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Arts & Culture

Erie has a thriving local arts scene that is remarkably diverse and cosmopolitan for a city of its size. Would you like to take in some world-class jazz? Try a Jazz Erie concert at the Erie Art Museum Annex, where the band is always hot and the price of a ticket is a fraction of what you'd expect to pay in New York City. Are you in the mood for a performance by an internationally renowned string quartet or -- just to mix things up a bit -- a Celtic music concert or an award-winning movie from the New York, Cannes or Toronto Film Festivals? Try the Performing Arts Center at Mercyhurst College, where the price of admission is always eminently reasonable, where you don't have to battle large crowds, and where the parking is ample and free. Want to lighten up your evening a little after the show and catch a nationally known comedian or comic act? The second show at JR's Last Laugh Comedy Club and Restaurant will do the trick.

But Erie's arts and cultural scene isn't limited to just night life. The heart of the city's downtown cultural district is Discovery Square, an early nineteenth century commercial and administrative center that now serves as a regional cultural and educational hub. This complex includes the Erie Art Museum, expERIEnce Children's Museum, and the Erie History Center. Within the span of a single city block, to Discovery Square, visitors can view contemporary American and historical oriental art works, enjoy an afternoon of hands-on educational fun for the whole family, and appreciate exhibits on local/regional history, culture, and architecture. Discovery Square, which has earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, teaches architecture which is well worth the visit. The Erie History Center is housed in two buildings that have been restored to their early nineteenth century glory, and the Erie Art Museum resides in the 1839 Old Customs House, which is a fine example of the Greek Revival style.

Moving south on State Street, visitors can travel through architectural time to the Warner Theater, Erie's Art Deco grand dame of the arts and one of only a few remaining Warner Brothers' theaters still in existence in the United States. International stars share the bill at the Warner with homegrown favorites like the pops and classical concert series offered by the Erie Philharmonic and The Erie Civic Music Association. The Warner stage is also trodden by the Lake Erie Ballet Company—the region's only full-time, professional classical dance company—and the Erie Broadway Series, which features touring musicals and other popular shows.

Moving south on State Street, visitors can travel through architectural time to the Warner Theater, Erie's Art Deco grand dame of the arts and one of only a few remaining Warner Brothers' theaters still in existence in the United States. International stars share the bill at the Warner with homegrown favorites like the pops and classical concert series offered by the Erie Philharmonic and The Erie Civic Music Association. The Warner stage is also trodden by the Lake Erie Ballet Company—the region's only full-time, professional classical dance company—and the Erie Broadway Series, which features touring musicals and other popular shows.

Not to be outdone by the visual arts scene, Erie's private theater companies mount a broad variety of high-quality local productions. The Erie Playhouse, which enjoys recognition as one of the ten best community theaters in the country, never fails to delight crowds with a popular mix of favorite comedies, musicals and dramas in the Broadway style. Artier but unpretentious fare is offered by the Roadhouse Theater for Contemporary Art and the Director's Circle Theater.

And you'll be happy to know that the arts in Erie are definitely come as you are. Whether formally decked out for a night on the town or casually dressed for the ballgame, you'll get the same friendly welcome most everywhere you go.

Entertainment is a way of life in Erie. The social life of the city's many, diverse neighborhoods has revolved around their respective social clubs, taverns and coffee shops for as long as anyone can remember. In other words, Erie is a town of people who like to go out and a treasure trove of intriguing places for visitors of any taste.

A major ingredient of the glue that binds Erie's communities together is sports, and visitors couldn't ask for better quality or value in the sporting opportunities open to them. The Erie Otters are the hottest game in town for 2001, leading the Ontario Hockey League in points and ranking among the top 10 teams in the Canadian Hockey League. The OHL game is fast-paced and played by talented juniors whose next stop is frequently the National Hockey League. Unlike the NHL, though, an Otters game is quite affordable for the family and the Louis J. Tullio Arena is a dream of easy access. The adjacent Jerry Uht Ballpark is likewise a baseball enthusiast's model of the game the way it should be played, offering hometowners and visitors alike affordable fun on Erie's delightfully mild summer nights and sweltering afternoons. The Erie SeaWolves are the city's AA Eastern League team and a farm team for the Detroit Tigers. The Erie Sports scene also features many quality college and high school teams, including the defending AAAA state football champion, Cathedral Prep Ramblers.

The competition is also hot and heavy for Erie's other major contact sport—shopping. The Millcreek Mall, south on Peach Street (US Route 19) in adjacent Millcreek Township, is one of the largest and most extensive shopping complexes in the Northeast and adjacent portions of the Midwest. If you can't buy it here, you don't really need it! Electronics galore, major department stores, specialty retail, homes and hardware, multiplex movie theaters, music and bookstores, shoppers' clubs and discount outlets—they're all here and all within a short drive of each other. Most of the area's motels and hotels are located in here, too, so you may be tempted to stay and shop 'til you drop and wake to shop again. And don't forget the Factory Outlet Mall just 75 minutes south on Interstate 79 to Exit 31, where shoppers are treated to incredible bargains on major brand name clothing, footwear, electronics, sporting goods and just about every kind of item you can think of. The drive is scenic and unhurried, so what are you waiting for?

Fortunately or maybe not, depending on how much you like to shop—a break from this frantic pace can be had in relatively short order. The Erie Zoo is a centrally located respite from the bustle. The Zoo's 15 acres include plenty of shade, picnicking facilities, a lazily flowing creek, botanical gardens and, naturally, more than 300 animals to delight visitors of all ages. The Zoo is ADA-accessible and is completely traversed by a miniature train for zoo and train enthusiasts with tired feet. Simpler, more rustic but still easily accessible refuge can be had at the Asbury Woods Nature Center, just west of Erie in nearby Millcreek Township, where visitors can visit an educational interpretive center, stroll on wooded trails and, in the near future, tour a small demonstration farm. After everyone has rested, treat the kids—or maybe even just your inner kid—to more fun at Waldameer Park & Water World on the shore of Lake Erie just before the entrance to Presque Isle State Park. This family amusement park is one of the country's best equipped water parks and features rides and other fun for the whole gang.