Put-In Bay Memorial Weekend (NW OH) (Findlay, Sandusky: rentals, hotel, house)

[ImaMichigander]

We are looking to leave Findlay for a couple of day trips this weekend. Would Put-In-Bay be a good day trip for the 8, 4, and 2 year olds??? I know the Bay as party central, but it looked like there was a putt-putt golf, etc..

What do you think? And other suggestions?

[rrtechno]

We were there for the first time last summer. We liked the slower ferry going over as it was a relaxing ride, but then it has been a long time since our kids were in the 2 to 8 range. There was putt-putt golf and some other activities that the kids would like, but we weren't really looking for "kids" things. We did really like the cave tour, if you don't mind closed in areas. As I said, we went for a relaxing day on our own, but we did see quite a few families with children. You may want to consider renting a golf cart though when you get there. Otherwise it is a lot of walking or you are at the mercy of the tour train to get around.

Hope you enjoy yourselves, whatever you do.

[ImaMichigander]

Originally Posted by rrtechno

We were there for the first time last summer. We liked the slower ferry going over as it was a relaxing ride, but then it has been a long time since our kids were in the 2 to 8 range. There was putt-putt golf and some other activities that the kids would like, but we weren't really looking for "kids" things. We did really like the cave tour, if you don't mind closed in areas. As I said, we went for a relaxing day on our own, but we did see quite a few families with children. You may want to consider renting a golf cart though when you get there. Otherwise it is a lot of walking or you are at the mercy of the tour train to get around.

Hope you enjoy yourselves, whatever you do.

Golf cart is a must! Thanks!

[SCBeaches]

I lived and worked on South Bass Island in Put-in-Bay for 2 1/2 summers when in college and can only speak for the way it was back in the early '80's on Memorial Day Weekend - not kid-friendly. There was so much wild stuff going on that weekend and not just in the bars, docks, and boats - but also in the park and on the streets. Kind of a Mardi Gras atmosphere....a bunch of drunk people partying with an occasional mooning, flashing, etc. For adults and college students, it's a lot of fun, but if it is still that way on Memorial Day, I wouldn't want to expose small children to all of that. Regatta Weekend is the same way.... Now, it may have tamed down a bit since I lived there, but WOW did I get my eyes full sometimes - and I was 19-21 while there.

Family activities include Putt-Putt, going up in the Perry's Memorial Monument, touring the caves at Heinemann's Winery, riding the golf carts or bikes, the Carousel, swimming at a pool if you are staying at a hotel, swimming in the lake (if it's clean enough now), the Arcade, the playground in the park, and eating ice cream at several shops. There may be more for kids and families now...I haven't visited P.I.B. in 15 years or so.

Say hello to June and George Stoiber who own Frosty's for me....I think their daughter, Kim, runs it for them now! I miss Put-In-Bay!

[ImaMichigander]

Well we have returned from Put-In-Bay.

We got to the Jet Express about 10 minutes before departure, no problem.

We tried one place to get a 6 person cart- none left. Tried another and lied about a child or two'w weight, so we didn't have to have carseats-- which they were all rented out of.

We got the pass to Perry's Cave, the Butterfly House and a round of Putt-Putt. $18 for adults and $13 for kids 6 and over.

The Butterfly House was pretty good-- not too crowded and the little old ladies working there were sweet....

The Cave was, well, a cave. Cool, head-bumping hazards every where and muddy. Too many people were on the tour, so it was hard to hear and see what the untrained 15 year old was talking about.

The putt-putt was good-- but mostly because we playing without any rules or scoring. Toss it in the cup, we said to the 2 year old.

We also paid the $4.50 per kid to do the maze. Seemingly to not need to pay for the maze-- apparently it is available, though not necessarily open, after 6. It was good to get some energy out and the kids liked it. It took us 21 minutes...

We hit Heineman's and we wine tasted and the kids sampled the white and red grape. My husband, who first drank Heine wine about 12 years ago, said, "Not to be a wine snob, but I can really taste that this is cheap wine." 12 years ago, it was fancy stuff!

