The Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation and the recently debuted Liberty Aviation Museum located in the historic harbor town of Port Clinton, Ohio gives visitors a chance to see the ongoing restoration process of one of these dynamic airplanes.  And if checking out a key piece of the Golden Age of Aviation makes you hungry, the authentic Tin Goose Diner will satiate your appetite and throw you even further back into history. 

Unless you’re the proud owner of an amphibious automobile, chances are you won’t be floating across Lake Erie on your own accord anytime soon.  Fortunately, there’s an alternative to caulking the doors on your Prius, and it starts with a round trip ticket on the Miller Ferry Boat to South or Middle Bass Island.  

Transporting your car to a freshwater island sans road is just the tip of the iceberg. Once you’re over there you’ll find a multitude of things to do, and that’s just the start of your adventure.  When it comes to new, exciting activities, the mainland of the Lake Erie Shores and Islands is no slouch either. 

It’s Sedimentary My Dear Watson - Type the words ‘glacial grooves’ into Google and see what comes up.  It’s not a jam band.  You’ll get three links to the Kelley’s Island sedimentary sensation before Wikipedia even gets a crack.  That’s because the glacial striations that formed on this island in the western basin of Lake Erie are the world’s most impressive example.  

It’s not often you get to be the best in the world at something. The shaved bedrock is around 18,000 years old and whisks visitors back to the Pleistocene Ice Age.  As if 18,000 years old isn’t old enough, the Devonian limestone holds marine fossils that are 350-400 million years of age.

And getting there is easy with a short ferry ride across the southern passage on the Kelley’s Island Ferry located in Marblehead, Ohio.

200 Years and Counting - Nestled on the limestone banks of South Bass Island, the quaint village of Put-in-Bay has become legendary amongst midwesterners for it’s rich history and unique location. 

One of the most famous sea battles in U.S. naval history surprisingly did not take place on the sea but on the turbulent waters of Lake Erie between what is now Ontario, Canada and the village of Put-in-Bay, Ohio.  The Battle of Lake Erie Bicentennial Celebration in late August through September 10th will bring together hundreds of thousands of people from the U.S., Canada and abroad. 

This two-week Celebration will include a large fleet of Tall Ships in a historic reenactment of the Battle of Lake Erie and a grand Parade of Sail and Port Festivals.  Visitors will be able to tour the Ships, enlist as Crew Members in the reenactment, or be part of the Bicentennial Fleet or Militia.

Old School Island Transportation - Getting to and from the Lake Erie islands back in the day used to be a daunting task.  In the early 1930‘s the isolated populations of these freshwater islands relied heavily on Ford Tri-Motor airplanes to successfully haul passengers and freight all season long.  For nearly 50 years, the Tri-Motor or Tin Goose, was put to good use as an ambulance, school bus, mail plane, hearse, commuter and freight hauler, carrying an almost endless list of cargo on a daily basis.