South Bass Island, Lake Erie

We took an early vacation day this summer in June and went to South Bass Island, Put-in-Bay in Lake Erie.  We had a wonderfully relaxing day on the island, and a perfect weather day as well.

Here we are waiting to board the Miller Ferry.

The Miller Ferry is a nice, relaxing 20 minute ride.  There is another ferry line as well, which promotes a speedier ride (and twice the cost), but in all honesty, 20 minutes is not very long and this is a vacation day, so no need for speed.

Once on the island, the main transportation for visitors is the rented golf cart.  It was wonderful and well worth the rental price for the entire day.

One of the main attractions of the island is the fact that during the War of 1812, Oliver Hazard Perry and his men stayed there during the war and the Battle of Lake Erie took place near by.  Perry and his men found a crystal clear, fresh water source inside the cave on the island.  An underground spring feeds the pool inside the cave, which is a wet cave environment where stalagmites and stalactites continue to grow.

It was a steep descent down into the cave. 

The Perry Victory and Peace Memorial is also on the island.  They are celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the victory at the Battle of Lake Erie.

Once inside there is a tribute to the men who lost their lives, and an elevator which took us to the top observation deck.

We were allowed to spend as much time as we wanted at the top.  I particularly liked the interpretive boards which explained exactly what direction you were looking and what you were seeing.

We took along a picnic lunch, we played and relaxed at the park, we shopped, we drove around the island, and we had a very nice dinner at a local Italian restaurant that had excellent chicken alfredo pizza. 

Towards the end of the day, we went on an adventure to find the island lighthouse.  

I love lighthouses, so I wasn't about to leave the island without seeing it.

Ahhh....  Can I live here?  It would be perfect.

I would take very good care of it.  I promise.

We eventually made it back to the ferry, and back to the mainland. 

It was a beautiful, family day.