Luna Pier | A cool little hideout with an Up North feel on the shores of Lake Erie

This little town’s most famous resident, it seems fair to assume, was Charles Floyd. Except nobody called him that. And he didn’t really live there. Pretty accurate otherwise.

Back in the 1930s, after helping himself to stacks of cash at a bank in Sylvania, Ohio, “Pretty Boy” Floyd found his way across state lines to Luna Pier, a quiet little port town on the shores of Lake Erie, where he hid away in a small two-story house for a few weeks. These days, you can log on to your favorite vacation rental website and book a stay at the same hideout for about $110 per night.

A block or two to the east, the waters of Lake Erie roll against the long L-shaped pier – Luna Pier – that stretches from the pebble- and shell-littered beach. Near the foot of the pier stands the Luna Pier lighthouse. Turn your back to the lake, you’ll see block after block of typical lake town residences, and if you forget for a minute that you’re not able to see land on the other side of the water behind you, you might think you’ve visited one of the hundreds of inland lakes scattered across the northern part of the state.

It's a cool vibe in Luna Pier, where summertime traffic is almost as likely to be golf carts as cars and trucks. They zig-zag between the farmers market set up at Memorial Park to the mural-wearing Luna Pier market, or maybe a stop at Chateau Louise for some seafood or a burger. Back down toward the lake, folks are gathering on the patio at the Luna Pier Beach Café. The café stands across Northern Avenue from the town’s most famous tourist attraction, “Pretty Boy” Floyd’s Hideout, outfitted still with a 1930’s speakeasy décor.

Music begins to waft from the cafe and another golf cart buzzes by. The farmers market vendors pack up the last of their tents and produce. The water of Lake Erie spreads to the horizon. Honestly, not a bad place to hide out for a little while.