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Visitors know Erie as a summer destination, but there’s so much more to see and do after Labor Day. Local businesses are touting new exhibits, new treats, and new programs to help you make the most out of everyone’s favorite season. Check out these five new things happening in Erie this autumn, and read more about Erie, PA in the fall here.

1. A New Dog Park Debuts at Voodoo Brewing Co.: Barks & Brews is Erie’s first off-leash dog park (with a bar), providing an indoor/outdoor supervised space for visitors to leave their pups. The central location inside the historic Boston Store in downtown Erie is perfect: let your dog play in the park while you sip on a flight at the bar, or drop your dog off for daycare while you walk down State Street to dine, sip or shop elsewhere. If you plan on daycare, bring their vaccination records with you.
   
   Local Tip: VooDoo Love Child is the beer VooDoo is best known for, and it’s always on tap. This fall, check out their Caution! Brewed with Real Pumpkin!!! beer, a seasonal barleywine brewed with more than 200 pounds of real pumpkin.
   
   
2. Mazza Vineyards Uncorks Lake-Aged Wine: After more than a year aging 130 feet below the surface of Lake Erie, Mazza Vineyards’ underwater Sparkling Riesling, Midnight Herring, surfaced and is ready for sampling. The wine’s name is a nod to Erie’s history – known for rum running and bootlegging during prohibition. More than 150 bottles were surfaced in summer 2025.
   
   Local Tip: The wine will be available for sampling at South Shore Wine Company in North East, where a limited release party will be held in fall 2025.
   
   
3. Pulakos Chocolates Opens New Location in the Colony Plaza: The fall season got a little sweeter with the opening of its third location, now in the Colony Plaza near the entrance to Presque Isle State Park. The new location features a courtyard with outdoor seating, and has a distinctly vintage vibe that sets it apart from the other spaces. In addition to chocolates, Pulakos West will serve eight flavors of hand-scooped, slow churned ice cream made in nearby Cambridge Springs.
   
   Local Tip: Pulakos is always working on local collaborations or inventive new products, including vegan dark chocolate bark, available with almonds, cashews, or dried raspberries.
   
   
4. Lake Erie Wine Country Offers Visit Visa: For $30, the Lake Erie Wine Country Visit Visa unlocks more than $1,000 in offers from local wineries, including complimentary tastings, wine discounts, and a few unexpected perks along the way. It’s an easy way to add a little extra to your wine country experience. Visit Visas are available for purchase at participating wineries, including 21 Brix, Cellar ’54, Johnson Estate Winery, and Mazza Wines.
   
   Local Tip: Roll your windows down while you drive along Route 5, the Great Lakes SeaWay Trail, during the fall months. As the grapes come into harvest, the sweet aroma fills the air.
   
   
5. Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC) Opens New Shipwreck Exhibit: Through November 30, explore one of the most interesting parts of Lake Erie history – its shipwrecks. “Navigating Peril: Lake Erie Shipwrecks and Beacons” is an exhibit that tells the story of Erie’s maritime history, shaped by shipwrecks and lighthouses, and explores these mysteries with artifacts, survivor accounts, hands-on activities, and replicas of navigation tools.
   
   Local Tip: Make time to watch “Balance” at the Big Green Screen – a visual poem that intertwines environment, economy, and history into Lake Erie’s story. Admission to the exhibit and the Big Green Screen are free.