Put-in-Bay(How isn't this more popular?) (Cleveland, Perry: how much, hotels, bars)

[ksu sucks]

I went to put-in-bay a couple weeks ago with family. We're from Cleveland, and I figured it would be a cheap alternative to a Florida vacation. And it was. But if I didn't know any better I would've thought I was in Florida! Spectacular weather, great beaches, tons of bars, yachts, and nice hotels.

Why isn't this a bigger tourist attraction? At least a Midwestern attraction? I was there for a weekend and I had an absolute blast.

[AnytimeAnywhere]

Once upon a time, there was an E. Coli outbreak at PIB and it got bad press. People as far away as England had gotten sick. It even made CNN. I remember that some of the fun dried up after that. I don't think it has fully recovered yet.

[Daytonnatian]

Also, most don't look to Ohio as a "tourist destination", even though the average person could easily spend a full two weeks on extremely diverse attractions and still want to come back for more. It's kind of under the radar.

Plus, as Detroit's economy goes, so goes NW Ohio, due to the region's extremely close ties to the Motor City. Look to Cedar Point's attendance trends over recent years as an example, and the region also faces stiff competition from Mackinac Island/Mackinaw City and other locales in MI to fill the niche.

[thesearch]

How long ago was the E. Coli outbreak?

[bethany12]

Originally Posted by ksu sucks

Spectacular weather, great beaches, tons of bars, yachts, and nice hotels.

Put-in-bay is well-known, but has a bad reputation. It is thought of as a bar crawl. The main reason people go there is to get wasted. So you can see why it isn't really popular.

[Zoya]

Originally Posted by ksu sucks

I went to put-in-bay a couple weeks ago with family. We're from Cleveland, and I figured it would be a cheap alternative to a Florida vacation. And it was. But if I didn't know any better I would've thought I was in Florida! Spectacular weather, great beaches, tons of bars, yachts, and nice hotels.

Why isn't this a bigger tourist attraction? At least a Midwestern attraction? I was there for a weekend and I had an absolute blast.

Believe me....it's grown each year for decades. To be honest....I really don't know how much more tourist 'growth' the area can handle....but I am sure it will continue.

And thankfully the area is NOT Florida....and no reason why it should aspire to that.

[AnytimeAnywhere]

Originally Posted by thesearch

How long ago was the E. Coli outbreak?

Summer of 2004.

[costello_musicman]

I've had similiar feelings towards Wendy Park and Whiskey Island in Cleveland....I feel they are heavily under-utilized.

[canudigit]

Put-in Bay, as a pp noted, does have a reputation as a bar crawl place to get wasted, a sort of Key West on Lake Erie, if you will. We took our kids there a couple of times when they were younger, but we always made sure to be on the fairy out of there no later than 5 or 6 PM. It makes a fun family destination during the day, except for the fact that most of the diversions are a bit old fashioned and relaxing, as opposed to fast paced and state of the art, which is what a lot of kids today want and expect. We had a ball just tooling around in a golf cart, eating ice cream, and taking the elevator to the top of the Perry Monument, but a lot of families today would probably find that slow paced and boring.

[truemuck]

I don't think PIB has any trouble attracting visitors. Really, the only thing I'd like to see is expanded ferry hours. Like others said, its known for its bar crawl, and I believe the bars are open to 2, like they are elsewhere in Ohio, but the latest ferry leaves at Midnight. Kinda sucks if you ask me.