Week 25: Lake Erie Road Trip

I hit the road with some friends for new adventures along the lake. We have had a ridiculous amount of rain, but luck was on our side with a sunny day. We were headed to the peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie from the northwest side of the state. There was much talk on the ride up about what the peninsula was called: Marblehead, Catawba Island, Port Clinton? There doesn't seem to be one name for the entire peninsula, just names for the different areas. Marblehead State Park was our first stop.

View from the parking lot

The Marblehead Lighthouse, in operation since 1822, is the oldest lighthouse along Lake Erie. It only had 15 lightkeepers over its history until the state/coast guard took over in 1972. Two of its lightkeepers were women.

We enjoyed sitting on the rocks along the lake. In the distance, you can see Cedar Point, the second oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. and also holds the record of second place in the number of rollercoasters in the world. Going to Cedar Point would not be a new thing for me or anyone I know! I've probably been there 30 times.

Just another view. You can see the original lightkeeper's house and tour it as well as tour the lighthouse. We were not there at the right time to do either, but that was okay by me, as I don't like heights.

Our next stop was Lakeside. You can read all about it on this historical marker. It is a gated community with lots of narrow streets and old houses. Some of the houses were shacks and some were kept in pristine condition. We happened to arrive the week of a major Methodist convention, so parking was a challenge. However, since the actual 'season' didn't start until the following week, we did not have to pay to enter the grounds. During the summer season, you can buy a day, week, or annual pass that allows you entrance into all the seminars and activities.

We had lunch at the historic hotel. If I'm being honest, the photo makes it look a lot nicer than it actually was inside. They tried to maintain the Victorian charm and you could actually picture women in big skirts and hats walking around the lobby area.

This is the marina at Lakeside. We saw many people out in kayaks. We spent an hour walking around the 11 by 7 block community. There were some shops, a movie theater, pool, tennis courts, and a few patio eating establishments. One thing you can't get at Lakeside? Alcohol.



Ironically enough, our next stop was Twin Oast Brewery on Catawba (called an island, but it's not). It was possibly the most beautiful brewery any of us had ever been. There were two of these brick turrets on the outside terrace.

This was the view from the table we were sitting. There was also an amphitheater on the grounds.

I had to get a flight, of course, so I could taste a few. One was a cherry vanilla IPA. They were all quite good. We shared some tapas and just relaxed before checking out one of the local orchard stands in the area. Then it was time to head home. A wonderful summer day!