We went to Sara's Campground and walked around the campsite (bayside aka away from the beach and behind the restaurant) from end to end (3 times). I didn't see a camp host sign or office. We never did find the main office until the 3rd time when we were driving out of the neighborhood. They do have a big sign at the entrance but my brain didn't process that they were also across the busy road.
This campsite is actually on BOTH sides of the road. My passenger spotted them as we were leaving the area after we had passed the area multiple times. It almost looks like they are an extension of the water park for those of us that are out of town. The area is very busy visually so be prepared to accidently drive past it.
The main campground (bayside) is located behind the restaurants. The location is awesome as it is right across the road from the beach. You will want to note that Presque Isle State Park does not have any camping within their park boundaries.
Sara's charges $30.00 a night and only two adults per tent. The beach camping is first come/first serve (no reservations). No pets on the beach side which may explain why there were some tents over on the bayside (RVs) side of the campground. If you wanted to escape the wind this might be a good spot to tent camp. Also, if you wanted to be close but not too close to the water due to having young children.
Sara's Diner was closed but seemed to be used for storage for the main business. We were able to get milk shakes at the eatery. You order at the outside window and then move inside to pick up your milk shake or other food items. At the other building (Eatery), I asked two employees if they knew where to connect with the campground office but they didn't know what I was talking about.
We used their cross walk to walk across the main street and we immediately came to the beach. On the left it was labeled private beach and a wall blocked the view. I didn't realize this might be part of Sara's but also looked like some private property/condos to me. Once on the beach to the right was a long beautiful shore line. It would be an easy walk and carry of beach items. I was hoping we could camp at the site and get a post card to reserve a spot for the upcoming year.
We did see folks camping in tents behind the restaurants with the RVs. The ground was slightly sandy and they looked comfortable. We looked on with campsite envy. Some folks may prefer this as it is back a bit from the shore so it isn't windy the whole time and less sandy. Either side had easy access to the bike trail and I would have felt safe riding my bike on their bike trail. It was a smooth paved lane that was mostly away from traffic.
Presque Isle Lighthouse Open 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.$7— House Tour and Tower Climb$3— House Tour FREE— Walk the grounds Taken from https://www.presqueislelighthouse.org/
We also did the boat tour https://piboattours.com/lady-kate/ This was $16.00 and well worth it. We were able to learn a lot about the history of the island. It is naturally windy and out on the open water so make sure you take some layers as it can get chilly even in July.
We then hit the road to continue to find another campsite. If you don't mind crowds and noise from the road, RVs, or other campers then this is the site for you. It has a great location that cannot be beat for ease of access to the beaches.
