Edgewater Park is the largest of the Cleveland Metroparks lakefront properties — a 130-acre stretch of bluffs and beach a few minutes west of downtown. The Upper Edgewater area has the skyline view that ends up in nearly every Cleveland postcard; Lower Edgewater is the city beach, a 900-foot crescent of sand that gets jammed on summer weekends but is otherwise underused.
There is a paved waterfront trail (good for cycling), a beach house with a casual bar and grill, and free parking. In summer Edgewater hosts an outdoor concert series and a Tuesday-evening food-truck market. In winter, it is one of the best places to see Lake Erie ice piling up against the seawall.
Park admission free.