A city on the lake
When Mike and I travel Ohio, being water lovers, we often find ourselves drawn back to Lake Erie. We often follow the very scenic Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail. Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, has 871 miles of shoreline. There are many Cities, towns and villages along the lake shore in Ohio. Toledo, and Cleveland are the largest. but many other picturesque towns and villages dot the shoreline. One this trip we decided to spend the day in Vermillion.
Vermillion is a beautiful city in Erie and Loraine counties on the lake. It is 24 miles west of Cleveland and 17 miles east of Sandusky.
Vermillion is located at the mouth of the Vermillion River, which is where the city got its name. It is known as the Village of Lake Captains, due to the fact that many 19th century lake captains chose Vermillion to build their homes here and made it their homeport. You can take a walking tour of the captain homes. The self-guided tour of the captains homes begins at the Ritter Public Library located at 5680 Liberty Avenue. Below is a link to the walking tour.
www.Vermilionhistory.org/history/tour
There are many other beautiful Victorian homes, and a public beach on Main Street and the downtown features many antique shops, and restaurants.
You never know what you will find on Ohio road trips. We found this beautifully restored Woody in a neighborhood and we had to stop and talk with the owner.
Vermilion has a rich history besides the Lake Captains homes The Lake Erie shipyards built large lake schooners here. The print shop and newspaper office which closed in 1964, is now open as the Vermillion History Museum.
After a day exploring the town, we decided to find somewhere to eat. We chose Big Ed’s Soda Grill The style of Big Ed’s is reminiscent of old time soda fountains. It was a fun atmosphere and the food was delicious.
