enjoy draft beers or twisted tea as well as a few Polish beers! You can get a Tyskie (which we tried, it’s a lighter beer), an Okocim/Zywiec/Karpackie (which is a bit darker), or the ZABAWA microbrew. Water and pop are also located within the beverage tent, and coffee is located inside.

Advertisements

If you’re looking for some Polish merchandise, you will find that in the main festival tent which includes a lot of seating (for eating that delicious food), cd’s and tapes, Polish dolls, t-shirts, jewelry, and other really cool souvenirs. The main tent also includes a dance floor! The littles loved dancing to the live Polish music provided by the band on the mainstage!

Who Can Go:

Anyone can enjoy this festival in Erie, PA! Although it got quite crowded outside and inside at times, there is room to navigate a stroller or wheel chair. It does get fairly loud inside and outside at times, so be aware of that if you have anyone who is noise sensitive coming with you.

Final Thoughts:

We really enjoyed Zabawa Polish Festival! We were there at a fairly busy time on a Saturday night, so we spent about 3 hours exploring the festival, considering we waited in a pretty long line inside of the social hall. (We do recommend checking it out at a time that wouldn’t be considered lunch or dinner if you want a quicker line experience!) All in all, we think you should check this out; we’re glad we did and we are excited to go back next year (August 25, 26, and 27, 2023)!

If you enjoyed reading about Zabawa, sign up for our newsletter and get notified of activities, events, and places we visit in Erie County so you can check them out for yourself!

St. Nick’s Third Annual Food ‘n Cruze

Posted on by
Reply

St. Nick’s Third Annual Food ‘n Cruze

We love summer events in Erie, PA! Anything that brings us outdoors and can bring family and friends together is a win for us. We were so excited to find out about St. Nick’s Food ‘n Cruze, where you can take a look at some awesome cars while enjoying some of Erie’s great food trucks! This event is free to enter and has free parking!

Location:

This event is located at St. Nick’s Picnic Grove in Erie, PA. The address is 5131 Old French Road, Erie, PA 16509.

Property Description:

The property is very open; it is a very large picnic grove with tons of open space with green grass. There is a picnic pavilion and several picnic tables; you’ll even find a small play area with swings! The grounds are beautiful, with trees towards the back and plenty of shady spots to relax if the sun is out in full force.

For this particular event, you’ll see food trucks set up to the right of the cars. At our stop, we had the option of 5 different food trucks, which we thought was really awesome!

Advertisements

What to Do:

This is a very simple event, yet so fun! If you’re into classic cars and checking out other vehicles in general, you’ll love wandering through the line of cars parked in the grass and chatting up the owners. Out littles absolutely loved looking at the different colors of cars especially! We did have to remind them that this event was for looking, not touching!

Come to this event hungry! As we stated, there are several food trucks that will be awaiting your arrival to offer you their yummy goodness. You’ll find meals, snacks, and even dessert! We enjoyed a lot of food on our visit, such as chicken fingers, french fries, soft pretzels, an orange soda float, and even snow cones!

We also noticed 50/50 tickets being sold to benefit St. Nick’s Church, so bring some cash if you can to help support them and this wonderful event that they put on!

Advertisements

Who Can Go:

Anyone is welcome at this event! You can even bring your pups to walk around and check out the sights! We saw a few dogs and they looked pretty happy to be there!

Final Thoughts:

We really enjoyed the Food ‘n’ Cruze at St. Nick’s Grove and thought it was fun for the whole family. You can make it a long trip and really take your time, or a quick pit stop if you’re running low on fuel and want to grab a bite to eat!

This event runs tonight (June 28) and July 5, 2022 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. and if you can’t make it tonight on June 28, please be sure and try to attend on July 5! It did run every Tuesday in June, so we can hopefully look forward to the same type of schedule for next year! If you’re looking for free events in Erie, PA, this is definitely one to attend!

If you enjoyed reading and look forward to more events in Erie, PA, please subscribe to our exclusive email list!

