Tag Archives: things to do in lake city pa

Godfrey Run Farm Market & Cider Mill

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Godfrey Run Farm Market & Cider Mill

We’re loving all the Fall things right now! There’s something about a farmers market and cider mill combination that gives us the Fall feels, so we decided to check out Godfrey Run Farm Market and Cider Mill.

Location:

Godfrey Run Farm Market and Cider Mill is located at 8958 Westlake Road, Lake City, PA 16423. If you know where Mason Farms Farm Stand in Lake City is, Godfrey Run is just a tad bit further west from them.

Godfrey Run is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. These hours are observed in October of 2021.

Property Description:

Godfrey Run is a really great local food shop. The front porch adds such charm to the whole store, and makes you feel like you’re entering someone’s home instead of a market. On the porch, there are a few two top tables set up if you’d like to enjoy some of your food outside while you’re there.

There are also some picnic tables to the right of the building. There is also a great little hay and corn stalk display, and we’re sure if you wanted to take some photos by it, you absolutely could!

The inside has a general store feel, but with a lot going on! Your eyes will be pulled in several directions because of the many good items sold at this farmers market in Erie, PA.

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Because one of their claim to fame’s is their apple cider, it smells like apple inside and trust us, that is not a bad thing! Your senses will be on overdrive as you walk in because there are so many yummy things to look at and smell!

What to Do:

While here, you’re definitely going to want to shop! Inside of the market you will find local produce, but mostly many different kinds of apples.

You’ll find several items to stock up your pantry while you’re looking around! They have a ton of different jarred foods; you can get relish, pickles, apple butter, peppers, salsa, and much more! With delicious items such as hummus dip, black licorice, and popcorn, you can stock up on snacks!

They also have Penn State Berkey Creamery Ice Cream for sale, and not just by the cup! They have several different flavors to choose from. You can get a pint or quart of ice cream during your visit, and you can also join a pint club! For $99, you can get 6 pints of ice cream per month for the months of October, November, and December. If you do decide to get some ice cream, you can enjoy it outside by sitting at one of their smaller tables on the patio or one of the picnic tables (to the right side of the building if you’re facing it).

One thing we were very surprised to find was a small wine tasting room with several bottles available for purchase! They also have hard cider!

Who Can Go:

Bring everyone to this farmers market in Lake City! We didn’t bring ours in, but we think it would be rather easy to maneuver a stroller or a wheelchair. The floors are cement, so it’s a very easy surface to push anything with wheels on.

Final Thoughts:

We really enjoyed our trip to Godfery Run in Lake City, PA! Shopping local is so important, and here you will find a variety of things to add to your kitchen stash! Whether you’re looking for apples and other produce, jarred jams and butters, ciders, wine, or something sweet, Godfrey Run Farm Market and Cider Mill can offer you a plethora of options!

For several fun Fall events in Erie County, click here!

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[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with Godfrey Run 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

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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!

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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!

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[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.]

The Crick Coffee House and Eatery

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The Crick Coffee House & Eatery

We are on a mission to find locally owned coffee shops in Erie County. On a random trip in the Girard area, when going through town we noticed a really cool coffee shop and parked out front. Unfortunately, they were closed at the time. We checked the hours and ventured on back to The Crick Coffee House & Eatery with hopes of getting a great cup of coffee, and they surprised us with so much more!

#meetmeatthecrick

Location:

The Crick Coffeehouse and Eatery is located at 236 West Main Street, Girard, PA 16417. If you are planning on going to any of the other businesses on West Main Street, or if you work at any of them, The Crick is the perfect stop for breakfast or lunch. They are open from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays. There is parking in the front and in the back of this place to get food and coffee in Girard, PA.

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Property Description:

This coffee house in Girard, PA faces Main Street, and has a beautiful brick front facade. A sign hangs sideways over the door welcoming you into this coffee house and restaurant. When you walk in, you will see tables on the outskirts of the room, and a doorway to your left which leads into a room featuring more seating. Ahead of you will be a bakery counter and signs letting you know what the specials are for the day. If you walk past those signs, you will see the counter to your right where you can place a to-go order. Keep walking straight and the kitchen is to your right, while another doorway leading into more seating is to your left. Continue straight back to the restrooms and a door that leads to the outdoor area and more outdoor seating.

Ordering Counter

What to Do:

We have to say, The Crick in Girard completely took us by surprise. We thought we were walking in to get coffee and maybe have a few sweet treat options to check out. We were delighted to find out that you can get breakfast and lunch (as in full meals) at this coffeehouse and eatery in the west county of Erie. [View their menu here.] Now, even though we found this out, we still decided to order what we had come in for because the sweet treats looked amazing! We plan on heading back to try a full meal sometime soon!

