Day 8 - Our Great Lake

We have to emphasize that Cleveland is special because we are lucky to live right next to a great lake! Besides our consistent water source, the lake also makes it easier for us to harvest wind energy and be more economically efficient. Most importunely for us, however, the lake introduces residents with a variety of activities to participate in! 

Birds eye view of the yacht club

Firstly, for those interesting in boating, there is a fact club and multiple arenas that you can join. The yacht club will give lessons to those who are not members but are looking into the hobby of boating. You can join the club without owning a boat, and the activities available to members include...

• Power Fleet Cruises
• Sail Races
• Water Sports
• Sail Camp and Swim Team
• Youth Activities
• Fishing Tournaments
• Skeet, Bowling and Golf Fleets
• Chorus Programs
• Ladies Sailing and Social Groups
• Book Club and Bridge Games
• Wine Tasting Dinner
• Holiday Celebrations

(note that in the picture, the water looks gross, but as soon as the boat leaves the docking area the water is much more blue)

Edgewater

We visited two beaches today that are great for people of all ages. The first was Edgewater Park, located near the downtown area. The view is perfect and lets you see the buildings downtown over the water. There are parks nearby for children to play on, picnic areas, stands set up to grab a bite to eat, and ice cream trucks often come by in the summer. There are also paths right next to the beach that are great for a walk or run, and in the summer, there is a place where you are able to rent bikes! These bikes are not all normal, some are made so two people can pedal side by side with an awning over them. It's a really popular event for families especially. There are also docks provided for fishing (they have a stand that sells worms), and there are also boat launch ramps for people who want to bring their own boat. It is easy on a nice day for someone to spend their whole day here! 

(note: it is in our opinion, however, that we do not recommend swimming at this beach as the water seemed dirty.)

The second popular beach is Mentor Headlines State Park, located in Mentor. This park holds 120 acres of land, and the beach is perfect to come to on a hot summer day! There is not as much to do as Edgewater, but the water is much cleaner and good for swimming. It is great for people of all ages, and during the busy hours of a summer day lifeguards are on duty to guard swimmers. Sometimes people come in and provide wind surfing lessons too! When we visited we couldn't swim because the water was still cold, but we still appreciated the park for it's beauty and plan on coming back when it heats up!

A beautiful shot of Mentor Headlines Beach. (It's always very clean and spacious)

Other areas to note:

Wildwood - A great place to dock and/or launch boats into the water. There is a picnic area nearby, playground, and walking path. This is a place especially good for fishing because of the summer Walleye!

Villa Angela - This has a very beautiful boardwalk and fitness trails, a 900-ft beach for swimming, and a bathhouse.

Euclid Beach - This has a 650-ft beach for swimming, and picnic areas that can be used to rent for parties that hold up to 50 people.

Gordon Park - This place also has a picnic area, but it is great for fishing too! It holds 6 boat launch ramps, and because of the location near the Cleveland Electric and Illuminating Company, there is warmer water discharged into the lake that attracts steelhead and salmon.

East 55th Marina - This is a good place to dock a boat. It is a gated community so your boat is safe overnight, and there is a place to eat where you can literally park your boat right outside! 

Overall

We encourage all residents of Cleveland to use our lake to its full advantage! Fisherman, swimmers, runners - everyone can find a way the lake helps them fulfill their activities! We also must say that while we explored the area today, we saw that the houses by the lake were gorgeous. It seems like a great place to live, and we could only imagine the view they have from their windows. We are so lucky to live next to a great lake, and everyone should check out at least one of the parks mentioned above.