Get ready for an electrifying summer in Erie, PA! This year promises an abundance of excitement with the unveiling of new attractions, restaurants, and services. Prepare to be wowed at the Erie Zoo, Erie Maritime Museum, and expERIEnce Children’s Museum's latest exhibits. And that's not all—Erie's culinary scene is booming with the arrival of Roma's Italian Kitchen, Two45 Waterfront Grille, and a second Bro Man's Sammiches location. Be sure to add these hotspots and others listed below to your vacation itinerary must-visit list and dive into the region’s latest offerings.

FOOD AND DRINK

WEST and SOUTH ERIE COUNTY

• Bro Man’s Sammiches is now delighting fans with birria and burger cravings at its spacious, second location. Bro Man’s Birria N’ Burger Joint opened at 2614 Glenwood Park Avenue with an expanded seating area and a mouth-watering menu. Brimming with birria tacos, smash burgers, mac and cheese, cheesesteaks, wings, and exciting additions like The Colonel Sammich hot chicken sandwich and Bro-Tato dippers (fries), Bro Man’s latest addition is a gastronomic paradise!
  
  
• There’s a new restaurant this summer on Erie’s west side. Roma’s Italian Kitchen opened in May near the corner of West 12^th Street and Peninsula Drive. The restaurant, operated by local family corporation Scott Enterprises, aspires to satisfy burgeoning appetites for Italian fare, celebrating authentic, hand-crafted dishes inspired from across the Italian peninsula.
  
  
• Congratulations to Altered State Distillery on winning multiple awards at the American Distilling Institute’s (ADI) 2024 International Spirits Competition. Additionally, Altered State Distillery has maintained its position as the top choice in Erie, winning the title of Best Distillery in the "Erie’s Choice" awards for four consecutive years. The distillery’s ADI 2024 awards are:
  • 2024 Best of Category: American Single Malt Whiskey
  • 2024 Double Gold Medal: Cask Series Single Malt Whiskey
  • 2024 Silver Medal: B-Side Bourbon (Bloody Butcher Series)
  • 2024 Bronze Medal: Spiced Rum
  • 2024 Silver Medal Excellence in Packaging: American Blended Whiskey
    
    
• Lake Erie Candy Company reopened its doors this June in grand style, proudly showing off its newly expanded retail and wholesale space in the Village West Shopping Plaza. The extra 2,000 square feet provides more room to show off an extensive selection of gourmet and novelty candies from specialty chocolates to salt water taffy.
• The beautiful town of Waterford, PA now has its own winery! Jade Winery is an intimate space offering 17 varietals of wine and refreshing juices, complimentary wine samples, live music, and special events.

DOWNTOWN

• Downtown Erie welcomed two new restaurants in one block. Noods Station 3 & Tsaocaa Bubble Tea and Bakery on 5^th opened next to each other on State Street between West 5^th Street and North Park Row. Noods Station 3 & Tsaocaa (pronounced “sow-cha”) is an Asian fusion Restaurant offering Pho, Ramen, Dim sum, Korean Fried Chicken, and Tsaocaa Bubble Tea, a Taiwanese tea-based drink that includes chewy tapioca pearls and fresh fruit flavors such as passionfruit and pineapple. The Bakery on 5^th utilizes the finest ingredients to craft utterly delightful treats, showcasing a unique blend of American and Turkish traditions in its baked delights including pavlovas, shortcakes, and Midye Baklava, a nutty and delectable Turkish sweet treat. Alongside, patrons can indulge in the rich flavors of Turkish coffee or savor an authentic Turkish breakfast.

BAYFRONT

• The Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel gave its restaurant a makeover, transforming the former Bayfront grille, into the modern, chic Two45 Waterfront Grille. Inspired by Colonel Oliver Hazard Perry’s bravery during the Battle of Lake Erie and the War of 1812, the new restaurant offers upscale American cuisine with a focus on seafood including macadamia-crusted grouper and walleye fish and chips. Two45 Waterfront Grille is open daily for dinner and Sunday brunch.
  