Tried the chocolate shop, the help was very helpful, since we have a confirmed nut allergy kid. The chocolate was ok.

Tooled around on the cart, and that was nice. All were glad that mom brought jackets for that bit of the trip...

Returned the cart and went to the restaurant closest to the Jet Express, Axel and Harry's. The staff couldn't have been nicer to a family of 5 with 3 little kids coming to dinner at 8. It was not crowded, but got busier as we were there longer. The service was good, the food was just ok and was REALLY overpriced-- especially for just ok. But again, we were close to the dock and they were REALLY nice and attentive to us, especially the kids!

The only time we come into contact with the drunkity drunk drunks was in the line for the ferry and on the ride home. Lots of folks "sleeping" for the ride home on the 9:30 boat. All were pleasant and well behaved, but for the Harley dudes and chicks that were dropping f-bombs like crazy while we were trying to put our kids in the car.

Overall, Put-In-Bay gets a big thumbs up!!! The kids liked it, it was different and was a good day trip.

[SCBeaches]

Glad you had fun and that the kids weren't "overexposed" LOL. The maze and Butterfly House have been added since I was last up there. They didn't even have the Jet Express when I lived there - just the regular ferries running from Catawba and Port Clinton - Miller Boat Lines. It sounds like you found plenty to do in one day!

[chance2jump]

We are heading to PIB for June 6 it looks like... 4 adults and 1 6yr old. Never having been there myself, I was concerned that we would find something interesting for our youngster - sounds like he'll have fun, too! Thanks for the report, ImaMichigander.

[privatepartycr]

Put-in-Bay also known as Put in Bay is a resort island located in Ohio in the middle of Lake Erie. It features many great attractions and is an ideal place for familes and weekenders seeking a great escape. There are a few great websites that offer information about Put-in-Bay and they are http://www.putinbay.com http://www.putinbayonline.com and http://www.ohio-put-in-bay.com

You can get there by ferry boat http://www.jet-express.com or by private boat or airplane. Once on the island you can tour the island by renting a golf cart, bicycle or moped from http://www.putinbayrentals.com There are numerous restaurants and bars the offer many different type od food and entertainment appealing to all ages ranges.

We arrived at Put-in-Bay in August for a long three day weekend. We departed from Port Clinton Ohio on the Jet-Express ferry however we learned the we could have also departed from Sandusky Ohio. We had reservations at the Put-in-Bay Resort Hotel http://www.putinbayresort.com for a pool view with a balcony room. The resort was located within walking distance from the ferry boat.

Upon arrival to the resort, we were pleasantly surprised to find a modern, extramlly clean facility! There was a large pool with a swim up bar and a very large Jacuzzi that held about 60 people. Check in was efficient and the front desk staff was helpful in aswering our first timer questions.

We then arrived in our room to find well apointed and comfortable quarters. Our room had free high speed internet and also had a refrigerator which came in handy.

We then rented a golf cart at the suggestion of the front desk from Delaware Golf Carts http://www.putinbayrentals.com and began to tour the island with a map that was provided at the rental office.

The island itself is about 2.5 miles by 5 miles long. We found several caves that we could tour and a very nice winery that offered samples and a tour as well. There is also a very nice state park called South Bass Island State park that had a beautiful view of the lake and camping.

For diiner we enjoyed dining at the Boardwalk restaurant which was primarily seafood and located on the water. We also at at a place called Mossbacks which was also very nice and had a great steak there!

After dinner we watched a local entertainer named Pat Dailey who was fantastic! His songs were funny and he really encouraged audience participation!

There were two main places to eat breakfast.pasqualies and Frosty's. In our opinion the Pasqualies was a better value. All of our lunches we ate were at the Blue marlin Bar & Grill http://www.putinbayresort.com/gallery/a-tiki1.jpg and were wonderfull. They your typical sandwiches etc. but we opted for the smoked BBQ ribs and brisket which was simply the best we had ever experienced.

All is all this was one of the best vacations we have had inside of the United States! With not even a traffic light on the island you relly felt as if you had escaped reality and it was a much needed relaxing vacation.