By: Lynne Clement
Looking for a fall getaway? Many visitors say fall is the best time to visit the quaint town of North East, Pennsylvania. Nestled along the shores of Lake Erie–near Erie, PA–fall offers comfortable weather, changing leaf color, the aroma of ripened grapes on the vine, and many festivals to celebrate harvest time.
Here are my top 5 recommendations for fall activities to help you plan your visit to North East.
1. Visit wineries and sample the local wines
North East, Pennsylvania boasts 13 wineries. If that’s not enough, the wine trail of Lake Erie Wine Country extends both east and west of North East giving you even more wineries to explore. In fact, we have 50 miles with 23 wineries and 30,000 vineyard acres. North East has a concentration of wineries, making it the ideal place for your wine tasting adventures.
Ladies getaways, bachelorette weekends, couples getaways, anniversary celebrations, quilters retreats, book clubs, surprise engagement, adult birthdays — we’ve hosted them all. Check out our ideas for how to plan a ladies weekend.
Wineries are open 7 days per week, only closing on a few major holidays. Weekdays tend to be quieter. Plan for an event weekend if you like a more festive and bustling atmosphere.
Here are the 13 wineries in North East, Pennsylvania:
Yori Wine Cellars – located in the historic North East downtown on Route 89
Penn Shore Winery – located on Route 5
Presque Isle Wine Cellars – located on Route 20
Courtyard Winery – located on Route 20
Driftwood Wine Cellars – located in the historic North East downtown on Route 20
Cellar ’54 – located on W. Law Road (close to Courtyard Winery).
Mazza Wineries – located on Route 5 (in walking distance to Clement’s Lake Erie Cottages)
South Shore Wine Company – located on Route 89
Lakeview Wine Cellars – 8440 Singer Road, North East, PA
Heritage Wine Cellars – located on Route 20
Arundel Cellars & Brewing – located on Route 20
Arrowhead Wine Cellars located on Route 20
Burch Farms – 9210 Sidehill Road, North East, PA
2. Attend a fall festival or event
Harvest time brings an air of excitement to historically agricultural areas. North East and its neighboring towns are no exception. Nearly every fall weekend features a festival or event.
Here are 9 fall events for 2024:
August 30 to September 1, 2024
Harvest Festival in Findley Lake, NY (pictured below) – The free festival is held on Main Street and throughout the town. You can enjoy live music, vendors and crafters, food, wine tasting, a beer tent, kids carnival, fun shops, set along the beautiful Findley Lake. My favorite shops are Our Own Candle Company, Our Own Candle Company Gift Outlet Store, and Secret Cubby. Insider Tip: Alexander’s on the Lake has great burgers (and is gluten-free friendly) but be prepared for a little wait on a busy festival day. Pine Junction Tavern is a couple miles away and also a nice way to end your day.
September 7 & 8, 2024
Westfield, NY Grape & Wine Festival – This family-friendly festival is located at Moore Park (downtown Westfield) and the Grape Discovery Center (8305 West Main Street). The Moore Park location features a farmers’ and artisans’ marketplace with chicken BBQ, grape ice cream and slushies, grape stomping, a grape pie content, a grape pie eating content, local wines and craft beverages, and live music. The town of Westfield has numerous shops and restaurants including Brazill’s on Main, Grace & Abe’s, Annex 25, Concord Quilting Studio’s new Westfield location, and the famous Portage Pie.
At the Grape Discovery Center, take a hay wagon ride through the vineyards (on Saturday only), learn about grape growing and grape equipment, enjoy music on the patio and the gift shop. Also visit the local wineries of Westfield, NY including Johnson Estate Winery, Noble Winery, and Mazza Chautauqua Cellars to name a few.
September 14, 2024
Penn Shore Winery Concert – Enjoy a free concert and free parking at Penn Shore Winery. Six Year Stretch plays from 5 to 9 PM in the vineyard setting behind Penn Shore Winery, located at 10225 East Lake Road, North East, PA. The concert is free. No outside food or drinks are permitted, but you can purchase food and drinks on the premises. Insider Tip: Bring camp chairs or a blanket for seating. While some picnic table seating is available, it fills up fast.
September 21, 2024
Presque Isle Wine Cellars Concert — Bring a lawn chair and enjoy an evening of fun from 5:30 to 9 PM at Presque Isle Wine Cellars, 9440 West Main St, North East PA. Food trucks, live music, lawn games, kids and dogs welcome. No outside food and drinks allowed.