5 Coffee Shops for Studying in Erie, PA

Posted on by
Reply

5 Coffee Shops for Studying in Erie, PA

We know what time of year it is. Finals week is quickly approaching and end of the semester projects are due. Knowing there are many colleges in the Erie area, we wanted to highlight a few coffee shops students may want to stop by to have a cram session or work on a project while taking in some much needed caffeine, and maybe even grab a bite to eat!

Pressed

If you’re looking for a place to not only grab a coffee and study, but do a little shopping for books and gifts too, Pressed is a super cool place to visit. Head into the bookstore first and pick up some new reading material (or bring your own) and then walk through the doors into the coffee shop to grab a drink and a snack to enjoy while you read. Hightops, tables, and a couch provide different locations for you to relax while you indulge (in studies or coffee, or both). You can also sit outside, right in front of the shop. This is a great option for Gannon and Mercyhurst students, as it isn’t a very far drive from either. Open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10:00 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sundays, convenient for those of you who may have evening classes.

Above: Seating in Coffee Shop
Interested in more info? Click the picture above.
Advertisements

The Crick Coffeehouse & Eatery

Although it is a small drive from most colleges in the area, we think The Crick is worth it. With seating indoors and outdoors, you can choose your atmosphere. This is a great place to go if you’re looking for a place to study while eating breakfast or lunch. The Crick is great for students who enjoy studying earlier in the day, as it is open from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. every day except Monday, when they are closed.

Outdoor Seating
Some Indoor Seating
More info? Click the photo above.

The Mainstreet Cakery Cafe: 2 Locations

Either location (Fairview or Millcreek) of The Mainstreet Cakery Cafe would be great for studying while grabbing a bite to eat. While both locations offer indoor and outdoor seating, you will find a wonderful atmosphere to dive into your studies while enjoying a coffee, eating a meal, or even indulging in a bakery treat or some ice cream. The tables are spaced well, and it’s a great place to meet up with a group for dinner as you dive into your studies. Open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. every day except for Sunday, this is for studiers at any time of day.

Outdoors: Fairview Location
Indoors: Millcreek Location
Want more info? Click the picture above.
Advertisements

Javamango’s Outpost

A quaint coffee shop and small eatery as a pass-through inside of an office building, Javamango’s Outpost offers a few tables and a hightop bar that are perfect for posting up while hitting the books and enjoying some much needed caffeine. Enjoy the calm atmosphere of a quiet space while you get your study on. Open from 6:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, this is for morning and early afternoon studiers.

Want more info? Click the picture above.

Romolo Chocolates

Studying while drinking coffee in a candy store? Initially, it sounds like a bad idea, and quite unattainable. But if you’ve ever been to Romolo Chocolates, you would understand why it’s a good idea. With a quiet atmosphere in the ice cream and coffee shop, you’ll find couches and tables set up for social interactions or some time to yourself. If you’re more of an outside person, you’ll find several tables outdoors in front and to the side of the building, and even heaters available to warm you in the colder months. Enjoy the provided scenery of a fictional alleyway well lit with many Instagram worthy spots to snap a picture in between cramming for your classes. And added to all of that, you can induldge in some amazing sponge candy! Romolo Chocolate is open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays, and 10:00 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays.

Above: Seating inside of the shop
Beside: Seating in front of the shop

[Editors Note: We know there are several other coffee shops in Erie, some we have yet to visit and post on our site. We are not trying to be selective, simply offering choices from our current blog posts. If you have any suggestions of other places we could visit and highlight, please comment and let us know! We want to make sure we mention as much of what Erie has to offer as we can! All business hours are current as of 4/18/2022, please check the hours on their Facebook pages or Google Search if you are reading this at a much later date.]

Like what you read? Subscribe below and be notified of new things to do in Erie County whenever we post!

[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with any of these businesses in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around Erie as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA area can be hard.]

