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Trip Planning
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Itineraries
Create Your Own Great Lake Adventure
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For help in planning your visit, call the travel counselors of the Ottawa County Visitors Bureau 1-800-441-1271 or 419-734-4386
or
Stop by the Lake Erie Islands Regional Welcome Center,
a state-of-the-art facility offering interactive exhibits and regional information.
- Discounted Tickets to Attractions & Ferry Boats
- Free Maps & Brochures
- Updated Event information
- Lodging Locator assistance
- Courtesy phone connection to many lodging facilities
- Weather Forecasts & Fishing Reports
- Bird sightings
- Public Restrooms
- Children's Play Area
- Plenty of parking for RVs and Boat Trailers
- Picnic Area & Doggie Walk
Available Discount Tickets:
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African Safari Wildlife Park
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Bay Buck Coupons-Put-In-Bay
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Jet Express to Put-in-Bay
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Island Fun Pack-Put-In-Bay
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Lakeside
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Miller Ferry to Put-in-Bay
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Monsoon Lagoon Waterpark & Family Fun Center
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Schedel Arboretum & Gardens
A Week’s Worth of Memories…..
Day One
Climb winding stairs leading to the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, the majestic Marblehead Lighthouse. Explore its maritime tales at a museum filled with stories of heroism, ingenuity and early lakefront life. Shop for art and nautical treasures in the Village of Marblehead, and learn how nearby Johnson’s Island became home to Civil War prisoners. Then, visit Johnson’s Island and its cemetery. End your day by visiting Lakeside, a Chautauqua-style romantic community brimming with family-friendly charm, unique architecture and endless activities. If you’re visiting during the summer, be sure to check Lakeside’s daily entertainment schedule.
Day Two
Relax along our 107 miles of shoreline. Visit East Harbor State Park, Crane Creek State Park or the Port Clinton Beach. Pick up a boxed lunch, grab your beach blankets, build sandcastles, swim, or just relax on a sandy shore. Book a fishing charter with a licensed captain for a half-day or full day of Lake Erie fishing. Walk-on charters are also available. You simply can’t visit the Walleye Capital of the World without casting a line. Rather stay closer to shore? Locals and visitors alike often reel in great catches fishing from the piers at Catawba State Park, the City of Port Clinton, and Lakeside. You may wish to visit a local bait shop to get your license and tips on daily “hot spots.”
Day Three
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Visit a Lake Erie Island. Take the Jet Express from Port Clinton or Miller Boat Line from Catawba to Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island. Rent a bicycle or golf cart, and tour the island on your own, or join narrated tram tour. Explore caverns and caves, walk through a butterfly house, play miniature golf, sample island wines. Tour the Aquatic Visitors Center and the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society Museum, shop, take a spin on a carousel, and discover the nation’s third tallest national monument -- Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial. If you’re heading to Middle Bass Island, take the Sonny S ferryboat from Put-in-Bay or Miller Boat Line from Catawba. Search for birds, hike natural trails, see grooves made from glaciers that once scoured the region, and enjoy wooded and waterfront natural areas. To get to Kelleys Island, take the Kelleys Island Ferry Boat Line from Marblehead or the Jet Express from Put-in-Bay or Sandusky. The Goodtime I has daytime island hopping cruises from Sandusky to Kelleys Island and Put-in-Bay.
Day Four
Looking for family fun? Head to Monsoon Lagoon Waterpark and Family Fun Center for water slides, go-carts and other wet and wild adventures. Nearby, African Safari Wildlife Park offers up-close-and-personal encounters with exotic creatures, such as wart hogs, camels, zebras, giraffe and others. Drive through the safari and feed animals from your car, then visit the Safari Junction gift shop, watch pig races, learn about conservation and species during several demonstrations and see live animal exhibits. You’ll be glad the exhibits aren’t alive at Prehistoric Forest and Mystery Hill. Large-scale dinosaurs peer from the woods at Prehistoric Forest, while Mystery Hill challenges your perception and the laws of physics.
Day Five
Visit the Sportsman’s Migratory Bird Center at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area for birdwatching tips, then head to the boardwalk and trails at nearby Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge for a birdwatching extravaganza. Stop by their new Visitors Center. Also visit the Black Swamp Bird Observatory Nature Center, located at the entrance to Crane Creek State Park. Among North America’s top birding sites, these wildlife areas offer spectacular views of brightly colored migratory birds, stately shorebirds, territorial raptors and majestic bald eagles. After a morning of birdwatching, visit Schedel Arboretum and Gardens in Elmore. This 27-acre garden features approximately 20,000 annuals planted each year, as well as permanent displays, such as an Oriental garden with stone lanterns, a Torii (gate), graceful bridges, and an authentic pagoda. From Schedel, don't forget to head inton town to historic downtown Elmore for a truly unique shopping experience.
Day Six
Ready to race, spin, splash, twist, tumble, and roll? Head to Cedar Point in nearby Sandusky. Voted one of the best amusement parks on the planet, Cedar Point has heart-pounding roller coasters, live musical shows, a sand beach, kiddie rides, go-cart tracks, miniature golf, a waterpark, and more. Cedar Point is just 30 minutes away from the Port Clinton area, so stay in Ottawa County where you can enjoy a slower pace, scenic views, and loads of waterfront activities.
Day Seven
What would a vacation be without shopping for a special reminder of your trip? Visit local farm markets and sample fresh peaches, strawberries, apples, and more. Sample local wines made from grapes grown on the mainland or on the islands. Take home a watercolor print, hand-carved decoy, woven scarf, hand-carved glass creation, hand-painted Majolica pottery, antique finds, crafted jewelry pieces and more from local artists.
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