Put-in-Bay Things to Do

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We love taking pictures and we love butterflies- their hues and grace is something that is rare and remarkably beautiful, so capturing it in a photo gives us a satisfaction that is quite unmatchable! So the minute we read about this place in the Put-in Bay catalog we knew we had to go! The coupons again gave us a $1 off pp so we paid $12 for the 2 of us. This fee is valid for multiple admissions thru the day! The experience begins with a butterfly shaped stamp/seal on the back of your palm :) And then you walk thru a store that is full of trinkets that are butterfly shaped- keychains, pendants, earrings, windchimes, tree decor danglings, glass paintings, bulb shades etc The minute you open the door leading to the garden you are welcomed by about half a bunch of really colorful butterflies just floating in the air! Wow! Awesome feeling-like you have stepped into paradise! ofcourse don't get your expectations too high! The garden is not great, no fancy landscaping etc, but the 800 odd butterflies are simply magnificient! The couple who have done this remarkable feat themselves give you an account of how difficult it is to ensure a consistent availability of so many butterflies esp since their life span is only 2-3 weeks. The butterflies do mate here, but they do not lay eggs in the garden. That is done in a seperate wing of the museum.
Opened in the year 2004, it is a 4000-6000 sq ft house. Do visit if like us you would be thrilled to catch nature's most beautiful and graceful creatures on your camera!!

The Perry Monument looks out of place towering over this tiny island, but it speaks to the horrors of war, and is well worth a visit.

You can go to the top and view the area.

This picture was taken from a moving gold cart on the road. Sorry if the framing is a bit off.

When you are on an island, there is always the opportunity to enjoy the beach. The beaches at Put-in-Bay, are not sandy, mostly pebbled, so wear sneakers. We found this stone which was marked with grafitti with a "No Trespassing" sign affixed, so naturally we climbed aboard.

This is another of my favorite pics.

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This family campground features 10 full-service camp sites with electric, sewer, and water hookups, 125 non-electric sites, showers, latrines and a dump station. Pet camping is permitted on designated sites. A youth group camp is available by reservation for organized groups. Four cabents, combining the best features of a cabin and tent, are available through a lottery system for weekly rental from Memorial Day to the last weekend in September. A separate lottery is held for rental of the rustic cabin located near the park office. Contact the Catawba Island park office for lottery details. A picnic shelter, picnic areas, launch ramp, fishing pier and small stone beach area are also available. South Bass Island is accessible by ferry from Port Clinton or Catawba Island. We got here by golfcarts which were not allowed inside the park. So we parked it at the entrance and walked along the shoreline from the stone beach till wherever we could. Thats when we saw the snake, have already posted that on another tip. However here I would like to mention the birds that we sighted with the blue lake background. So many varieties of colorful birds in this area we had a tough time getting some good shots!

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Established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie, during the war of 1812, but in equal part it is here to celebrate the long-lasting peace between Britain, Canada and the U.S. Situated 5 miles from the longest undefended border in the world. Monument Construction began in October 1912, opened to the public on June 13 1915, and became a National Park Service Memorial in 1936.
Just climb 37 steps to the elevator thats takes you about 10ft higher than being on the tip of the Statue of Liberty's torch! :) (thats 352 feet above Lake Eerie)And get a bird's eyeview of the island and all other islands around it :) Maps at every corner tell you the names of the island's you are viewing and it was nice to note that we were almost just a stone's throw away from Canada's ontario! :D
There are rangers on the same to give you any additional info you may need regarding the memorial.
Interred beneath the rotunda floor are the remains of the three American and three British officers who were killed during the Battle of Lake Erie. Carved in the rotunda walls are the names of Perry's vessels along with the names of the Americans who were killed or wounded in the battle.
open 10 am to 8 pm in this month
Entry fee of $3 per ehad
No back packs allowed however you can leave it with the elevator operator and head up.

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Seeing how we were struggling in the head the ranger at the Peace Memorial gave us a very valuable tip! He said there was a 15 min movie that was played for free about the Memorial in the vistor's center that was air conditioned. So very gleefully we headed to the same. It is a nice center highlighting the history of the island and the movie tells you how such a large border between the Canada & US today stands unguarded! :)

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Located on the northwestern tip of South Bass Island, oak point day-use park offers a scenic picnic area, fishing access and overnight docking facilities. However we parked our golf cart here to get pics of a crane and some great views of the Peace Memorial.

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Another stretch that we loved walking thru was the road on which the Perry's Peace Memorial was situated, it gave us such brilliant views of the memorial, the lake waters & birds there as well as the ships anchored in sight with the brilliant azure skies! Do see the photos to get a better picture ;)