I have lived in the Cleveland area for over 15 years and I had never been to Put-in-Bay. Heck, I had never been to Cedar Point! When I had kids, I figured both of these were out of the question, at least until they got older. I was so wrong!
Knowing that we are campers (we have a travel trailer that we tow), we were hooked up at a beautiful and peaceful, private campground in Port Clinton called Cedarlane RV Park. There was a fabulous playground that our girls (aged 3 and 5 at the time) went crazy for and, if it had been warm enough, we would have gone swimming, too! Mostly we enjoyed two quiet nights by the fire and under the stars.
In the morning we picked up our tickets for the Miller Boat Ferry to Put-in-Bay. (This was a thrill for the girls! They had never been on a boat.) Not long after docking at Put-in-Bay, we picked up a golf cart (another hit with the little ladies) from Island Bike & Car Rental that we had reserved for the day, and headed into town.
We had a late breakfast (or, breakfast #2 when you have little ones) at Pasquale's Cafe. There was a small wait but the service was great and they even refilled our coffee in to to-go cups when it was time to go! (A bonus for this mom and dad.) While we had been waiting for our table, the girls spotted a huge playground across the street with a view of the lake. We promised to go back before our day was over.We started our sightseeing at Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial. It was a beautiful day to walk around the park and go to the top of the monument. The view is gorgeous and we enjoyed learning the history of the Battle of Lake Erie from the War of 1812.
Next was lunch at the Goat Soup & Whiskey Tavern. While we waiting, there were board games for us to play with the kids - a huge hit! We just had to try two of their signature menu items - Perch Taco and Basil Mojito (for the adults of course). We will definitely go back there again!We had a Combo Pass (kids under 6 are free) which gets you into 4 of the 6 attractions included in the pass. Because we were there in September and "out-of-season," not all of the attractions were open. But, we did get to see Perry's Cave and the Butterfly House. We were all amazed by the viewing of the cave and learning the history. The Butterfly House was its own special treat for our animal-loving 5-year-old. The butterflies were beautiful and she wanted to see them all!
We couldn't leave the Island without playing on the big playground which was a blast. We then hopped back in our golf cart to make it back to the Ferry. We were going to have a little more playground time at the campground before dinner but, as you can see, there was a much needed impromptu nap, instead.
Our more night at Cedarlane RV Park and then we were off to Cedar Point!
It was a perfect day! Not too busy. Warm but not too much sun. I'm not a huge roller coaster fan but my husband is! We all enjoyed the many kiddie rides and my husband got to go on the Gatekeeper which he says is the best roller coaster he has ever been on! It absolutely helped that we had Fast Lane Plus passes. If you plan to be at the park all day and want to ride as much as you can, I highly recommend it!
We had such a great time on our trip. As you are making plans for your family this summer, I highly recommend looking into Put-in-Bay and Cedar Point. The history, family-fun and wonderful eats are great for families of any age. We can't wait to go back!
