Best of the USA Put-in-Bay Ohio #BestoftheUSA

Welcome back to Best of the USA Blog Hop where I invite you to join me on the first Monday of each month to share all of the fun, family friendly, educational, beautiful, and just plain super cool destinations around the United States that you’ve visited!

My Choice for the Best of the USA Blog Hop in March

I’m not sure why it was so hard to choose one location in February that I thought was worthy of my very first submission, once I got the ball rolling, my mind continued to fill with places worthy of the honor. Even if it is only my opinion. This month, it wasn’t so difficult. After what seems to have been a long Ohio winter, I began to fantasize of warm days ahead. Naturally, my mind came to rest on one of the best trips that my family took last summer.

Just about an hour from my home, lies what I believe to be one of the best kept secrets in the USA, Put-in-Bay. I’m not the only one who thinks this small town located on South Bass Island off the Ohio shoreline is pretty great. This Lake Erie island town was recently nominated as one of America’s Coolest Small Towns by Budget Travel magazine.

I could tell you everything that I think is great about Put-in-Bay, but I’ve already written about that. Instead, I’m going to show you why I think this is such a wonderful place to visit.

Put-in-Bay is known for its wineries and many festivals that it holds throughout the year. Last year, it was confirmed that Johnny Depp even made an appearance for the annual Put-in-Bay Pirate Fest, though that wasn’t public information until after the event was over.  Does anyone want to venture a guess as to which pirate he decided to impersonate? Yep. None other than Jack Sparrow. I’m sure there was more than one person who said to him, “Wow! Has anyone ever said you look just like…..”  

Don’t let the parties scare you off.  Some festivals create adult atmosphere and if you’re looking for a family friendly weekend, you may not want to visit during that time. But most of the time, you’ll find the island is big enough for everyone and makes the perfect spot for a girlfriend getaway, romantic escape, family reunion, corporate event or family friendly vacation. My tip, visit during the week in early September and stay in a quiet hotel, bed and breakfast or cottage away from downtown. It’s not at all crowded, it’s quiet and the weather is perfect.

Downtown Put-in-Bay is dotted with charming buildings and some of them even have a pretty colorful history, which you’ll enjoy learning about during your visit. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll definitely want to stop at the Original Bay Fudge shop. We even bought a chocolate covered Twinkie. Yum.

There are wonderful places to relax and grab a bite to eat and if you try the Conch Fritters at The Keys while taking in this gorgeous view, you just may forget that you’re still in Ohio.

Want to learn more? Read these posts about my visit to Put-in-Bay and then tell me that you don’t want to plan your own trip to South Bass Island.

A Family Friendly Getaway to Put-in-Bay
Traveling to Put-in-Bay via Miller Boat Line
Bay Lodging Resort in Put-in-Bay
Take a Ride on the Put-in-Bay Tour Train
Educational Family Travel: Visit Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial
Kayak the Bay for Active Family Fun
Only a short boat ride away:
Exploring Family Friendly Kelleys Island

Have you been to Put-In-Bay? Would you visit?

Join Me and Help Me Spread the Word About Best of the USA

Now it’s your turn to share what you think is the Best of the USA. Simply link up below and don’t forget to leave a comment and visit some of the other great submissions. If you’d like to help spread the word, you can do that on Twitter with the hashtag #BestoftheUSA. It’s my goal to visit each post and to share them on both Twitter and Facebook.

Until next time, Happy Travelin’!

© 2013 – 2016, Tonya Prater. All rights reserved.