We’re always excited to try a new cup of coffee! Upon walking up to the counter, we saw several, and I mean several, different types of syrups that they use to flavor coffee. Because we have differing tastes, as we know you all do as well, we tried two completely different coffees.

The first was a pumpkin cold brew. We ordered it as a pumpkin cold brew with almond milk and pumps of pumpkin pie spice flavoring syrup. Now, we do have to say this was unlike any other pumpkin coffee we’ve had before, and we say that as a good thing! We often find that pumpkin spice anything can be completely overbearing with pumpkin spice; that being said, this pumpkin cold brew was not. That was refreshing to us. If you’re looking for somewhere to get pumpkin spice coffee in Erie, PA but don’t really enjoy a whole lot of spice, this would be a great drink for you to try, especially if you like cold brew coffee.

Pumpkin Cold Brew

The other drink we tried was blueberry blend with cinnamon and added cream and sugar. It was a hot drink, very different in comparison with the cold brew. The blueberry gave it some goof fruity flavor while the cinnamon came in and delivered the Fall kick of spice we were looking for.

We were able to try several treats; a green monster doughnut, an XL birthday cake macaroon, gluten free coffee cake, and a cinnamon bun with frosting. Every treat we tried was flavorful and scrumptious. The macaroon tasted as good if not better than macaroons we’ve had from bakeries in bigger cities. The cinnamon bun was dripping in delicious frosting and the green monster doughnut was “good and tasty and yummy” as described by one of our littles. And we just had to try something gluten free, and the coffee cake did not disappoint! It was flavorful and had a very good consistency, a delectable dessert for those with a gluten intolerance, or those wanting to cut back for other reasons!

  • Macaroon
  • Gluten Free Coffee Cake
  • Green Monster Chocolate Doughnut
  • Cinnamon Roll

Whether you get your order to go or dine in, you have the option to sit inside or outside as you enjoy your coffee, treats, drinks, or meal (or all of the above). We had no idea that The Crick had an outdoor seating area, and one table is even under cover on this adorable porch. Day date idea in Girard, PA? We think so.

Who Can Go:

This coffee house and eatery in Girard, PA welcomes everyone and is accessible by anyone. There are a couple steps to get up to the ordering counter, so if you’re planning on coming in and getting take out, be aware of that if you are entering from the front of this Girard coffeehouse. You can, however, enter The Crick from the back (where the patio is located, there is also parking in the back) and you will not encounter any steps to get to the counter. If you are coming to dine in, there are no steps to get into the entry dining area of the dining area through the doorway to your left.

Final Thoughts:

One thing we would hate to leave out of this post is how wonderful we felt the service there was. Our barista was more than willing to help us out in making our drinks the way we would like them, and offered several suggestions to us. We were checked on when dining outside even though we had just gotten our stuff to go and decided to sit outside anyway. And the “hometown charm” in this coffeehouse in Girard, PA is phenomenal, everything about this place made us want to come back.

If you’re on a search for great coffee in Erie County, The Crick should be on your list of places to try out.

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[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with The Crick Coffeehouse and Eatery 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.]

Twisted Elk Brewery

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Twisted Elk Brewery

Do you appreciate sitting in a calm, relaxing outdoor setting while enjoying a delicious meal and a cold beer? We do; and Twisted Elk Brewery in Lake City, PA is the perfect place to do that. This local brewery is a wonderful go to on a summer evening.

Location:

Twisted Elk Brewery is located at 10139 West Lake Rd., Lake City, PA 16423.

The Twisted Elk Brewery is super close to Creamland and Lake Erie Community Park. If you’re headed out for a date night in Erie County, especially in the summer, let us plan it really quick for you. Dinner and drinks at the Twisted Elk Brewery, ice cream at Creamland, and sunset viewing at Lake Erie Community Park.

Property Description:

The outdoor setting is pretty cool, with your choice of a table and chairs or picnic tables to enjoy your food and drinks at. You’ll see it right when pull into the parking lot as it is right off of the lot.

Unfortunately, we had no reason to go inside of the brewery, so we can’t detail the indoor atmosphere for you. We are still trying to limit time spent indoors at locations, and with this location we were able to stay outdoors the entire time.

Outdoor Seating

Because we chose to sit outdoors, we did not have the opportunity to go inside on this trip. However, we know that you can grab some beer to go inside of this brewery, and there is also more seating.

What to Do:

We really enjoyed the food here. Our table had plenty of plates to try out, and went for antler fries and pretzel fries, en elk burger, a grilled cheese, and buffalo nachos. Everything we ate was super good, and even the kids ate well!

