When I try to explain the wonder that is Put-In-Bay, I’m often met with confusion. “Wait, you go to an island in a lake?” Yes, and it’s magical.
Put-In-Bay is the village that’s on South Bass Island, one of the glacial limestone islands in Lake Erie. While it might be quiet and sleepy during off season, it’s perhaps the most fun you can have in the Lake Erie Vacationland during season.
Growing up, Put-In-Bay (PIB from here on out) was a 1-2x/year day trip that we always looked forward to. We’d rent golf carts, drive around the island, play putt-putt, tour a cave, go up in Perry’s Monument and have lunch. Our parents were always cognizant to get us off the island by 5 PM because, as the saying goes, the freaks come out at night.
As adults, PIB is about a million times more fun.
Round House
My absolute favorite bar has always been and will always be Round House. The story goes that it was built in Toledo and the owner of PIB at the time liked its architecture so much that he bought it, put it on a boat and brought it to the island. Today it’s a VERY fun bar that always has live music. I’ve yet to have a bad time there, even back in the day, which you can see from the vintage photos below ;).
Mojito Bay
I keep wanting to say that Mojito Bay is new but… it’s not anymore. I’m just old and remember a time when Mojito Bay wasn’t.
Anyway, Mojito Bay is super fun on a hot summer day because it’s outside but under a tiki hut… and you can sit in a swing! The live musical genre you’ll often hear there is a’la Jimmy Buffett and I just love it. Obviously get a mojito when you go. You won’t be sorry.
Boat House
The fact that I don’t have any recent photos from Boat House is just a testament to how fun it is. Boat House is always my last stop before taking the boat back to the mainland because you can see it dock and you know when you head over. Its live music situation is one of the best on the island and they also have really good food, which is something many other bars don’t even bother with.
Key West
Also close to the boat dock is the Key West bar, which is known for its frozen drinks. Proceed with caution and leave yourself enough time, though. The drinks in the photos below made for some horrible brain freeze because we were there too close to the boat leaving!
The Fishbowl
Overcharge me for a fun, gimmicky drink and I’m hook, line and sinker… See what I did there?
Similar to Round House, I’ve never not had fun at Fish Bowl. They also do speciality drinks in (you guessed it…) fishbowls as well as shots in rubber shark toys. They also have amazing live music, very cool and unique tee shirts for purchase and a fun ambiance…
Final Thoughts
I love Put-In-Bay and can’t wait to spend some fun evenings there this summer. Have you ever been to PIB? What are you favorite places?
One of my favorite places to eat is the Reel Bar. Great food and live entertainment.. definitely a great day drinking place.