To celebrate our 50th blog post (Yes, this is number 50!) and Summer 2021 coming to an end soon, we’ve paired some great ice cream stands with our favorite places to watch the sunset, so you can enjoy the close proximity and won’t have to drive all over Erie to plan a fun evening!
Whether you’re looking to have fun on a date night in Erie, enjoy time with friends, spend an evening with family, or take some me time, this list will bring you some pretty wonderful ice cream and sunset locations.
We even included a map and directions from the ice cream shop to the park, so you can visualize it before you go! Click the name of each location to find out more! (Side note: We haven’t posted our blog about Dairy Oasis yet, but we will link it when we do.)
[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with any of these businesses or locations 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.]
We’ve shown you a few ice cream stand locations on the west side of Erie County towards Ohio, such as Castle Ice Cream, and even though we’ve been east at the Double Dipper, we decided to head even east even more towards New York, and we ended up at The Straw Hat in North East, PA. And we have to say, it is a really cool place to visit with some great ice cream treats! With over 50 years of service to the North East community, this sundae shop is pretty impressive!
Location:
The Straw Hat is located at 207 South Lake Street, North East, PA 16428. It is right on the main street of town, and very easily accessible.
Property Description:
The Straw Hat is an ice cream stand that is outdoor only for patrons. The area where you order is covered, which is the first we’ve seen of this in the Erie area! You actually feel like you’re indoors because it is covered so well, with overhead lighting included. There are picnic tables outside for you to enjoy your food at.
We found parking across the street, but we think you may also be able to park behind the building as well.
View from the side
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What to Do:
The Straw Hat in North East, PA is home to not only Perry’s Ice Cream, but ice cream from the Penn State Berkey Creamery as well! Between the two, we counted well over 30 flavors of ice cream! We tried the Grilled Stickies ice cream, and it was so, so yummy! They also have milkshakes, root beer floats, and soft serve ice cream.
Bubble Gum
Pumpkin Pie in a Waffle Cone
Chocolate Mint
Grilled Stickies over Pumpkin Pie in a Waffle Cone
Some of the many flavor options!
We also love that The Straw Hat has dairy free options, for those who are lactose intolerant or vegan. They also have dairy free shakes!
We found something here that we have never seen before; the Straw Hat has a Mighty Fine Donut ice cream sandwich! We had to try one, and of course it was all sorts of delicious! This insanely good donut sandwich is filled with soft serve ice cream. Fair warning, one might not be enough to fill you up, and in our case took a lot less time to eat than an ice cream cone!
Mighty Fine Donut Sandwich
We also found several “Instagram-able” spots if you enjoy taking photos. On the side of the building, there’s a sign with a giant ice cream cone on it, as well as a vintage Straw Hat sign with a chicken on it. In the very front, near the road and within the picnic tables, there is also a giant rooster statue to take photos with as well.
“Instagram-able” Ice Cream sign
Who Can Go:
We love that this ice cream stand is easily accessible by anyone who wants to stop by. We also really appreciate the covering over the front, which makes it so that you can always get your ice cream, even when it’s raining!
Final Thoughts:
This is a really cool place! We love the amount of seating, the covered ordering area, and the yummy donut sandwiches!
We appreciate the variety of flavors between Perry’s Ice Cream and Penn State Berkey Creamery. If you’re a Penn State alumni or if you live in the Erie area and you’re looking for Penn State ice cream without traveling to State College, this is a great stop for you!
They are open from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12 p.m.-10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
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[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with The Straw Hat Sundae Shop 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.]
Have you ever gone somewhere assuming it’s one thing, but being completely surprised by what you find there? That’s what happened to us when we went to Freeport Beach in North East, PA.
Location:
Freeport Beach is located at 1 Freeport Road, North East, PA 16428. Freeport Road is Route 89, so if you get off of the highway and head towards town, you literally do not have to make any turns to get to the beach. Just go straight, pass through town, keep going a bit more, and you will end up there.
Property Description:
We went to this park not knowing what to expect, and it took us by surprise! Not only does it have plenty of beach access, but also a playground, picnic pavilion, a volleyball net, plenty of benches, and public restrooms.
The beach access is simple, yet enchanting. There’s a short sand area that then melts into rocks and pebbles which the waves crash into. It’s a great combination for everyone; we had members of our group sit on the benches in the sand, some on the rocks (skipping rocks, of course), and some walking along the water.
What to Do:
Freeport Beach has something for everyone in the family to enjoy. The kids will love playing on the playground equipment right off of the beach. Adults will enjoy the benches all throughout the park as well as the ability to lay towels or blankets out on the sand to catch some rays. And the fact that there’s a bathroom within the park is a positive for everyone!
You can swim on this beach as a lifeguard is typically on duty from 12 p.m. until sunset. As with any other beach, we would not recommend swimming unless the lifeguard is present.
If you’re looking for places to watch the sunset in Erie, PA, we think Freeport Beach should be on your list. The sunset will be slightly angled here, but it is beautiful nonetheless. The benches along the beach are great for relaxing or even snuggling close if you’re on a date; not to mention you don’t have to go on the sand if you don’t want to in order to enjoy the sunset.
Who Can Go:
This is a beautifully laid out park, with space for everyone to get around. There is a mat laid out for easy access to the shore, and various areas to stop and take a load off of your feet. We did not bring our stroller, but walking on the mat that is provided made us realize that it would be easy to push a wheelchair or stroller to the end of the mat if you wanted to get a closer view of the water.
While dogs are welcome at the park in general, they are not permitted on the beach. We were kind of bummed because we actually had a pup with us, but the benches and other areas of the park gave some of our group something to do while the others were on the beach.
Final Thoughts:
Freeport Beach in North East, PA is a great place to spend the whole day at. With a few food options available up the road, we could easily see how this park could be an all day affair. Enjoy a picnic lunch, play a game of volleyball, relax on the sand, take a swim, play on the playground, and end your day with a beautiful Lake Erie Sunset.
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[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with Freeport Beach 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.]
Wander Erie 