Franks Farm Market and Bakery

Posted on by
Reply

Frank’s Farm Market and Bakery

Fall is not complete without a trip to Frank’s in Erie, PA! This amazing farmers market provides food that will satisfy any appetite, including a rather large bakery for anyone with a sweet tooth!

Location:

Frank’s Market is located at 5880 Sterrettania Road, Fairview, PA 16415. It is literally right across the street from Walnut Creek Middle School, and conveniently located near Browns Farm. We highly suggest grabbing a treat from Franks and heading over to Browns Farm for a little picnic or walk through the trails! It’s also a great place to stop for an after school snack!

Property Description:

Frank’s Farm Market and Bakery is such a lovely country store and bakery. Park anywhere in the parking lot surrounding the shop, and enter through one of their doors. When we went, the doors were propped open to let in the fresh air. Take a look at the produce and products outside, then walk inside and enjoy the wonderful country atmosphere while you shop!

Advertisements

What to Do:

There are so many unique finds at Frank’s! First and foremost, because we are doing this post in the Fall, we have to mention that you can get pumpkins here! They also have a beautiful selection of mums surrounding the building and in front of the greenhouses.

You will have an abundance of choice if you’re looking for fruits and vegetables! While browsing, we saw potatoes, onions, apples, carrots, celery, spinach, peas, plums, and pears, just to name a few!

And if you’re looking for other staples, grab some eggs, milk, cheese, and bread while you’re browsing the store for locally grown produce!

One thing you must check out while you’re there is the bakery! Frank’s Farm Market offers a plethora of sweet treats. Everyone with us found something that looked yummy to them behind the glass. And trust us, when we sat down to enjoy those treats, they were just as yummy as we expected!

They also have plenty of ornaments for your lawn and garden, or to adorn the site a loved one is buried at. They also have decor for inside of your home, such as signs and plaques to put around your house.

Who Can Go:

Come one, come all to this farmers market in Erie, PA! The little one’s will especially love it because, well, bakery items!

Final Thoughts:

Save yourself a trip to the grocery store by heading out to Franks! No, you’re not going to find name brands and random pantry items that you don’t really need, but you will find fresh fruit and vegetables and locally made food! Shopping local is so important, now more than ever! If you’re looking for more farmers markets in Erie, PA to add to the list that you frequent, we suggest adding Frank’s Farm Market and Bakery to that list!

If you’re looking for Fall fun in Erie, PA and the surrounding area, click here!

And for other farmers markets in Erie, PA, click here!

Like what you read? Subscribe below and be notified of new things to do in Erie County whenever we post!

[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with The Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around Erie as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA area can be hard.]

Javamango’s Outpost

Posted on by
Reply

Javamango’s Outpost

When you’re not looking for a great new coffee place, you probably won’t find it. A lot of us just travel in the car (whether in the passenger seat or back seat), staring at our phones, not paying attention to the world around us outside of our windows. Well, we’ve recently decided to put the phones down and start looking out the window, and we’re happy to say that we found Javamango’s Outpost in Waterford, PA.

Location:

Javamango’s in Waterford, PA is a very simple coffee shop in a limited space. First of all, we think it has a great location amidst the different types of offices located in Heritage Center. If you are headed to the outpatient center or physical therapy, it’s a great stop to grab a cup of coffee or quick meal.

Property Description:

When you walk into the center door of the Heritage Center in Waterford, continue straight forward and you will see Javamango’s on your left. There is a small counter where you order. You’ll see bakery items for sale behind a case, and different drink descriptions to your left as you stand at the counter.

There is a table to eat at before you even get to Javamango’s when you walk in, but theres also a 4 top table across from the counter and a bar area on the back wall.

What to Do:

This coffee shop in Waterford, PA offers a good selection of coffee, drinks, bakery items, and sandwiches. We only tried a few things on this visit, but we really enjoyed what we got!

Advertisements

We’ll talk drinks first. One of us enjoyed the “French Lumberjack,” which is a café au lait, with smoked maple syrup and cinnamon. It was delicious, to say the least. A wonderful Fall hot beverage that just gives you all those Fall feels. If only we had flannel on and were walking in the Autumn woods. The second drink we tried was the “Latte-da-de-da,” which is flavored Macadamia nut milk with caramel and a little dark chocolate. It was very, very tasty, and also full of caffeine!

