Main Street Beach in Vermilion is a perfect place for a summer day.

Looking for a beach vacation, or just a day away from the usual scenery? You can find fun at the beach without leaving Ohio. And you won’t have to worry about sharks, jellyfish, rip tides or hurricanes, either.

Most people think about Lake Erie when they think about beaches in Ohio, and with 312 miles of shoreline, there are many public beaches to choose from on Lake Erie. There are also a number of inland lake beaches that make great daytrips or weekend getaways.

Here are some of the best public beaches in Ohio:

• Alum Creek State Park’s 3,000-foot beach (Delaware) is the largest inland beach in the state’s park system. 3615 S. Old State Road, Delaware.

• Buck Creek State Park (Springfield) is another state park with a large sand beach – 2,400 feet along the CJ Brown Reservoir. 1976 Buck Creek Lane, Springfield.

• Buckeye Lake State Park (Buckeye Lake) has two public beaches with swimming areas that include picnicking, parking and latrines — Fairfield Beach on the south side of the lake, and Crystal Beach on the north side. 2871 Liebs Island Road, Millersport (park office).

• Catawba Island State Park (Port Clinton) has a cobblestone beach with four fishing ramps, picnic areas and restrooms. 4049 E. Moore’s Dock Road, Port Clinton.

• Conneaut Township Park (Conneaut) has a quarter-mile long Lake Erie beach with boardwalk, food concessions, recreational activities, restrooms and more. The park hosts D-Day Ohio, an annual World War II D-Day reenactment each August. 480 Lake Road, Conneaut.

• Deer Creek State Park (Mt. Sterling) has a 1,700-foot sandy beach with picnic tables and grills. 20635 State Park Road 20, Mt. Sterling.

• East Harbor State Park (Marblehead) has a 1,500-foot sand beach on Lake Erie where you can view Cedar Point. 1169 N. Buck Road, Lakeside-Marblehead.

• Edgewater Beach (Cleveland), part of Lakefront Reservation, has a 2,400-foot beach on Lake Erie with great views of the city’s skyline. Located between Memorial Shoreway (SR 2) and Lake Erie, Cleveland.

Ohio has about 312 miles of Lake Erie shoreline, including a number of excellent public beaches.

• Euclid Beach Park (Cleveland) has a 650-foot sandy beach with shaded picnic areas, a scenic observation pier and a reservable pavilion. 16301 Lakeshore Blvd., Cleveland.

• Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park (Fairport) has a charming, scenic beach on Lake Erie including a boardwalk and views of Fairport Harbor Lighthouse. 301 Huntington Beach Drive, Fairport.

• Geneva State Park’s beach on Lake Erie is a 600-foot natural beach that’s convenient for state park campers and visitors to nearby Geneva-on-the-Lake. A two-mile paved trail connects the state park and beach to the resort town. 4499 Padanarum Road, Geneva-on-the-Lake.

• Grand Lake St. Marys State Park (Celina) has four public swimming beaches available on its 52 miles of shoreline. 834 Edgewater Drive, Celina.

• Headlands Beach State Park (Mentor) is among the most picturesque beaches on Lake Erie. It has a 35-acre sandy beach that stretches for a mile long on Lake Erie (longest beach on Lake Erie in Ohio), sand dunes and a lighthouse. 9601 Headlands Road, Mentor.

• Huntington Beach (Bay Village) is a Cleveland Metropark that features a picnic plaza, changing rooms, grills, food concessions, picnic areas and restrooms. Huntington Reservation, Bay Village.

• Kelleys Island State Park (Kelleys Island) has a gorgeous beach that is only a short walk from campsites in the park. 920 Division St., Kelleys Island.

• Lake Erie Bluffs (Perry) has more than 9,000 feet of sandy and cobble beach and 40-foot-high beach bluffs. A 50-foot-tall coastal wildlife observation tower is located there. 3301 Lane Road, Perry.

• Lakeview Park (Lorain) offers a sandy beach, views of the Lorain Lighthouse and an historic rose garden. 1800 W. Erie Ave., Lorain.

• Main Street Beach (Vermilion) is an excellent 300-foot Lake Erie beach adjacent to the Vermilion Lighthouse and the inlet of the Vermilion River. This beach features ADA compliant access and concessions. 479 Main St., Vermilion.

• Maumee Bay State Park (Oregon) has two beaches — a beach on Lake Erie that stretches for a half-mile of lakefront, and one on an inland lake. Restrooms and outdoor showers are located between the two beaches. Other features include an amphitheater, water slide, beach volleyball and boat rentals. 1400 State Park Road, Oregon.

• Parks operated by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) include Atwood Lake (Mineral City), Charles Mill Reservoir (Mansfield), Clendening Lake (Freeport), Leesville Lake (Bowerston), Piedmont Lake (Piedmont), Pleasant Hill Lake (Perrysville), Seneca Lake (Senecaville) and Tappan Lake (Deersville). Atwood and Pleasant Hill both have public beaches near the parks’ campgrounds that include inflatable water park features.

• Nickle Plate Beach (Huron) has beach volleyball nets, playground equipment, picnic shelter, grills and a great view of Lake Erie and the Huron Lighthouse. Fee for parking. 1 Nickle Plate Road, Huron.

• Salt Fork State Park (Lore City) Salt Fork Lake’s 2,500-foot swimming beach is one of the largest in the state park system. Facilities include restrooms, changing rooms, outdoor showers and concessions. In addition, there are three boater swim areas and a 400-foot boater’s beach.

• Walnut Beach (Ashtabula) on Lake Erie features a view of the nearby Ashtabula Lighthouse, playground, concessions and recreational activities. Walnut Blvd. and Lake Ave., Ashtabula.

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