September 27 to 29, 2024
North East WineFest — This is the biggest wine festival of the year in our area. Three days of live music, vendors, artisans, food trucks, a merrimaking at the local wineries. Insider Tip: Free to attend the event located in Gibson Park in historic downtown North East. But you must purchase a ticket if you plan to taste wine. This is a big event so make dinner reservations ahead of time if you plan to dine out.
October 4-5, 2024
Fall Fest, located at Gravel Pit Park in North East, PA offers brews, beverages, food trucks, live music, artisans and craft vendors. $10 per person supports our local volunteer fire company.
October 12-13 and 19-20, 2024
Peek ‘n Peak Fall Fest in Clymer, NY features two weekends of family-friendly food, beverages, a craft show, farmers’ market, expansive kids’ zone, horse drawn carriage rides, pumpkin cannon, petting zoo, classic car cruise-in, snow sports equipment swap, giant zip line, aerial adventures ropes course, and mountain coaster all set in the foothills of this scenic ski resort. Insider Tip: The Kettle Corn vendor is amazing!
October 19, 2024
HarborCREEP Children’s Fall Festival is a children-focused event featuring pumpkin decorating, face painting, food trucks, fire trucks, and kid-friend haunted house (with lights on). Admission is free. Donations are appreciated. Location: 5601 Buffalo Road, Harborcreek PA from 1-4 PM.
November 1 to 3, 2024-Harvest Weekend #1 in North East
November 8 to 10, 2024-Harvest Weekend #2 in North East
Visit participating wineries to sample food and wine pairings inspired by the harvest season. This is a ticketed event. Buy your tickets through www.lakeeriewinecountry.org.
3. Go apple picking
Aside from the physical and mental health benefits of picking apples, who doesn’t love homemade apple pies, apple donuts, apple crisp, apple cobbler, apple butter, apple sauce, and caramel apples?
Sceiford Quality Fruit is our favorite apple-picking place. Located at 11820 Middle Road, North East, PA (less than a mile from Clement’s Lake Erie Cottages vacation rentals in North East).
4. Hike or bike the beautiful fall foliage
Our local bike shop in North East, Lake Country Bike, offers free maps for cyclists interested in biking the area – and even biking to the wineries. They also offer organized wine country bike tours on September 27 and 28, 2024 during the WineFest event.
Popular hiking spots near North East, PA are:
Conservation Park | 20 Mile Creek in North East, PA (photo below) – This park has both unpaved and paved paths that lead to Fisherman’s Beach, a dog-friendly beach. You’ll often see fly fishermen in 20 Mile Creek and along the mouth of the creek.
Wintergreen Gorge in Harborcreek, PA – This six-mile gorge has a 1.2-mile-long trail and beautiful views of 4-Mile Creek. Part of the gorge is adjacent to the campus of Penn State Behrend, also known as Penn State Erie. Access the trail and parking at 3399 Cooper Road, or via parking lots at the Prischak Educational Building or Ohio Hall of Penn State Behrend.
Panama Rocks in Panama, NY – The main trail at Panama Rocks is a one-mile loop. Good mobility is necessary. Bring your cell phone/camera because the rock formations are Instagram-worthy.
Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA – This state park has several trails, but the most popular is the 13.3-mile paved multi-purpose trail. Multi-purpose means you can walk, run, bike, or rollerblade. And, it’s dog-friendly–as long as your pet is on a leash. This trail is mostly flat and you can enjoy views of Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie, fall leaves, and birds.
5. Enjoy beautiful scenery and grape-scented air
If you’ve never been to North East in September, you haven’t experienced the sweet grape aroma that fills the air for a few weeks each September. This happens when the Concord grapes are ripening on the vines of miles of vineyards. Imagine stepping outside into this sweet scent or taking a drive with the windows rolled down to enjoy the grape aroma. It is truly a unique experience.
The best weeks color leaf color here along Lake Erie are typically in early to middle of October. Drive along the country roads of North East and surrounding areas to see colorful leaves, harvesting equipment in action, and views of Lake Erie. Stop at the local farmstands for fresh produce – including Concord grapes.
Do you have additional suggestions — or questions about visiting our area? Comment here, or reach out to Lynne by text at 814-566-4722 or [email protected].