Latte-da-de-da
French Lumberjack

We also wanted to try the Italian soda, and when we saw the flavor sign we just had to ask for the secret menu! We ended up choosing watermelon, and we have to say we’re proud of that choice! Beware that the soda is slightly on the sweeter side, but they can tweak it to your liking by messing with the amount of flavor.

We wanted to try some of their baked foods as well, so we went with two different muffins, blueberry and chocolate with chocolate chips. Both muffins were really good; moist inside yet still crumby and flaky. The littles thought they were “so yummy and delicious.”

Who Can Go:

Anyone can come to this coffee shop in Waterford! Don’t assume that you can’t come in if you don’t have an appointment in the building. The location of this coffee shop in Erie County adds convenience to those who work or visit the building. We were confused at first, wondering if we could enter; however, this coffee shop is for all!

Although it is a bit far from our local colleges, we really think this would be a great setting to study in. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of traffic, and the atmosphere was calm and quiet.

Final Thoughts:

We really enjoyed this simple coffee shop. We’re happy to try several different kinds of coffee, and the flavors at Javamango’s were exceptional. If you’re on the hunt for a great cup of coffee in Erie County, try Javamango’s!

Like what you read? Subscribe below and be notified of new things to do in Erie County whenever we post!

[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with Javamango’s Outpost in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around Erie as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA area can be hard.]

Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm

Posted on by
Reply

Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm

As we’re still focused on Fall, we wanted to go to another farm. We stumbled across Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm, and decided to head on out as we have been wanting to go there since early Summer 2021, and boy are we glad we finally went!

Location:

Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm is located at 5970 Kuman Road, Edinboro, PA 16412.

Advertisements

Property Description:

This is a working buffalo farm, so you will see farm equipment, pastures, several different animals, and barns. There is a restaurant and gift shop on the property, as well as a corn maze. One of our favorite things about this property was looking out by the buffalo pastures and just seeing greenery and sky in one direction, it was really cool, especially when you’re used to being in neighborhoods or on city streets.

What to Do:

There is plenty to do while visiting Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm in Edinboro, PA. First, you can walk in the gift shop and take a look at everything they have to offer inside. You can purchase anything from novelties, like buffalo and donkey plush animals, to actual buffalo meat.

We took a look around the store, and after much persistence from one kiddo insisting a plush donkey was coming home with us at the end of our trip, we walked up to the register to purchase some feed to take to the real animals in their petting zoo. Each cone of food will cost $1, and if you would like, you can bring your cone back up for a refill for only 50 cents. When you’re done with refills, you break up the ice cream cone and the animals will eat that as well. We can tell you from experience that the donkeys love it, but there was also a goat that butted in to claim some as well.

Speaking of donkeys and goats, clearly you will find them in the petting zoo yard. You will also find ducks and chickens. All of the animals are very friendly. You can’t go inside of the yard, as it’s fenced in, but the animals will get very close to you to enjoy the food that you have for them. We noticed the donkeys and goats are especially friendly, and one of our littles even developed a new love for donkeys! Fun fact, two of the donkeys are babies; one was born in July and the other in August.

We were excited to find out that they have a big corn maze set up for their guests to enjoy. We went on a muddy day, and with the littles we decided that the maze would be a little too difficult for us, so we opted out. However, we would love to do it on a day that the weather was a little better and the ground less wet. The corn maze is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. from October 1 until November 7, 2021. The corn maze will cost you to go through; ages 5-54 is $8, ages 55+ is $5, and ages 4 and under are free!

The next thing we did after the petting zoo was walk around the property and look for the buffalo. We found them decently close to the petting zoo area, and all in a large pack. They were grazing, but we did get to see a few running and playing. Be sure to stay away from the fences. There is no feeding or petting the buffalo, as they do not enjoy that.

