Sandusky, Ohio

Located on the shores of Lake Erie, Sandusky is probably best known for Cedar Point Amusement Park, often referred to as the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World”. However, this trip had nothing to do with thrill seeking roller coasters, rather it was the other draws to the area that intrigued me. So, did we find another hidden gem or was it just an eerie lake stop?

I’m a sucker when it comes to water, maybe I was a fish in a past life. So, when I started researching the Sandusky area, I not only learned it was right on the shores of Lake Erie, but there were also a couple of Islands that can be visited, specifically Put-in-Bay and Kelleys Islands. Well, this sounded intriguing! It gave me visions of the UP of Michigan that so exceeded our expectations when we visited a couple of years ago. Maybe Lake Erie could be as beautiful as Lake Superior, I thought.

This was a bit of a strange trip for us… actually me. You see, I was traveling solo (just me and the dogs) as Shannon had flown back to Dallas for some family time while I got some service done on the motorhome at the Forest River factory in Elkhart Indiana. Sandusky wasn’t too far of a drive from Elkhart, so I booked a small one-bedroom cottage in nearby Huron for the week. This gave me plenty of time to explore the area, albeit without my co-pilot in life.

Sandusky is a full-service town with everything you need, but the waterfront district is where it’s happening. The Jackson Street Pier, a large grassy area with benches overlooking the lake, is the centerpiece of the town. It’s a small quaint entertainment district with the typical restaurants, bars and shops, which looked like it could be a fun place to hang out in the summer but was a bit quite in mid-May. There are plenty of places for good food but one that you cannot miss is a small breakfast and lunch spot called Wake Up and Waffle. They focus on local and fresh with a diverse menu, although the waffles are the mainstay – as a breakfast or dessert item with ice cream.

The first accessible island off of Sandusky is Catawba Island. This island is easy to get to via a short auto bridge and is also where the ferry access to the other islands is. A key attraction here is the Marblehead Lighthouse located in a small state park. It’s a really nice spot along the lakefront with a picturesque lighthouse. The town of Marblehead looked intriguing as well, but I didn’t stop there.

After a couple of rainy days me and the dogs took off on our first big adventure to Put-in-Bay Island, also referred to as South Bass Island. The Miller Ferry gets you back and forth to the island and you have a choice to take your vehicle or rent a golf cart on the island. The fare for two people and a car is $82 so it’s not a cheap trip. You can save a few buck by alternately renting a golf cart.

I had a full list of sites I wanted to see and places to eat on the island, which is very easy to get around on since it’s only 3.7 square miles. The first thing I noticed, however, is that many places weren’t open yet, even though it was a beautiful 70-degree mid-May day. It seems that it’s sacrilegious to open summertime activities before Memorial Day in the Midwest. The main village is on the opposite side of the island which consists of a couple of streets and The Boardwalk, an entertainment area on a pier… which was closed along with several other businesses. However, I did have a good lunch out on the patio at Reel Bar with my furry companions.

There are some nice green spaces and walking paths along the water in the village district. We took a nice walk to the Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial, a 352-foot-tall column commemorating the Battle of Lake Erie. The memorial was very cool, although it was not open to climb to the top, and I’m not sure I could have taken the dogs anyway.

There are several other preserves and state parks to visit on the island with additional opportunities to soak in the views such as Oak Point State Park which has a great view of the Peace Memorial from across the bay. Massive Cliffside Preserve and Scheef East Point Nature Preserve offer some short hiking trails which were pleasant as well. The South Bass Island Lighthouse, a National Historic Site, is a cool historical spot to visit before hopping back on the ferry.

A highlight for me in Put-in-Bay was Crystal Cave at the Heineman Winery. This cave, 40 feet below ground, was discovered in 1897 when the winery was drilling a well. It’s said to be the world’s largest geode with celestite crystals ranging in size from 8 to 18 inches long. For a nominal fee you can get a tour of the cave and winery along with a free taste of one of their wines. Two thumbs up for the Pinot Noir!

Although Put-in-Bay was pleasant, I was searching for more, so I ventured off to Kelleys island the next day, with dogs in tow. This island, similar in size, is accessible via Kelleys Island Ferry for just a few dollars less than the Miller Ferry trip to Put-in-Bay. Golf cart rental is on option here as well.

Like Put-in-Bay, Kelleys Island has state parks and nature preserves to explore but is less developed so probably a quieter spot in peak season. There is one extremely rare geological site to see on the island, the Glacial Grooves. These 400-foot-long cuts in limestone bedrock were formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age, about 18,000 years ago, as they dragged rocks, gravel, and ice across the island. The limestone that the grooves are cut into is about 350–400 million years old and fossils of ancient marine life (like corals and brachiopods) are visible in the surrounding rock.

We did several short hikes while on the island, some of which through swarms of flying insects, which was even annoying for the dogs. My favorite hike, however, was the North Pond State Nature Preserve Boardwalk Trail. This reminded me of the boardwalk trail on Congaree National Park as it traverses over a wetland area but also leads to a nice beach.

There are several other sites to see on the island such as a history museum (closed) and the Old Stone Church, a German Evangelical Reform Church built around 1865. For something completely different (and a little strange), the Charles Herndon Gallery and Sculpture Garden provides a view into this artist’s work with his metal art and carvings in natural stones from the island.

We ended the day at Dockers Waterfront Bar and Restaurant enjoying the views of the harbor from the outside deck and enjoying a “Lobster Martini”, which I did NOT share with Bear and Remi.

I really wanted to love the islands, and did encounter some very cool things, but I found myself continually looking for (and expecting to see) that something that was going to push it to the next level. That something unfortunate never came. Maybe it was because I was there too early in the season and too many places were closed. Or possibly this is a place to enjoy with your significant other and it just wasn’t the right destination for me and the dogs alone. I wouldn’t say the trip was a bust, but it certainly wasn’t a hidden treasure either. I think this could be a good family or couples’ destination for those “local’ish” to the area. It could make a fun weekend getaway but not a destination to travel across the country to see.

Check out our pictures of the Sandusky area.