Lake Erie Shores & Islands Activities

The Lake Erie Shores and Islands region, covering the Ohio lakefront from Huron County through the island communities of Put-in-Bay, Kelley’s Island, and the Marblehead Peninsula, operates as one of the most consistently programmed summer lake destinations in the Great Lakes basin. The 2026 summer season runs June 1 through September 7, centered on Sandusky, Port Clinton, and the Lake Erie islands, with a calendar that accumulates a notably distinctive set of signature events alongside the standard marina, fishing, and beach recreation that anchors a summer on Lake Erie.

The Ohio Island Wine Festival at Heineman’s Winery in Put-in-Bay opens the signature event calendar in June, showcasing Ohio’s island wine tradition at one of the state’s oldest continuously operating wineries, established in 1888. The Put-in-Bay Pyrate Fest XVIII, June 26–28, brings pirate reenactors, live cannon fire, mermaid performers, and a costumed marketplace to the island for a weekend that draws families and adults in roughly equal proportion. The World’s Largest Rubber Duck Weekend on July 11–12 positions the internationally touring 61-foot inflatable duck in Put-in-Bay harbor for a two-day spectacle that has generated more social media documentation than any other single event in the island’s summer calendar. Declaration 250 commemorations on August 1–2 bring historical reenactments marking America’s 250th birthday. The Historic Weekend, September 5–7, closes the season with a commemoration of the Battle of Lake Erie, the 1813 engagement in which Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s squadron defeated the British fleet in waters south of Put-in-Bay, with flag retirement ceremonies, artillery demonstrations, and a community parade.

Getting to the Islands and Moving Between Them

Put-in-Bay, on South Bass Island, is accessible by ferry from Miller Ferry at Catawba Point and from Jet Express in Port Clinton, with crossings running regularly through the summer season. Kelley’s Island is served by Kelley’s Island Ferry from Marblehead. The ferry rides themselves, crossing open Lake Erie with the island profiles visible ahead, are among the more tangible introductions to the scale of the Great Lakes available to mainland Ohio visitors who have not previously been on this water. The island communities are small enough to navigate by golf cart, which is the standard rental vehicle for visitors who want to explore beyond the immediate ferry dock area.

If You’re Going with Kids
Kelley’s Island’s Glacial Grooves, a set of glacially carved striations in exposed limestone bedrock measuring more than 400 feet long and recognized as the largest accessible glacial grooves in the world, provide a geology lesson that requires no explanation to communicate its scale to children who stand at the edge. The Erie County Historical Society’s interpretation of the grooves is available at the site. The Put-in-Bay aquatic center at the state park provides a freshwater pool alternative for children who want swimming without the open lake conditions on windy days.

Where to Stay

Put-in-Bay has island lodging from vintage resort hotels to vacation rental cottages. Port Clinton and the Catawba Peninsula provide mainland alternatives within ferry range. A waterfront property in Port Clinton with Lake Erie views and beach access on Lake.com positions you within minutes of the Catawba ferry terminal and the full Lake Erie Shores and Islands programming calendar. Pyrate Fest and Rubber Duck Weekend are the highest-demand lodging dates in the island calendar; plan accommodations for those specific weekends at least six to eight weeks in advance.