How To Spend The Perfect 3 Days In Geneva-On-The-Lake
This year, I have really been craving time on the lake. When I had the opportunity to partner with Ohio. Find It Here. on another road trip post, I knew that I needed to visit somewhere on Lake Erie. Luckily, Geneva-On-The-Lake, Ohio is one of the destinations on the Charming Towns Road Trip by Ohio. Find It Here. and it made for a great Ohio staycation for us! I will be sharing how to spend the perfect 3 days in Geneva-On-The-Lake including where to stay, what to do, see, and eat while you’re there! Thanks to Ohio. Find It Here. for sponsoring this post.
One thing that I love about living in Ohio is being close to Lake Erie. I definitely took living in such proximity to one of the beautiful Great Lakes for granted growing up. Now that I am an adult, I think it would be really difficult for me to live anywhere that isn’t close to the beach – whether that be a lake or ocean. It is a part of me now and I just can’t stay away!
A Perfect 3 Days In Geneva-On-The-Lake
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We recently had to cancel a family reunion trip that we were supposed to split our time between Anna Maria Island and Sanibel Island, Florida and I was so missing my beach time! I’m so glad that we chose to visit Geneva-On-The-Lake. It definitely gave me the beach fix that I was looking for!
Even though Geneva-On-The-Lake is not super far from home, it felt like we had gone away on a real vacation. We had the most wonderful time spending 3 days in Geneva-On-The-Lake! I want to share our itinerary with you in hopes that you might be able to get away too!
Things To Know Before Spending 3 Days In Geneva-On-The-Lake
How To Get Around
Getting around Geneva-On-The-Lake is very easy because of how walkable the town is. You can also rent bikes or a golf cart to help you get from point A to point B. It’s easy enough to drive as well or you may want to sign up for a winery bus tour if you plan to visit a few of the wineries. We really love Sunset Taxi because they have so many different vehicle options that it makes things easy no matter how many people you have in your group.
Where To Stay During Your 3 Days In Geneva-On-The-Lake
When thinking about where to stay during your 3 days in Geneva-on-the-Lake, there are plenty of options for every group size and budget. My recommendations for accommodations in Geneva-on-the-Lake are
- High End – The Lodge at Geneva-On-The-Lake Cottages
- Mid-Range – The Lakehouse Inn
- Budget – Camping at Geneva State Park Campground
What To Wear in Geneva-On-The-Lake
Geneva-On-The-Lake is pretty casual for the most part, but we like to dress a bit nicer. You can definitely get away with shorts and a t-shirt though if that is more your syle! I packed a nice, flowy dress for the winery day, white jeans, a sweater, jean shorts, and a few nice tops.
Helpful Tips For Your 3 Days In Geneva-On-The-Lake
Geneva-On-The-Lake is famous for The Strip with its many historic and charming local businesses and restaurants. Most of them are only open on Saturday and Sunday and during peak travel season so keep that in mind while planning your trip and always check the hours before you go.
If you want to visit the more popular wineries, like M Cellars, Debonne or Laurentia, go early! That way, you can beat the rush and enjoy your time with fewer people.
To make things easier and safer, book a winery tour through Sunset Taxi. You can choose your own itinerary or let them suggest a good plan for you.
Things To Do During Your 3 Days In Geneva-On-The-Lake
This 3 day itinerary is what we did on our trip to Geneva-on-the-Lake. We had an amazing time and I hope it will give you inspiration to go off of or you can follow it completely for a lovely trip!
Day 1: The Lodge at Geneva-On-The-Lake and Geneva State Park
Afternoon
When you arrive, check-in and get settled into your hotel! We chose to stay in a Cottage at The Lodge at Geneva-On-The-Lake. I liked that they were all individual cottages so we would have our own space. Like I said before, I really wanted to stay right on Lake Erie and our cottage was about as close as you can get to the water! I also loved that it has a nice front porch for epic sunset and sunrise watching.
Once you unpack, take a walk around and explore! I like to get my bearings when visiting a new place, so we walked the hotel property, along Lake Erie, and into Geneva State Park. There’s an entrance to the park just to the left of the lodge.
Evening
After exploring, we went to dinner at Horizon’s restaurant at the lodge. We sat on the patio and enjoyed the idyllic Lake Erie views. My husband and I both ordered the Fish and Chips and enjoyed some local wine and beer.
Once we had stuffed ourselves with our dinners, we decided to watch the sunset from our cottage porch. I will never get sick of sunsets and dreamy cotton candy skies! We called it a night early and opted to enjoy the cozy cottage for a movie night.
Day 2: The Strip and Geneva-On-The-Lake Wineries
Morning
After going to bed early, we woke up feeling refreshed and excited for our first full day in Geneva-On-The-Lake. We had brought some breakfast food to make in our kitchenette and drank our coffee on the porch while admiring the views. There’s something so peaceful about drinking coffee outside in such a beautiful setting. Yet another reason why I need to live near the water someday! (Since writing this blog post, I did move and now live a 5 minute walk from Lake Erie – dreams do come true, ha!) Horizons Restaurant also offers breakfast at the hotel if you would rather enjoy a nice continental breakfast.
