Top 5 Islands in Ohio, United States

Reviewed By Wayfairing_Man - Buffalo, United States

In September 2018, my wife and I spent a relaxing day at Put-In-Bay, Ohio, which is on an island in Lake Erie just north of Port Clinton/Catawba Island. Put-In-Bay/South Bass Island struck me as a mini-version of Mackinac Island except cars are allowed here. Some ferry lines to Put-In-Bay shut down in September which is why we took the Miller Ferry over to the island as pedestrians. Transit time was around 20 minutes. Do note the dock locations for the Ferry lines in Put-In-Bay as the Miller Ferry Dock there is around 2 miles to the center of town while another Ferry Line has a Dock within walking distance of the town. Regarding the Miller Ferry, they have gift shops and restrooms at both of their docks. Their fares seemed reasonable to me and they operate on a first come, first served basis. Note-Consider printing out the restaurant/lodging/things to do discount coupons on their website. On the mainland, Miller has 5 free parking lots with Lot 1 being the closest to their loading dock followed by Lots 2 & 3 which are west of the dock on Water Street. There is also a pay parking lot near the dock which during peak travel times you may have to use. Miller transports a limited number of cars and even bicycles, but gives priority to walk on pedestrians if space becomes a factor. On our trip over, there were two eighteen wheeler trucks that consumed most of the parking spots available on the ferry. Do note Miller's vehicle guidelines particularly on roundtrip restrictions between the mainland and the island. Ok, you're now at the Miller Ferry Dock at the south end of Put-In-Bay. To get around the island and depending on your lifestyle, you can walk, jog, rent a bike near the dock, rent a golf cart near the dock or you already have your car and are ready to go. Personally, I'd pass on bringing your car over (unless you're staying for a bit) and apply the car ferry fee to a bike or golf cart rental. The car option just doesn't give you the same up close island experience. As we wanted to see as much as we could within our allotted time, have some protection against inclement weather and have a spot to store my wife's shopping purchases, we opted to rent a golf cart for the day (instead of being charged by the hour). Plus its fun to tool around in a golf cart and feel a fresh breeze in your face. After getting a golf cart, our first stop was to visit the nearby South Bass Island Lighthouse and see some views of Lake Erie. We then travelled on Langram Road for around 1.5 miles and peeked into a General Store and got some refreshments. We then travelled another mile to the intersection of Catawba and Delaware. From this intersection, we were able to walk around and hit the various shops, boutiques and restaurants in this quaint town. The tree covered town park starts at this same intersection and contains public restrooms. As it was September, many shops had end of summer sales going on. Just northeast of town is the (Commodore) Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial and visitor's center managed by the US National Park Service. Tour$ are available including access to the monuments observation deck which is 317 feet above Lake Erie. We visited a winery on Bayview and another one on Catawba for wine tastings. We passed by at least three neat outside bars. One had a Tiki Hut theme. Another had a Margaritas theme. Beware of the Chocolate Cafe. If you go in, you won't come out empty handed. Kids might like seeing Perry's Cave, the Crystal Cave, the Butterfly House or the Carousel on Delaware Street. My wife and I rounded out our day by driving our golf cart around the outer fringes of the island and taking in the views. We came across several grape vineyards and unique homes. In short, we enjoyed our day trip to Put-In-Bay.