We will be spending two weeks in Lakeside in August. Can you suggest side trips we can take from Lakeside? We will have a car and our 8 year old grandson with us.
We will be spending two weeks in Lakeside in August. Can you suggest side trips we can take from Lakeside? We will have a car and our 8 year old grandson with us.
You have Cedar Point, one of the finest amusement parks in the country just a few miles away. Lake Erie islands are a fun ferry ride over to visit. You are about a hour away from the Toledo Zoo which is one of the finest in the country plus a great Art Museum.
There is so much to do at Lakeside itself, programs in the evening, an inexpensive movie theater, inexpensive miniature golf, rent a bicycle or golf cart to tour the grounds, and on and on. Get fresh donuts at The Patio restaurant in the morning. Eat lunch at the pizza shop (you'll find it easily). Be sure to go to East Harbor State Park and swim. Go to the Cheesehaven (store) and sample and buy wonderful cheeses, etc. Visit Port Clinton. Walk to the top of the Marblehead light house. I have been going to Lakeside since I was a baby (48 yeats ago). It will be a wonderful place to take your grandchild and make some great memories.
We have been to that area many times. I would highly recommend Cedar POint. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT go to the dinosoar attraction there. It was the biggest waste of money that we have spent in 17 years of marriage! While Presque Isle is beautiful and worth a trip it is about 3 1/2 hours away from that area. I happen to live 40 minutes from there. If you call 1-800 Buckeye they can send you a list of area attractions. Just roam around, too there is much to see. Hop a boat to Kelly's Island or Put in Bay. Walk around by the light house. Go to East Harbor State Park, it is beautiful. There are some great small muesums around. Also, caverns to tour, Edisons villiage is close. Let me know if I can be of more help!
I agree with the above - Definitely Cedar Point & Put-In Bay, Toledo Zoo & Toledo Art Museum. Drive to Fremont and visit the Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Center - Mansion & Museum and grounds (25 acres).
Cleveland, with the Rock Hall, Science Center, Botanic Garden (with new glasshouse and the fabulous Hershey Childrens' Garden) and neighborhoods like Ohio City, Tremont and Coventry, is a nice day trip. Dining options around Lakeside are very basic and limited, so a break in the city's great restaurants, with goodies from the West Side Market to take back, might be a nice change. Consider an Ohio City b&b for an overnight.
There are also many Lake Erie beaches better than Lakeside's to visit, as well as Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Lake Farmpark. Geauga Park is about two hours away.
Isn't Lakeside Ohio the town that was featured on the Charles Osgood Sunday Morning TV show several weeks ago where the residents don't lock their doors and the store owners pretty much run things on the honor system to pay for things when no one is at the cash register?
I don't think so. I have been there a lot and have friends who live there in the summer. I have never heard of anything like that. It is a gated Methodist community. It may have been on T.V., but I think they take a few more precautions than that especially because it is open to the public.
Just had to write something. My husband and I met at Lakeside while attending Methodist youth camp in 1941. In September we will celebrate 58 years of marriage. All the things that have been suggested to you are very worthwhile. Have a wonderful trip!!
As a seasonal ranger with the National Park Service, I can recommend Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial on South Bass Island (Put-in-Bay). The Visitor Center is four years old and features a free presention about the Battle of Lake Erie. The view from the observation deck of the 352 ft. monument (3rd tallest in the National Park system) is spectacular. There are other things to do on the island as well ... local historical society, fish hatchery museum, butterfly house, cave tours, miniature golf, etc. Check out www.put-in-bay.com for more info.
Lakeside is a great place for a family vacation. I HIGHLY recommend a ferry ride to Put-in Bay and the momument (visible from Lakeside on a clear day) and Kelly's Island for the glacial grooves. Also Johnson's Island (attached by a causeway) has a Civil War graveyard from a prison camp that was there - officers only. They died of exposure. The whole area has island with ferries (more than the 2 mentioned above) and wineries as well - good ones. You and he will love it!
