Things to Do Ashore

The downtown Sandusky waterfront is a nice place to stroll after a day of sailing. It is a short walk to here from Battery Park Marina.

When it comes to the Sandusky Bay region, this list is almost too long to contemplate and the attractions below represent just a small cross section of diversions available throughout the area. There are shopping malls and cheese houses and State parks and waterparks and zebras and dinosaurs, just to name a few. Oh, there are also a couple of roller coasters if you're into that sort of thing.

The central attraction that keeps all this unbridled tourism going is, of course, Cedar Point Amusement Park . First opened in 1870 (that's just five years after the Civil War), Cedar Point has been voted "best amusement park in the world" for the last 11 years. It is a major player in the worldwide roller coaster arms race, constantly adding bigger and faster rides to its arsenal. The park currently features a world-record 17 roller coasters in addition to numerous more gentle rides and attractions.

If you're interests tend more toward water slides than roller coasters, you won't be disappointed. Just south of the main amusement park, at the base of the causeway, is Cedar Point's Castaway Bay indoor waterpark. South of town on Route 250, Kalahari Resorts operates what they bill as America's largest indoor waterpark. Both parks are open year-round and offer day pass admissions to the pools. A third waterpark in town is operated by Great Wolf Lodge, but admission to that park is restricted to hotel guests.

Sandusky has a quaint little downtown area that seems to me to have been lost in time since the 1950s. I'm honestly a little surprised that some movie company hasn't used the area as a location set since it has such a strong feeling of nostalgia. You can stand on any one of several downtown streets and just picture the sidewalks filled with serious-looking men in gray flannel suits flicking cigarette ashes into the gutters. There is a nice little flower-laden park that stretches for several blocks near the courthouse with a gazebo and even a little Zen meditation garden that is hard to find but worth the search.

Near the downtown, just a short walk from Battery Park Marina, is the Maritime Museum of Sandusky which features numerous exhibits detailing the nautical roots of the region as well as its part as a major stopover in the Underground Railroad. In the heart of downtown is the historic State Theater, which features a schedule of films and live shows throughout the year. Nearby is a West Marine store with the usual assortment of boat gear. Far from the downtown on Route 250, near the highway, is Sandusky's primary shopping district with an indoor mall, movie theater, and all the usual chain stores.

A short drive west from Sandusky to the nearby town of Port Clinton brings you to the African Safari Wildlife Park and their drive-through game preserve. In addition to the drive-through park, they feature a walk-through area with pony rides and live programs. While we're on the subject of walking through nature, East Harbor State Park is a short distance from here, with several scenic hiking trails available both inland and along the shoreline. The State park is open during daylight hours seven days a week for free.

Not far east, at the northeastern tip of the Marblehead peninsula, you will find the Marblehead Lighthouse and 13 acres of State park land there. At the base of the lighthouse is a small museum and, for a small fee, you can climb to the top of the lighthouse for a view of the surrounding lake. Although the park is always available during daylight hours, the museum and lighthouse are open on a fixed schedule that can vary throughout the year, so check with their website before planning your visit.

As you drive through the area, you will pass many small gift shops and art galleries. One of the best (and most high-end) is the Ferguson Gallery in Marblehead. The gallery specializes in beautiful glass works of art created by members of the Ferguson family. On the opposite end of the scale is the Cheese Haven located in Port Clinton, which claims to be Ohio's largest cheese house (although I'll bet there are some places in "Amish Country" near Atwood Lake that would argue the point). Across the street from the Cheese Haven is a strip mall where you will find another West Marine store.

While we're on the subject of cheese, the wonderfully cheesy Prehistoric Forest & Mystery Hill is well worth paying a visit to. These folks have taken the art of the roadside 'tourist trap' to a whole new level. The Mystery Hill portion of the attraction is nothing less than an old-fashioned "anti-gravity house" in which the structure is built at a severe angle and all visual references are cleverly skewed to create a delightfully disorienting experience. The grounds also feature a walking trail populated with life-sized dinosaur models ranging in quality from pure cheese to impressively realistic. Throw in a mini-putt golf course and a fossil-laden sandbox (complete with brushes for uncovering them just like the archeologists do) and you've got a place with strong appeal to the young and young-at-heart. Sadly, according to their web site, the owners plan to retire and shut the place down after the 2010 season so, if you've ever wondered what an anti-gravity house is like, you'd better hurry out there.

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