When the train rolled into Erie, Pennsylvania, I had no idea I’d be leaving with more than just memories. I arrived with a weekend bag and a mind craving a bit of peace, drawn by stories of Lake Erie’s silvery horizon and a town that holds onto time like it’s something sacred. A few days later, my return ticket bore a new weight—carefully wrapped bottles, hand-labeled jars, and a growing appreciation for a place that lives quietly and proudly by its lake.
Erie has a way of charming the observant traveler, not with grandiosity, but with genuine character. And nowhere is that character more tangible than in the souvenirs it offers—tokens that whisper of the lake breeze, the rustle of grapevines, and the warmth of communities where stories still pass hand to hand. These aren’t just knickknacks with a town name stamped across them. These are keepsakes with roots.
1. Presque Isle-Inspired Artisan Goods
There’s no Erie without Presque Isle State Park. It’s not just a beach destination; it’s a living, breathing part of the local identity. The peninsula’s shifting sands, bike trails, and marshy coves have inspired generations of local artists and craftspeople, many of whom capture the spirit of this place in their work.
At a Saturday market near Frontier Park, I met a painter named Lila who sells hand-painted tiles and watercolor postcards. Each piece carries a scene from Presque Isle—the North Pier Lighthouse, a sunset melting into the bay, or the soft silhouettes of dune grass. The glazes shimmer like the lake under morning light. These are small, easy-to-pack gifts, but they hold the kind of nostalgia usually reserved for old family photos.
A few stalls down, a potter displayed mugs etched with driftwood textures and glazed in lake-inspired blues and grays. One caught my eye—it had the coordinates of Presque Isle carved just below the rim. It now lives in my kitchen, reminding me daily that sometimes the best mornings start with fog and the smell of freshwater.
2. Lake Erie Wine and Grape Heritage
Drive twenty minutes outside Erie and the world turns purple in the fall. The Lake Erie Wine Country stretches across the shoreline, and even in spring, you can taste the anticipation in the air. The region is one of the oldest grape-growing areas in the U.S., producing Concord grapes, sweet hybrids, and increasingly, elegant vinifera wines.
A visit to Mazza Vineyards opened my eyes—and palate. Their Ice Wine is liquid gold: concentrated, honeyed, and made from grapes that hang on the vines until they freeze naturally. It’s a bottle of patience and craft, meant to be shared slowly, maybe on a snowy night when you want to remember the sun.
I brought back three bottles: the Ice Wine, a dry Riesling with flinty minerality, and a locally rare Chambourcin rosé. Every sip carries the cool lake air and the careful work of people who know their soil and season. For anyone seeking a gift with Erie’s agricultural essence, local wine is unmatched.
3. Smoked Fish and Local Preserves
The lake doesn’t only offer scenery—it offers flavor. Erie’s fish houses and delis sell smoked whitefish and lake trout, cured in traditional methods that haven’t changed much in decades. The scent is unmistakable: briny, smoky, and deeply rooted.
At Horseradish Grill & Smokehouse, I picked up a vacuum-sealed pack of smoked whitefish that somehow made it back intact despite the temptation to eat it en route. Paired with local horseradish mustard, it’s an Erie delicacy that captures the working heritage of its waterfront.
Nearby farm shops offer preserves made with Lake Erie fruits—grape jelly, of course, but also peach butter and cherry chutney. Many of these are made by family operations that stretch back generations. There’s something deeply satisfying in knowing the jelly on your toast came from fruit grown under the same sky you once stood beneath.
4. Vintage Finds and Maritime History
Walking into an Erie antique shop is like stepping into the attic of someone who’s lived a full life near the water. Nautical charts, ship bells, carved gulls, and old postcards from Waldameer Park tell stories that go back to the days when Erie was a shipbuilding hub and a key port on the Great Lakes.
At The Erie Picker, tucked in an old warehouse near Peach Street, I found a weathered compass mounted on wood, said to be salvaged from a decommissioned tugboat. Whether or not that’s entirely true doesn’t matter. What matters is that it looks and feels like it could tell its own story.
These aren’t mass-produced souvenirs. They’re tangible bits of Erie’s maritime soul, perfect for those who appreciate a touch of rust and history.
