Its most famous landmark is the white inland lighthouse, rising around 127 feet (38 m) above Hull Road. The lighthouse - no longer active - now houses a museum to 1950s actress Kay Kendall, who was born in the town.
The Prime Meridian crosses the coast to the northwest of Withernsea.
The weather in Withernsea greatly depends on the time of year: in spring there is significant rainfall. In summer between late June and early July the weather is mostly dry and warm. Autumns are quite mellow but with rain. Winters are characteristically cold and windy.
Withernsea's economy is mostly focused around the retail of goods and supplies to local residents, but during the summer months more attention is placed on selling souvenirs and beach items to tourists. The amusement arcades also see the most profits during this time. However, the local secondary school remains one the town's largest employers and pumps huge sums into the local economy.
Along Queen Street are many retail stores including Cooplands and Aldi, in place of previous independent supermarket, Proudfoot. The latter, although winner of the Best Independent Retailer Award in 2002, was driven out of business by Tesco. Following the unsuccessful attempt to purchase the Proudfoot Supermarket, Tesco opened a competing store which originally struggled to attract sales. Tesco resorted to a campaign of price flexing, offering customers £8 off for every £20 spent in their Withernsea branch. This led to an investigation by the Competition Commission. After their market share increased, Tesco prices returned to a level closer to the national average.
There is a 9-hole golf course and leisure centre complex (with a gym and indoor pool) and a variety of pubs and restaurants are situated around the centre of the town.