After enjoying our walk around the pastures, we visited the petting zoo again. Our littles just love the animals, and we couldn’t help staying around these ones just a bit longer because they were just so sweet! After, we headed back into the gift shop to purchase some souvenirs from our visit. We also decided to try some food, so one of us got a buffalo burger, and the other some fries to share with the kids. We also got some apple cider to drink. Everything was very good, as neither of us had ever tried bison before. They even offer a great seating area for you to enjoy your food at.

Who Can Go:

Anyone can enjoy the fun at Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm. We would caution you that you may have difficulty with a stroller or a wheelchair if it’s muddy, so if you need to bring anything on wheels check the weather before you go. We went on a rather wet day, and when walking through the fields to take a look at the buffalo we noticed that we were walking through a lot of mud and wet grass. If you’re only planning on taking a trip into the store or restaurant, you’re good to go no matter the weather.

Speaking of wet ground and mud, when walking through it our feet (and socks) stayed completely dry, nothing soaked through our shoes! Vessi makes 100% waterproof sneakers that we highly recommend. We have an exclusive code for $20 off your first purchase of $100 or more. Click here to be directed to Vessi’s website to browse and use our code!

Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm is pet friendly! Just remember to keep your furry friend on a leash! You can walk your dog through the corn maze if you’d like; this might be a fun activity to test your pups navigation skills!

Final Thoughts:

We didn’t really know what to expect as we planned to go to the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm, but we are so glad that we went! We are even planning on going again, as we truly enjoyed our experience. From what we experienced, we believe the people that run the farm truly care for the animals and the business that they run, and that makes us feel even better about our visit to the farm. See for yourself by enjoying your own trip out to this farm in Edinboro, PA! Their normal hours are currently 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. If you’d like to come in and they are not open, just give them a call to set up an appointment, they’re very willing to work with their customers! And as their website states, if the open sign is blinking, come on in!

We truly recommend this as a fun experience if you’re looking for things to do in the Fall in Erie, PA, or any other time of the year for that matter!

Did you enjoy reading this? Have we helped you at all in finding things to do in Erie, PA? If so, subscribe to exclusive email list and never miss a wandering!

[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around Erie as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA area can be hard.]

This post contains affiliate links for a product. If you buy something, we may earn a commission at no cost to you.

Site Highlight: The Mainstreet Cakery (in Fairview)

Posted on by
Reply

Site Highlight: The Mainstreet Cakery (in Fairview)

The Mainstreet Cakery Cafe. This may sound familiar to some of you who frequent our blog, as we’ve already given you a full layout of The Cakery in Millcreek at Copperleaf. However, we recently visited The Cakery in Fairview, and we figured why not give you all a little preview of what that location of The Cakery is like.

So a lot of things are the same. For instance, the menu. The atmosphere is also very similar.

Advertisements

However, outside of The Cakery in Fairview, there is a covered tent that you can choose to dine under, along with a small gazebo that houses a few two top tables. Under the tent, you’ll find heaters to keep you warm while you enjoy your food on those crisp Autumn days.

We decided to order some Fall drinks, and thought we would detail those for you. One of us chose the Pumpkin Cappuccino. This Pumpkin Cappuccino seriously tastes like you are drinking pumpkin pie. It has a really good amount of spice, but it’s not overbearing. The other drink we chose was the Blueberry Cobbler Coffee. It was good; it definitely had a blueberry aftertaste to it. Oddly enough, we put pumpkin pie spice creamer in it and it was actually very good! But you can definitely put a simple vanilla creamer in. And honestly, chocolate or hazelnut creamer would probably be really yummy in it as well.

Blueberry Cobbler Coffee
Pumpkin Cappuccino

We also wanted to show you the food we got, to give you more ideas of what they serve at The Cakery. One of us got a Mushroom and Swiss Burger with Chips, and the other got a Tuna Melt with Pickles. Both were very good!