5. Locally Crafted Apparel and Lake-Inspired Jewelry
If you want something wearable, Erie delivers without veering into cliché. Local outfitters like Lake Erie Apparel and Erie & Anchor offer more than just “I ❤️ Erie” hoodies. Their designs speak a quiet local pride: soft cotton shirts with topographical lake maps, hats with the coordinates of your favorite fishing spot, or sweatshirts that read “Good Things Happen by the Water.”
One piece I now wear often is a bracelet made from recycled lake glass and antique boat rope. It’s subtle, but it catches the eye and sparks conversation. The maker, a jeweler who operates out of a home studio in Fairview, told me she combs the lake shore after storms, collecting bits of glass smoothed by decades in the surf. Each bracelet tells time differently, with pieces of bottles once tossed, now transformed.
6. Soapstone, Candles, and Lake-Air Scents
Some souvenirs don’t speak loudly—they simply smell like where you’ve been. Erie-based makers have tapped into this quiet power of scent, creating soy candles and soaps that echo the lake’s atmosphere.
In a boutique called Pointe Foure, I found a candle named “Harbor Fog.” It opens with notes of wet stone and driftwood, settling into a soft, clean musk. Lighting it in the evening doesn’t just illuminate the room—it brings back the scent of damp docks and dusk walks by the shore.
There were soaps labeled with names like “Sandy Neck” and “Fisherman’s Wake,” each wrapped in recycled maps and tied with jute. It’s not about novelty; it’s about mood. About bringing a little Erie fog home in your carry-on.
7. Handmade Stationery and Great Lakes Cartography
There’s a quiet resurgence of paper goods in Erie. Maybe it’s the lake effect, maybe it’s the seasons, but there’s something about this town that breeds meticulous hands and patient hearts.
One afternoon, browsing a shop near Dobbins Landing, I found a series of notebooks bound in sailcloth and stitched by hand. Each cover bore an old nautical chart or a map of the lake basin. No digital clone could capture the texture of these—faint pencil notes, the faded pinks and greens of old paper, the curling corners from salt and sun.
Paired with locally made pens crafted from driftwood and brass, these items aren’t just stationery. They’re instruments of memory—perfect for journaling your own Erie chapters or gifting to someone who understands that the best writing begins with a sense of place.
8. Grape-Themed Confections and Local Chocolates
Concord grapes aren’t just for wine. They make their way into truffles, gummies, and hand-pulled taffy that still carries the tart punch of the original fruit. I stopped by Romolo Chocolates, a fourth-generation chocolatier where everything is done with old-world care.
They offer a “Grape Trail” box—a mix of chocolate-covered grape creams, infused caramels, and even a grape ganache square that lingers with a surprising complexity. It’s candy, yes, but candy with depth. The kind of sweet that makes you pause.
A lesser-known treat I discovered at a roadside stand was grape jerky—dried fruit leather made from Concords harvested at peak ripeness. It’s chewy, intensely flavorful, and entirely unique to this corner of the state.
9. Wool, Weather, and the Legacy of the Mill Town
Erie wears its seasons. Winters come with teeth, and locals layer with pride. In the historic district, I stumbled upon a small weaving studio that sells wool scarves, mittens, and throws spun and dyed right in town. The fibers are thick, the patterns traditional—plaids, chevrons, and simple nautical stripes.
Each item feels built to last, like the brick warehouses that flank the streets. I brought home a navy-and-cream blanket that carries the quiet weight of Erie’s winters. It isn’t flashy, but it’s honest.
10. Local Books and the Written Echo of Erie’s Voice
No visit feels complete without finding the voices that have lived the place longer than you. At Pressed Books & Coffee, I picked up a volume of Lake Erie ghost stories—tales of lighthouse keepers and shipwrecks, told with the kind of eerie reverence that only locals can get right.
There was also a slim poetry collection by a teacher from nearby Edinboro, filled with verses about dune grass, snow squalls, and long drives on Route 5. These books don’t just tell you about Erie—they let you listen in.
11. Final Thoughts That Aren’t Really Final
Nothing about Erie shouts for attention. It gestures instead—toward the lake, the grape fields, the fog rolling in over the piers. Its souvenirs are the same. They don’t scream novelty; they hum with place and patience. They remind you that meaning often lives in the quiet, in the hand-thrown, the slow-aged, the locally gathered.
Leaving Erie doesn’t mean letting go. It means holding on—through objects shaped by time, people, and place. And in that way, the trip continues. Every time the candle flickers, the wine breathes, or the lake glass catches the light just right.