The Vermilion Lighthouse looks out upon Lake Erie next to Main Street Beach. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

A town that is as colorful as its name, Vermilion, Ohio, was founded in 1837 and is now one of the most-visited port towns on the Great Lakes.

The town with a distinctive New England seaport flavor is named for the Vermilion River, which empties into Lake Erie. The city has been home to many sea and lake captains and sailors, giving it the nickname as the “city of sea captains.”

A lighthouse has been at the mouth of the Vermilion River since at least 1847. The current 16-foot lighthouse that stands at the Main Street Beach is a replica of the lighthouse that served the harbor from 1977 to 1929. After being dismantled from its original site, the 1877 lighthouse was reconstructed and installed on Lake Ontario at the entrance to the St. Lawrence Seaway as the East Charity Shoal Lighthouse, where it serves to this day.

The town comes by its New England flavor honestly. Vermilion is part of the Firelands, a tract offered by the State of Connecticut to the people whose property had been burned and plundered by the British during the Revolutionary War.

Take a quick tour of Vermilion from its Main Street Beach to some of the cottage areas along State Route 6. If this video does not work, please go to this link — https://youtu.be/FPqEejY6DgM

Today, Vermilion manages to be bustling and quaint at the same time. Features include Main Street Beach, the Municipal Docks and the Vermilion Lagoons areas on the Vermilion River – great places to catch some sun, relax, people-watch and boat-watch. There are several marinas and boat launches in Vermilion with fishing charters going out each day for catches of yellow perch and walleye.

To get a feel of Vermilion’s vibe, start at Exchange Park, at Harbour Town Main Street and Liberty Street. At the park, there will likely be an art show, classic car show, festival, farmer’s market or just a casual gathering going on. The downtown streets are full of restaurants, antique shops, art galleries, coffee shops, ice cream shops and much more. In fact, Vermilion offers more than 30 restaurants, cafes, bistros and pubs.

A car show takes over Main Street in Vermilion on a summer weekend. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

Things to do in Vermilion include sunset cruises on the Mystic Belle, a tour through the Vermilion History Museum, kayaking and canoeing on the Vermilion River, and an old-fashioned ice cream cone and miniature golf at Romp’s Dairy Dock.

Not far from Vermilion on State Route 6 along the Lake Erie shoreline are a number of cottage/campgrounds that offer overnight lodging with lakeside views. These include Beulah Beach, Cottages at the Water’s Edge, Mari-Dor Beach Cottages, Firefly Beach Resort and many more privately-owned vacation homes for rent.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

Share Dusty Tires with a friend; your likes and comments are appreciated. Be sure to check out the Dusty Tires YouTube channel. And subscribe to Dusty Tires and receive a weekly email with the latest blog article. It’s free!

All rights reserved, Dusty Tires (dusty-tires.com), 2026.