Between Two Lovely Pennsylvania Lakes Is A Charming Borough With Shops, Food, And Unique Outdoor Attractions

If you're looking for the Pennsylvania town with the most unique motto, Linesville is a strong contender. Its welcome sign announces it's "where the ducks walk on the fish," a regular sight at the town's Pymatuning Spillway, where carp and waterfowl compete for bread tossed by tourists. That spillway is part of the much larger Pymatuning Dam, which created the 17,000-acre Pymatuning Reservoir — the largest lake in Pennsylvania — when it was built in 1934.

The history of Linesville starts about a century before the dam's construction. It was first settled by Amos Line, who built a mill there in 1820. The village followed a few years later, just north of the Pymatuning Swamp that would eventually be swallowed by the reservoir. The original town consisted of five streets around a public square and served as the western terminus of the Meadville and Linesville Railroad. Longer rail lines also ran through the village, which was roughly the halfway point between New York and Chicago (there's still a sign announcing this fact on the Maclaine Building at Linesville's main intersection today). If you're curious about the region's railroad history, you can head 15 miles east of Linesville to the French Creek Valley Railroad Historical Society museum in Meadville (which is a walkable, artsy town whose quirky shops are worth a visit, too).

The train doesn't carry passengers to Linesville these days, but it's within easy reach of several larger cities. It's roughly an hour's drive from Erie, Pennsylvania, and the scenic lakefront trails of Erie Bluffs State Park. You can also drive there in less than 2 hours from Cleveland or Pittsburgh, making it an easy and serene escape from the bustle of city life.

Linesville is nestled between two lakes that are popular spots for outdoor fun. Its location on the northern shore of Pymatuning Reservoir makes it an ideal home base for exploring Pymatuning State Park. Conneaut Lake is just 8 miles down U.S.-6, adding attractions like the free Road Sign Sculpture Garden in Meadville to your list of things to explore.

The Linesville Spillway is the top must-see site while you're in the area. More than 300,000 people visit the spillway each year to witness what local restaurant owner Bob Semian once described to The Linesville Journal as "the Niagara Falls of Linesville." The nearby Linesville Fish Hatchery is open daily, and it's free to explore its multistory aquarium and 97 acres of ponds and raceways. Pymatuning State Park offers lots more outdoor recreation, too, from boating and fishing on the reservoir to hiking, camping, or playing disc golf on its shore. It's a year-round destination, too; ice fishing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing are popular activities in the winter.

Though Conneaut Lake is smaller than Pymatuning Reservoir, it still holds the distinction of being the largest natural glacial lake in Pennsylvania, and offers unique attractions for visitors. The annual Ice House Festival honors the region's ice-harvesting industry the first Saturday in December with ice sculptures and "Trees of Light" boat cruises. During the summer, you can take a cruise on the historic Barbara J sternwheeler, enjoy a tasting tour of Lake Erie wine and spirits at Conneaut Cellars, play golf at Oakland Beach's 18-hole course, or get close to nature hiking through Conneaut Marsh, a top destination for spotting birds like black terns and buffleheads.

With a population of around 1,000 people, Linesville is a very small town — but it still has plenty of unique spots that are worth a visit. Stop by The Crooked Paddle during your visit to the spillway for unique eats like their pierogi bowl or classics like burgers, pizza, and wings, which a local guide on Google Reviews described as "crispy outside, juicy and delicious inside" with a "fantastic selection of sauces."

There are more restaurants and shops to explore along West Erie Street in Linesville's compact and walkable downtown. Needle and Thread sells handcrafts from more than 40 local artists, including quilts, jewelry, and home decor, making it a great place to pick up unique souvenirs. You can satisfy your sweet tooth a couple doors down the street at Twin Pies, a family-owned bakery serving old-fashioned, homemade desserts (along with the best roast beef sandwich one Google reviewer has ever had). In the evening, you can relax with a drink at Nucleus Mead, which makes its various flavors of mead using honey from its own apiary.

As far as where to stay while you're in Linesville, one option is to rent a lakeside cabin, which you'll find all around Pymatuning Reservoir (including Kobel's Twin Maples Cottages right in Linesville, which was temporarily closed at the time of writing but is a popular choice when it's open). Outdoor lovers will find ample campgrounds, as well, like Shady Acres Campground right in Linesville or the newly renovated Tuttle Campground near the spillway. If you're looking for a more traditional hotel, you can find several around Conneaut Lake and in nearby Meadville.