Once we got ready, we walked over to the lodge to pick up our golf cart for the day. The Lodge at Geneva-On-The-Lake was nice enough to give us a complimentary rental for the day – thank you! I highly recommend renting one because we had so much fun driving it around and it was super convenient and easy to park on The Strip.
Afternoon
We drove it over to The Strip and ended up having lunch on the patio of Ruff Life On The Lake. It is a cafe and dog boutique, and doggy daycare! We don’t have a dog but it was still a cute place to eat, and if you do have one its obviously very pet friendly…they even have a doggy menu!
Next, we decided to grab a coffee from The Corner Coffeehouse to-go before visiting the Old Firehouse Winery. I chose to try their dry and specialty wine tasting and we ordered some fries too. They were delicious! It was nice to sit on the patio and just hang out for a while.
It started to rain as we were wrapping up at the Old Firehouse Winery, so we decided it would be the perfect time to go back to our cottage and relax for a while before dinner.
Evening
Luckily, the rain stopped and we had a beautiful evening on the patio at The Lakehouse Inn Winery. You can eat inside at Crosswinds Grille with a full menu but we did not make reservations ahead of time. Instead, we ordered a pizza and drinks from the outdoor bar to eat on the patio which was also great. The Lakehouse Inn has some stunning views of Lake Erie and we had the best time hanging out there for the evening.
Next, we went back to our cottage for *you guessed it* yet another gorgeous sunset! It was one of those incredible sunsets where everyone was outside admiring the view and friends all over Northeast Ohio were sharing their amazing sunset shots online. It was one of those memories you won’t quickly forget.
Day 3: Visit The Grand River Valley Wineries
Morning
On the final day of our 3 days in Geneva-On-The-Lake, we visited the pool at The Lodge before getting ready for the day. There are outdoor and indoor pools so take your pick! By the time we were ready, it was almost lunchtime. We planned to visit a few Geneva wineries and decided to go to Laurentia Winery first. You can sign up for a winery bus tour through The Lodge as well but we didn’t end up doing that this time.
Laurentia Winery is about a 20-minute drive from Geneva-On-The-Lake. The grounds and restaurant at Laurentia are stunning, the dry wines are excellent, and we really enjoyed our time there. We ordered 2 of the daily specials and a glass of wine for a light lunch.
I ordered the Shrimp and Scallop Picattta and Alex ordered some Pork Medallions. For our wine choices, I had to try the Laurel Blanc (obviously!!) and Alex tried a Riesling. We both loved our choices and the fact that our wines were on the drier side. I love exploring Ohio’s wine country but sometimes the wine is very sweet, so Laurentia was a great discovery for us and has become our favorite Ohio winery.
Afternoon
Stop 2 on our Grand River Winery tour was Debonné Vineyards. We knew that this is one of the most popular wineries in the area so we wanted to go earlier in the day before the evening rush. Alex tried the dry red wines tasting and I opted for the dry whites. We both enjoyed our choices and had the best outdoor spot too, sitting under a little gazebo overlooking the vineyard with views of the whole winery and gardens outside.
Evening
We had intended to go on to M Cellars as well, but we decided to spend some more time back at our cottage and have another dinner at Horizons Restaurant at the lodge. We just wanted to have a relaxing last night before going home the next day. A few other wineries in the Geneva area that we love are M Cellars, South River Vineyard, and Benny Vino. If you want to hear more about the wineries in Geneva, check out my Friend’s podcast episode about it!
Going Home After Your 3 Days In Geneva-On-The-Lake
I definitely recommend that you wake up early to catch the sunrise. It was such a peaceful experience to sit and watch the sun come up on our last morning at the Lodge. Check-out isn’t until 11 am but we had to head out early for work and I’m so glad we did or I probably wouldn’t have seen a sunrise during this trip. Photos just can’t do it justice – it was so beautiful!
More Things To Do During Your 3 Days In Geneva-On-The-Lake
Madsen Donuts – serving donuts for the past 80 years, seasonal
Eddie’s Grill – 50’s style fare, open daily Memorial Day – Labor Day, Weekends starting on Mother’s Day Weekend
Alison’s Mini-Golf – est. 1924 and the oldest miniature golf course in America
GOTL Brewing Company – open year-round
Lake Erie Canopy Tours – aerial adventure park
Pucker Up Candy Shoppe – open May – October
The Lakehouse Inn Spa – enjoy a couples massage
We had the best time spending 3 days in Geneva-On-The-Lake and I know you would too! Leave me a comment below with any questions you may have, or let me know what your favorite things to do in the Geneva-On-The-Lake area! And definitely check out the Charming Towns road trip by Ohio. Find It Here. for more Ohio travel inspiration!
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If you enjoyed this article, consider reading Escape Into Nature With Getaway Cabins, Everything You Need To Know About Dwell Box Treehouse Village, or one of my most recent blog posts below!
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Brian Heinle
are there bicycle trails in Geneva-on-the-Lake?
Laurel Wilson
Brian HeinleYes! There are bike trails in Geneva-On-The-Lake! A few of them are The Western Reserve Greenway bike trail, Maple and Highlands trail, and Geneva State Park bike trails. 🙂
Jamie
Where is the bridge located that is your cover photo?