Where there's a body of water large enough for ships to pass through, there's a good chance there's a lighthouse on shore.
Pennsylvania has four lighthouses still standing, three of which are along Lake Erie. The Presque Isle Lighthouse used to be a home for lighthouse keepers and their families. It's been decommissioned, but is still open for tours.
The North Pier Lighthouse has a pyramid shape. Historians say it's an example of a kind of lighthouse you don't normally see anymore.
Then there's the Erie Land Lighthouse, built in 1867. It was the first commissioned lighthouse along the Great Lakes.
Those lighthouses used to bring in ships. Their guidance made Erie's port one of the busiest in the Great Lakes region. Now they bring in visitors. The Pennsylvania tourism office says tourism spending in the Great Lakes region is on the rise higher even than before the pandemic.