  • Antler Fries and Pretzel Fries
  • Grilled Cheese, Chips, and Pickle
  • Elk Burger

The beer list was vast and plentiful, and we just had to try at least one of them. We went with the Kona Dream, and it was definitely pretty dreamy! A perfect blend of vanilla and coffee in a stout beer.

Kona Dream

If you still want to enjoy a beer or two, but don’t have time to relax at their location, you can get your beer to go! With beer choices such as Country Blonde, Elk Creek IPA, and The “Gudge” Stout, you’re sure to find something you’ll enjoy. You’re not going to want to miss out on these!

This is an amazing location to enjoy with friends, coworkers, family, or on a date. They have live music outside on select dates, and plenty of space for their patrons to sit. Check out their website at Twisted Elk Brewery for more information!

f you’re not going on a night that they provide live entertainment, they do have music playing outside to add to the atmosphere.

We would also recommend arriving at the Twisted Elk Brewery roughly an hour to thirty minutes before sunset. We timed our trip perfectly so that we had just finished our meals as the sun was setting, and we caught a beautiful glimpse of the sunset from our table outside. Pretty romantic, if we do say so ourselves.

Great place to be as the sun is beginning to set!

Who Can Go:

As far as the vibes outside, we really feel like this is a restaurant the whole family can enjoy. We felt like we were in a very casual environment, and it was easy for everyone to enjoy their meal and the surrounding area. We had plenty of room to pull our stroller up to a table outside, and we think that it would be very easy for a wheelchair to do the same. As we mentioned above, this is also a great location to meet up with friends at to enjoy dinner and drinks (or even just drinks), or to enjoy a date night.

Final Thoughts:

If you appreciate a good beer, and you’re looking for local breweries in Erie County, put the Twisted Elk Brewery on your list and go there!

And fun fact, the Twisted Elk Brewery is a member of the Lake Erie Ale Trail, which celebrates local breweries in Erie! For more info on the Lake Erie Ale Trail, click here.

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Mike N’ Dangelo’s

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Mike N’ Dangelo’s

We love a great Italian restaurant and pizzeria, and we’re sure you guys do as well! Our quest to eat local brought us to Mike N’ Dangelo’s in Girard, PA, and they did not disappoint!

Location:

Mike N’ Dangelo’s is located at 137 West Main Street, Girard, PA 16417. It’s right on the main street of town, and it’s easily accessible by anyone who works in the buildings on Main Street.

Outside view

Property Description:

When you walk into the restaurant, you will see a counter with a cash register straight ahead. The kitchen is right behind that, and you can see into it by looking through an open cutout window behind the counter. On the counter you’ll find chips and other snacks, and to the right of the counter are two large refrigerators full of drink options, such as iced tea and bottled water.

Front Counter with view of the kitchen

If you continue past the refrigerators, you’ll find a set of French doors that leads in a dining room. Currently, the dining room is closed. They also have a lottery ticket dispenser machine, and a small area to wait for your order.

French doors to dining area
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What to Do:

Mike N’ Dangelo’s has several pizza combinations to choose from, such as philly steak, mexi melt, veggie supreme, m&d’s nightmare, and maui! There’s something about their pizza, we can’t quite put it into words. It’s has the perfect amount of crunch in the crust. The cheese is melted to perfection, not to mention the texture is great. And you know we’re not here to review, just to describe. It just has that awesome homemade, local pizza taste to it, if you guys know what we’re talking about! You can’t get that taste at a chain pizza place, it just doesn’t happen!

Cheese Pizza and Pepperoni Pizza

But Mike N’ Dangelo’s is so much more than just pizza! (Although we do have to admit that on this trip, pizza is what we got!) They have several appetizers, subs, salads, calzones, sides, wings, and desserts. This is a great one stop shop for dinner if you’re out in the Girard area (or even if you’re not)! We will put a link to their menu below if you want to check out all of their offerings!

Click here to view the menu!

Who Can Go:

Anyone can enjoy M&D’s, and we believe it’s easily accessible for anyone to enter. The dining area is absolutely wonderful for bringing your family out to dinner, and we can’t wait for them to reopen that space!

Final Thoughts:

Mike N’ D’s offers some amazing menu items at their pizza shop in Girard, PA. If you live in the area, or are going to be in the area, we recommend you stop by and check it out!

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[Editor’s note: Please be aware that we are not affiliated with Mike N’ Dangelo’s 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.]

Mason Farms Pickle Picking

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After traveling down the path known as the Corry Junction Greenway Trail, we looked for an opportunity to get outdoors but also knew there would be a few days of rain coming. For that reason, we knew this was the perfect season to go gather some Pickles at Mason Farms.

This is certainly not a *new* destination, as we previously have been to Mason Farms for both strawberry picking, as well as raspberry picking. However, as the seasons change, so does the type of fruits or vegetables that are available.