  
• There’s a new addition to the foot of State Street. Gnarly Knots Food Truck is parked, or rather, elevated, on the lower deck of the Bicentennial Tower. Gnarly Knots touts a totally tubular selection of surfer/beach-inspired pretzel bun sandwiches and sides such as the Rip Current, Gnarly Burger, and Perfect Ten Philly.  

OUTDOOR ATTRACTIONS

• This year, the Erie Zoo gave its North American river otter habitat a complete makeover. With a design inspired by one of Erie’s beloved parks, Wintergreen Gorge, the new exhibit debuts this July. Other additions to the exhibit are a new holding facility and an elevated boardwalk, giving visitors optimum views of its playful residents, Max and Mimi. The Zoo also refreshed its red panda exhibit, the children’s zoo bridge, and the Zoo main entrance.
  
  
• Getting out to enjoy the waters of Edinboro Lake has gotten a little easier. The Edinboro Borough entered into a partnership with Rent.Fun to install a kayak library on Lakeside Drive. Simply scan the Rent.Fun app to your smartphone, pay, and check out a kayak. Rates are hourly and include life vests and paddles. Kayaks are accessible 24/7. Presently, the library houses eight kayaks.
  
  
• Great news for visitors to Presque Isle State Park! If you’re with AT&T, you’ll now enjoy boosted service throughout the park thanks to additional equipment installations aimed at strengthening connectivity. This upgrade not only ensures uninterrupted communication for park rangers and state police but also enhances public safety by preventing dropped calls.
  
  
• The Presque Isle Lighthouse debuted two new exhibits this summer. “Play on Presque Isle” explores the lives of the children who lived at the lighthouse. The newly preserved early 1900s summer kitchen will open later this season and includes an ice box, a Hoosier cabinet, and a sink with a hand pump. Tickets are $5 for house admission, $8 for house and tower climb and $12 for a combo pass. 
  
  
• Lampe Marina is celebrating the completion of a new refrigerated building and fish cleaning station. Besides efficiently cleaning the fish, the 253-slip marina on Erie’s eastern shoreline will also repurpose the waste for environmental sustainability, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Save Our Native Species (SONS) of Lake Erie, and the Erie Western PA Port Authority. Lampe Marina's public fish cleaning station is the first public fish cleaning station in the City of Erie.
  
  
• Although Waldameer Park & Water World isn’t debuting a new ride this summer, the park continues to make improvements.
  • An expanded Snack Shack near XScream with new menu items: hot apple pie logs and chicken sandwiches.
  • Six new cabanas and shade structures inside Water World.
  • Three hundred feet of new track for the Ravine Flyer II coaster.
  • A refreshed façade for the iconic Pirates Cove.
  • Additional parking.

INDOOR ATTRACTIONS

• The expERIEnce Children’s Museum wraps up its $18 million renovation and expansion project in July with the unveiling of the museum’s renovated original building. The space features three renovated floors: Level One - three classrooms and a smART studio filled with varying art-related activities. Level Two - sensory-friendly quiet coves, a tinkering tank, testing station for rockets, airplanes and parachutes, and an Erie Recycling exhibit. Level Three - traveling exhibit space. Additionally, the museum’s spacious Certified Nature Outdoor Classroom opened this May. The first phase of the museum’s project, a 19,000-square-foot, three-story building addition, opened in June 2023.
  
  
• “Treasures of NOAA’s Ark” traveling exhibit is on display from May 2024 through April 2025 on the second floor of the Erie Maritime Museum. The exhibit showcases heritage artifacts detailing the story of how people and technology shaped NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) for more than 200 years. See instruments used to chart the undersea landscape, pay tribute to WWII heroes, and explore how everyone is connected to their environment and ecosystems.
  
  
• Five Iron Golf opened its newest location, on the corner of State Street and West 10^th, bringing a re-imagined, high-tech, inclusive golf experience to Downtown Erie. Five Iron is an indoor social entertainment facility for golfers and non-golfers featuring state-of-the-art golf simulators, golf lessons, indoor golf leagues, a full restaurant and bar, plus darts, shuffleboard, and air hockey.
  
  
• Discover your next good read or unique gift inside Tia Book Cellar. Located across from Gibson Park on Main Street in the charming town of North East, PA, Tia’s features a wide selection of new and bargain books, puzzles, and gifts for all ages.