Tuna Melt
Mushroom and Swiss Burger

When you go inside of this location, you will enter and immediately see the counter and the bakery case. You can pay for your meal, as well as grab a bakery item to go if you enjoyed your food outside, in front of this restaurant in Fairview, PA. To your left, you will see an entryway into the dining room, and the kitchen behind the dining room. You can also, obviously, choose to sit inside. And if you’re just looking for a bakery item, then by all means, come on in and pick some out!

If you’re interested in a more informative article about The Mainstreet Cakery Cafe, click the photo below to go to our other blog post!

If you’re looking for more places to go, things to do, and seasonal events in Erie County, subscribe to our exclusive email list and never miss a wandering!

[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with the Main Street Cakery Cafe in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around Erie as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA area can be hard.]

St Joe’s Oktoberfest 2021

Posted on by
Reply

St. Joe’s Oktoberfest 2021

As we try to go back to the way it was, festivals are coming back in the Erie area. With the ability to be outside, even though we assumed large crowds would form eventually, we thought it would be great to stop by Oktoberfest at the beginning of the day, when they were just getting started. Keep reading to learn more about Oktoberfest and what we did while we were there!

Location:

Oktoberfest hosted by St. Joe’s is located at 147 West 24th Street, Erie, PA 16502.

Oktoberfest at St. Joe’s is held 5 p.m.-11 p.m. on Friday October 1st, 1 p.m.-11 p.m. on Saturday October 2nd, and 12 p.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday October 3rd. This festival has free parking and free admission.

Advertisements

Property Description:

This Oktoberfest in Erie, PA is located on the property of St. Joseph Church. You will find a few large tents set up, most with tables in them, and a few tables set up outside of the tents. You do have the ability to go inside of the community center to get your food and purchase raffle tickets. We will say, when we did go inside it was very crowded, so just be aware of that.

What to Do:

First and foremost, in order to purchase your food at Oktoberfest, you’ll need to purchase tickets, so find a ticket sales table and purchase your tickets! We found the ticket sales pretty easily; we can tell you for sure that one is located inside of the community center and another is located in the beer tent. Each ticket is equivalent to $1.

There is a TON of German food available at Oktoberfest! Although we weren’t there to eat a meal, we saw a lot of people enjoying some delicious looking eats and treats. You can get a bratwurst sandwich, sauerkraut balls, a Limberger cheese sandwich, Oktoberfest pizza (mustard sauce, Swiss cheese, bratwurst, and onion) or cheese/pepperoni pizza, German waffles, German potatoes, and so much more! There are also full dinners available inside of the community center! Those dinners include pork and sauerkraut, Sauerbrauten, and Bavarian goulash.

There is a Bavarian Coffee House hosted by The Tipsy Bean located in a tent outside, where you can get a ton of sweet treats and different types of coffee. We kept it simple and got some cut out cookies that were adorned as beer mugs, and a very large lemon cookie with an Oktoberfest design on it.

There is also a mini store set up across from the Bavarian Coffee House, where you can get German souvenirs of all sorts! They had a great dachshund hat that appeared as if the dog was laying on your head. They also had several flower headbands and crowns, and even headbands with little Bavarian hats on them! And you can get the Bavarian hats as regular size, too! There were also many German t-shirts available for sale, as well as other German trinkets and decorations.

Being at Oktoberfest, we just had to try something from the beer tent. Although there were several beers available inside the beer tent, we didn’t opt for a traditional Oktoberfest beer. We did, however, try a hard cider with a black cherry spin on it, and it was really good. There are also 5 different wines you can try while you’re there!

One thing that we did at Oktoberfest that we definitely want to highlight is watching the dachshund races! Unfortunately, this event is only available on Saturday, so if this is something that interests you put it on your calendar for next year! The famous dog Max from Bianchi Honda was there to cheer on his fellow dachshunds. All of the little wiener dogs were so cute, and the announcer was hilarious as he set up the competition! It was so funny to watch the dogs run, as some of them had no idea what they were doing. The races featured pups of all ages, including a 10 week old puppy! So cute! All in all, it was a great experience and the littles loved to be around all of the dogs! Because of these races, Oktoberfest is a dog friendly event! We saw a ton of different dogs, leashed of course, walking around with their humans! So if you’re looking for a great time and the ability to bring your dog, head over to St. Joe’s!

