Erie Shores Weekend!

September 15-16, 2012

The weekend adventure took us down to the Erie Shores of Ohio. We hopped on the “Jet Express” from Port Clinton, OH. The catamaran took us about 20 minutes to get across to Put-in-Bay. The boats leave about every 30-45 minutes. Parking is charged on an hourly basis, with a $10 maximum daily charge. The Jet Express is by no means cheap, it is $14.99 one-way.  If you show your AAA card, you will save $2 per round-trip ticket. Children under 5 are free, ages 5-12 are $2.50 one-way. There is another “Jet Express” departure point in Sandusky, OH.

Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial

Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial

Once arriving at the island, you can decide if you would like to rent a golf cart or bikes. The rental places farther from the boat landing are cheaper. We noticed a $20 price difference! We opted not to rent anything since we mostly just went over to check out Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial. The memorial recently re-opened from renovations.  The memorial was established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie, during the War of 1812, and to celebrate the long-lasting peace between Britain, Canada and the United States.  The memorial observation deck is open July to October. Upon entering the memorial, you will have to climb 37 steps and then take an elevator to the open air observation deck. There is a $3 fee to ride the elevator; however if you purchased the annual National Park pass it is free. The observation deck provides an excellent view from each side. You can stay on the observation deck for as long as you would like; however, be prepared to wait in line for both going up and coming down. During the weekend park rangers, dressed in period clothing, also offer interpretive talks about the Battle of 1812 outside of the monument hourly from 11am to 5pm. There is also a visitor center building that has some nice displays and a video. We did not spend much time in the visitor center, since we had a 6-year-old, Tommy, with us for the day. Tommy enjoyed the memorial and liked the park ranger in costume, but did grow a bit tired of sitting and listening to the presentation.

Marblehead Lighthouse

After visiting the National Park site, we went in search of lunch. We decided on Hooligans, one because I love Irish food and two it had great trip advisor reviews. The prices seemed reasonable considering we were on an island. The bar décor was enjoyable, but the place was a bit loud (it probably did not help that the Ohio State football game was on). We tried the Irish Nacho’s (Potato Skins layered with Beef Brisket and Hooley Cheese Sauce. Topped with Shredded Lettuce, Roasted Red Peppers, and garnished with Shredded Cheese) – they were AWESOME! I had the Reuben sandwich, which was good. The meat was tender and not fatty in the least. The sandwich also came with chips and a pickle. Mike got the fish n’ chips basket, he enjoyed it a lot. The portion he received was very large.

Put-in-Bay has a big playground for children near the Jet Express loading area, and we spent some time there people watching before, leading back to the main land. Once back, we drove over to the Marblehead Lighthouse. The Marblehead Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse (1821) in continuous operation on the Great Lakes. There are picnic tables and restrooms available on-site. Lighthouse tours are offered, but the hours and days very so be sure to check on-line if you want to go inside. From this site, you can see Cedar Point off in the distance. After the lighthouse, we headed out for ice cream. I was told that we needed to check out Toft’s Dairy for some of the best ice cream around. Toft’s ice cream parlor is in Sandusky, OH and is open from 8am-9pm daily. 8am for ice cream!! That sounds like my kind of place! Toft’s has been around for more than 100 years. The ice cream was good and had many flavors to choose from. Beware – the small size is 4 scoops!

Erie Shore

We stayed overnight with friends in the area and then on our return home from the weekend, we stopped by the somewhat new River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Monroe, MI. The park has a small visitor center, with displays and a short fiber optic map presentation. The site remembers the devastation that occurred in Frenchtown