The five Great Lakes—Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior—form the largest freshwater system in the world, bordering eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. That’s a heckuva lotta coastline begging to be explored. As America emerges from the haze of the pandemic, travelers who aren’t quite ready to go abroad may seek new ways to experience their own backyard—and the Great Lakes offer no shortage of adventures. From parasailing to shipwreck snorkeling, these lakefront towns have everything you need to pull off an unforgettable vacation by the water this summer.
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Lake Ontario: Oswego, NY
Oswego means “the place of the pouring out” in Iroquois—and that’s exactly what happens where the Oswego River meets Lake Ontario. Reserve one of 14 boutique rooms at the Beacon Hotel Oswego and start your holiday with a boat tour of the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse. Organized by the H. Lee White Marine Museum, the tour waltzes through the history of the harbor and the special engineering required for a lighthouse to withstand the extreme conditions of Lake Ontario. While you’re there, check out the star-shaped Fort Ontario State Historic Site, which dates to the 1840s, and the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum, the only World War II refugee shelter in the U.S. Oswego Expeditions, a woman-owned paddling company, organizes guided kayaking tours of the Oswego Canal, or you can try reeling in king salmon and walleye aboard one of K&G Sportfishing’s two 40-foot charter boats. Kick off a packed day with a buttermilk biscuit sandwich at Nora’s; for lunch or dinner, tuck into New England-style fried haddock at Skip’s Fish Fry or Texas hots at Rudy Lakeside Drive-In, a lakefront staple since 1946.
Can’t miss: Oswego’s sunsets are legendary, and there’s no better place to take in that layer cake of electric color than under the bell tower at Breitbeck Park.