They also have over 170 baskets inside that they are raffling off, so be sure to get your raffle tickets! Basket tickets are 50 cents, but there are also 8 premium baskets, for which tickets are $3 each.

Who Can Go:

Everyone is able to come to Oktoberfest. Be aware that crowds can develop, so if you’re pushing a stroller or wheelchair you may have a hard time getting through at times. and remember, this event is dog friendly outside!

Final Thoughts:

For never attending Oktoberfest at St. Joe’s before, we thought it was really cool to finally see it in person this year. We think it’s one of those festivals in Erie County that we will continue to attend year after year. With no fee to get in, it’s a great opportunity to get out of the house in the beginning of Fall and enjoy all things German.

For more Fall events, click here!

Like what you read? Subscribe below and be notified of new things to do in Erie County whenever we post!

[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with St. Joe’s Oktoberfest in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around Erie as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA area can be hard.]

Mason Farms Farm Stand in Lake City Fall 2021

Posted on by
1

Mason Farms Farm Stand in Lake City Fall 2021

If you’re an avid reader of our blog, you will know that’s we’ve been to Mason Farms in Lake City quite a few times. There’s just an element of country charm to it that we absolutely love. We recently found out that this farm stand in Erie County has a new offering, and we just had to check it out!

Location:

The Farm Stand at Mason Farms is located at 8603 West Lake Road, Lake City, PA 16423. You can’t miss it, there are several floral arrangements in front of it, and you can noticeably see a fun Fall time as you drive by. With their hours being Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., there is more than enough time throughout the day for you to head on over to Lake City to enjoy the farm stand!

Advertisements

Property Description:

This is farm stand, meaning that everything here is outdoors. Now, some areas are covered by some sort of roof, but nothing about this will be indoors. Remember to dress warm if you’re planning on going on a colder day. You’ll park in a gravel parking lot, and head to the left of the parking lot (if you’re looking at it from the road) to go to the stand. If you continue past the stand, you will see their seasonal display, along with a sunflower field behind it, for you to enjoy and take pictures of or with! We loved this!

What to Do:

Mason Farms farm stand has a ton of fruits and vegetables for you to enjoy. If you’re looking for a pumpkin, this is a great spot to grab one! They also have a ton of mums to choose from, so be sure to check out all of the beautiful flowers while you’re there. If you check out the photo slideshow below, you’ll see all of the wonderful locally grown produce you can purchase, along with some beautiful flowers! Below we’ve posted a slideshow of just some of the produce and plants available at the stand.

Although we love all of the great, healthy, local food that the farm stand provides, we are writing this blog post in particular to inform you of a “special event” they have going on right now. The sunflowers are standing tall and in full bloom, and you’re invited to take pictures with them, in front of them, and anywhere in the general area of them!

There is no cost to take photos with the sunflowers; you can literally just bring whoever you’d like and take photos! You can even pick your own sunflowers, with the price being $1.50 per stem.

They have two Fall displays set up with hay, cornstalks, and pumpkins, several bails of hay with pumpkins near them, and a pumpkin walkway going down to the display. We honestly loved everything about this. We took the littles pictures, we walked around and looked at all of the pumpkins (which, by the way, are for sale), and we enjoyed the beautiful sunflowers.

Who Can Go:

Everyone is welcome at the farm stand! Quick note, you will be parking on gravel and walking on gravel and grass, so dress accordingly and make sure you’re able to push a stroller or a wheelchair if you need to.

Also, we are super excited to tell you that we’ve recently seen photos on Mason Farms Facebook page with DOGS in them! So bring your furry friends and get them in your pictures, too!