Location

If you haven’t been here yet, now is another great opportunity! Mason Farms Country Market is located on 8603 W Lake Rd, Lake City, PA 16423. It is located on Route 5, and while the stand is open at the front of the property with a small parking lot, if you are trying to go pick pickles (cucumber pickles that is), you need to drive the dirt road back into the field. It’s a simple road that is a straight shot back, and in addition to pickles there are other items still in season.

Property Description:

In addition to cucumber pickles, at this point Mason Farms still has raspberries, as well as Blueberries to be picked. There are other items getting ready to come into season, however, so by the time you read this there could be other fresh fruits or veggies to be had.

Things to do:

This was a very simple day compared to the other times we have been picking items at Mason Farms. Compare the size of a strawberry or a raspberry to a cucumber, and you can imagine why. We filled up a basket which gave us probably around 4 or 5 dozen pickles. They vary in size, but the average one was about 4 inches long, and 2 inches in diameter. Filling up a basket of pickles literally only took about 10 minutes.

One point of note: While we only picked a single basket of pickles, there were other patrons there who picked multiple baskets and of multiple fruits and veggies.

Who Can Go:

This activity was actually one of the easiest we had done. Compared to the size and fragility of raspberries (not to mention the prickers on the vines), picking cucumber pickles is a very easy thing to do. The cucumbers are much more stable for young hands than a raspberry (so less “destroyed” produce at the hands of our toddler). In addition, the size of the cucumbers means it’s a lot easier to spot one compared to trying to find berries behind leaves.

Final Thoughts:

Because this was such a short activity, we actually used many of the cucumber pickles themselves to jar pickles. This is another activity that can be done off of the cucumbers, and with a few more items that can be grabbed from the farm stand at the front of the property (for example. We grabbed peas, cauliflower, and peppers). You will of course need the other supplies such as vinegar and the mason jars, but this was an additional activity we were able to do in order to preserve the vegetables over the coming weeks and months. After all, while fresh food is a healthy part of any diet, it may be hard to eat 60 cucumbers in a week or two before they start to rot. For that reason, both the experience of picking the cucumber pickles, as well as the process of preserving them in jars, is a set of fun activities that the whole family can participate in.  

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Raspberry Picking at Mason Farms

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What can we say? We have been on a fruit kick lately, and a handful of the locations we have found happen to be in the west county of Erie, Pa. We just visited Ziesenheim Farms to pick cherries last week. It is 2020, and we are still obviously trying to maintain social distancing. This can be hard with young ones. In addition, it’s cold in Erie, PA for many months of the year. Finally, fruit seasons come and go, and if you miss one, then you’ll likely have to wait another year until you can go out and get it fresh. For that reason, we actually headed back to Mason Farms because a new season is in play. While picking fresh strawberries is still at the tail end of the season, picking red raspberries and black raspberries is now open at Mason Farms.

While we’ve already gone through the details of Mason Farms in Lake City, PA, there are a few items to note. For more in depth information, take a look at when we visited specifically for picking strawberries.  

Location:

Mason Farms is on Route 5 in Lake City, PA, just past Fairview, PA. The fruit and vegetable stand is located at 8603 W Lake Rd, Lake City, PA 16423. Remember that if you just want some farm fresh groceries, you can get them at the stand and don’t even need to drive back into the field to pick them yourself.

Property Description:

Another quick reminder that the weather in Erie is currently wonderful. It is ripe for wandering. That being said, please remember we are already passed the summer solstice. The days will already start to get shorter and the temperature will be cooler within a month or two. So, use this time now to get out and into the open under the hot sun. Being out in a field is a great way to get your steps in while also soaking up some warmth and sun rays.

Things to do:

Raspberries are great, but they are hard to come by in some parts of the country. In addition, they can be costly. A small pack at the grocery store could easily run you $5 for just a few handfuls. At Mason Farms, the price was $7 for a quart of red raspberries, and $8 for a quart of black raspberries. And the equivalency we has was right about 4 or 4.5 quarts in one cardboard basket … depending on the specific size of your basket.  

Who Can Go:

Compared to the cherry picking, this was another easy one for the full family. Berries grow a few feet off of the ground, so we didn’t have to hunch over like for the strawberries, nor did we need to climb a ladder to reach the cherries. This was one where we could all wander down the rows and grab the berries, high or low, that were within reach.

Final Thoughts:

Another great aspect we have found with wandering is once you discover a great location, remember to head back. Whether it is new sights with the season changes, new fruits and veggies to pick (or new items on the menu), or even just repeating a fun experience, we will keep bringing new locations, and great updates on old favorites, for you to wander.

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