Do they still have the hydrofoil across to Put-in-Bay? I once flew over from Port Clinton. I think the pilot was maybe 16 years old. We landed on an airstrip that was like (only in worse shape than) my driveway. We flew on to Middle Bass Island whose landing strip crossed a road that had stop signs (we had the right-of-way). And the last flight to North Bass landed in a corn field!
Needless to say, I didn't want to come back home. I was too scared.
Be sure to have lunch or dinner at Abigail's, the charming cottage restaurant near Hoover Auditorium. 8-year-olds usually love the mini-golf, and shuffleboard is fun for all, too. And, yes -- Lakeside WAS featured on that Sunday morning TV show! If you like stepping back in time, you'll love this Chatauqua area with its evening programs, laid-back lifestyle, old-fashioned ice cream parlors, etc. It's on the National Register of Historic Places and is truly charming! There is a new Visitors' Center in Port Clinton that can give you lots of other info on things nearby, as well. Don't miss the islands and the lighthouse! Perhaps we'll see you there!
Anything toward Cleveland is 2 hours away. Toledo is a little more than l hour. Lots to see and do in the communities right around Lakeside. Lakeside does have many activities all day long and live shows in the evening. Side trips -- Absolutely to Put-in-Bay. The Perry Monument is the 3rd tallest in the US and worth a visit. It is a National Park area and celebrates not only Cmdr Perry's Lake Erie victory over the British in the war of 1812, but also the peaceful border with Canada these many years. Kelly's Island for glacial grooves. Both require a fun ferry ride. The Marblehead Lighthouse is worth a visit and only a couple miles away. The Rutherford Hayes Presidential Home and Library is also worth a visit. South to Fremont about 45 min. Good advice to stop at the new Ottawa Country Visitors Center -- they can give you a wealth of information about many ecological sites in the area. Don't miss buying local peaches from roadside stands.
I grew up in Northeast Ohio and went to Lakeside for band camp in the summers. What a wonderful place. Yes, take the grandson to Ceadar Point...the amusement park has things for an 8-year-old to enjoy. There is also a waterpark there. Go to Port Clinton and take the Jet Express to Put-in-Bay. It's a cute place with shops, you can get around on a rented golf cart. Perry's Monument is a nice tour and you'll learn about the Battle of Lake Erie. The view from the top of the monument is great. The Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, next to the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame is a hands-on place my kids love. There's a marina in Marblehead, near Lakeside, where you can catch a fishing charter. Thomas Edison's birthplace is in Milan, you could visit there and have dinner in the Victorian-era downtown of Norwalk. Lakeside itself is wonderful, so enjoy! P.S. Take a bike for your grandson.
Can anyone suggest a place to stay in Lakeside that has great accomodations and location? I have just recently heard about Lakeside and am very interested in taking my family next summer.
We stay in Marblehead for a week each summer, my son who is 6 loves it! There is lots to do, but don't get so busy doing things that you forget to just enjoy the lake and the surroundings. Lakeside is beautiful and with the shuffleboard and putt-putt golf along with the beach area there is lots for kids to do. Make sure you visit the Marblehead lighthouse, take a ferry to Kelley's Island or Put-in-Bay, my son likes to just drive around the island on the golf cart! The beach at Kelley's Island is very nice. Monsoon Lagoon is a nice little waterpark in Marblehead also with a go-cart track. Go to dinner at one of the many wineries - many of them have live entertainment in the evenings and are pretty kid friendly. Also, ask the locals when you get there - they are great at pointing out fun stuff. Make sure to get a peach sundae at the Dairy Dock in Marblehead - the best ice cream deals around!!! Have fun!
Yes the hydrafoil also called the jet Express still runs from Port Clinton to Put-in-Bay http://www.putinbay.com It leaves from Port Clinton as well as Sandusky Ohio.
They are affiliated with a hotel called the Put-in-bay Resort http://www.putinbayresort.com and somethimes offer package deals. have fun on the island!