Final Thoughts:

Mason Farms farm stand is a really great place to swing by for some quick Fall fun! If you’re looking for a free Fall Instagramable photo spot in Erie PA, you’ll find it at Mason Farms Farm Stand in Lake City! And be sure to grab some yummy fresh produce at this farm in Erie County.

Be on the lookout for our post on Mason Farms Pumpkintown information! Mason Farms always provides a good time for the kids in the Autumn season, at any of their locations. If you’re looking for Fall family fun in Erie, PA, you’ll find it at Mason Farms.

Click the HERE for more Fall fun in Erie County!

Like what you read? Subscribe below and be notified of new things to do in Erie County whenever we post!

[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with Mason Farms in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around Erie as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA area can be hard. And in the case of this post, we went during a time when crowds were extremely low.]

Serendipity Sweets

Posted on by
Reply

Serendipity Sweets

**WE’RE SORRY TO SAY THAT SERENDIPITY SWEETS HAS CLOSED THEIR LOCATION ON EAST 38TH STREET. THEY ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR A NEW LOCATION, AND WE WILL UPDATE YOU AS SOON AS WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION**

Summer is leading into Fall, and we haven’t brought you all of the amazing ice cream stands in Erie just yet. However, we did recently visit Serendipity Sweets, and we think it’s worthy of being added to your lists of places to visit in the summer, and in the colder months as well!

Location:

Serendipity Sweets is located at 861 East 38th Street, Erie, PA 16504.

If you are looking for things to do by Mercyhurst College, Serendipity Streets is a quick walk away from the college.

Property Description:

Serendipity Sweets is a very colorful, uplifting space that definitely makes you feel like a kid in a candy store, or in this case, a kid in an ice cream and bake shop! We loved all of the colorful tiles on the floor and the bright blue bubbly walls that made us almost feel like we were underwater.

There are plenty of tables set up inside, and there are also benches available outside if you want to enjoy the nice weather.

  • Tables set up inside
  • A little lounge area and bar top
  • Outside benches

What to Do:

Serendipity Sweets was different than any other ice cream bar we’ve ever been to. You will start at the left of the counter and make your way down towards the right. You choose your flavor, and then choose toppings from the sundae bar that will be put on for you. Or, you can choose a specific sundae and they will just make it as it is on the menu. Once you pass through the bar, you can make your way to the topping wall. There are dispensers with several different toppings, such as sprinkles, Reese Puffs, Skittles, and snickerdoodle cookies that you can “dump” onto your ice cream or non dairy ice cream. Each topping will cost you an additional fifty cents.

Not only does Serendipity Sweets offer ice cream, frozen yogurt, and non dairy ice cream, but they also offer baked goods as well. Grab a brownie, cake slice, or even an entire pie when you stop in! They even offer froyo pies! Yum!

We are always on the lookout for menu items for those who have food allergies or need vegetarian or vegan foods, and Serendipity Sweets was so accommodating for those of us who have food restrictions. They have several gluten free options, not only in ice cream but baked goods as well. They also have non dairy ice cream choices, which is actually what one of us got, and it was really, really good!

Advertisements

Who Can Go:

This is a really cool ice cream shop and bakery that anyone can come to. It is very easily accessible for a wheelchair or a stroller. If you’re limited on time, you can go to their website and place an order to be picked up at their drive through window! You can find the link to order by clicking here.

They do offer private parties in their dining area, which I believe are held on the weekends before their normal hours of operation.

And for those of you who go to Mercyhurst College, Serendipity Sweets would make for a great quick date or even a place to study at, given the tables and the small barstool area as well as the booth area in the corner.

Final Thoughts:

We thought this was a really cool place to grab a DIY sundae. The atmosphere was really fun and bright, and you just feel happy as you walk in. As far as finding ice cream in Erie, PA, this is a very fun and different location!

Serendipity Sweets is open from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Like what you read? Subscribe below and be notified of new things to do in Erie County whenever we post!

[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with Serendipity Sweets in any way. This is true of all of our posts. We simply enjoy wandering around the Erie area as we know finding what to do in Erie, PA can be hard.]