A friend and I are trying to plan a last-minute weekend in Sept. We'll be heading out from southwestern Ohio and would like to go somewhere within reasonable driving distance since we'll be leaving Sat. morning and returning home sometime on Sun.

We're in our late 20's and are just looking to relax, go to some good restaurants, drink some wine, etc. We thought about South Bass or Kelley's Island, but are hesitant. I've read some not-so-great things about both islands online.

Any advice?

Thanks!

p.s. We're not interested in Dayton, Cincy, or Columbus...all are a bit too close to home! Been there, done that.

Lake Erie is beautiful in late summer and with good weather you should have a fun trip on the islands.

Another option to the south is Nashville. Always enough music options to have two great nights with fine hotels and a long list of great restaurants.

If we go up north, would you recommend staying on one of the islands, or staying in a town like Port Clinton and taking the ferry over to an island for the day?

Nashville would be fun! Hadn't thought of that one...

Nashville is not what I would consider reasonable driving distance. I live in Cinci, but was born and raised in Sandusky. The islands are beautiful that time of year. If you want to stay on one of the islands, look now, many places may already be booked. Kelley's Island has a brand spankin new hotel that I think has just opened? Otherwise, staying in port clinton and going to either island one day, and then going to marblehead to see the lighthouse and then going to Mon Ami winery on Catawba would be a good plan too.

Thank you, Pirish! The islands would be a shorter drive, and perhaps a better use of our time.

Most places on Kelley's will require a two night stay, otherwise I would suggest that... Instead, make the drive down to Louisville & stay downtown. Plenty to do there, stay at the Seelbach.

Louisville! I'll add that to the list of possibilities.

Any other thoughts, suggestions?

Kelly's island is pretty quite. we were there last weekend and could not believe that it did not have more people visiting. We do love Put-in-Bay although they do close up a lot after Labor Day. This hotel is very, very nice and was running a $99.00 per night special, don't know when it ends. http://www.bayshoreresortpib.com/ We always eat at The Harbor, their walleye sandwiches are wonderful and their lobster bisque is out of sight! Also, you can sit outside and enjoy the water. If you go, rent the golf carts as soon as you get off the boat and zoom around the island, stopping at The Harbor for lunch and Heineman Winery who has an outside patio that is nice to have a drink on and people watch. There is a golf course if you golf. Also, Perry's Monument has a great view, and the 15min movie that is given (a little ways away, but next to the monument)is a valuable history lesson.

Also, close to you, ( maybe you're not interested or have already been there) is Hocking Hills. Absolutely great cabins with hot tubs on the decks and good hiking. Whatever you decide, have fun!

Thanks CD for the helpful info. We definitely needed some suggestions regarding hotels and restaurants.

I'll run some of these ideas by my friend and see what she thinks!

Well, I'm having trouble finding a hotel that looks right for us. We're only going to stay one night, so we can't stay at the Bayshore Resort because they require a 2 night minimum stay.

I've been looking at hotels in Port Clinton, Marblehead, and Sandusky. The hotels for PC and Marblehead seem to get pretty mediocre reviews on tripadvisor. As for Sandusky, it looks like many of the hotels are geared towards those who want a quick drive to Cedar Point...which isn't what we're looking for.

Any suggestions? We want clean, comfortable, and near (or relatively near) a ferry that can take us to one of the islands.

Thanks!

Topping this to get it above all of the wedding-related advertisements going up tonight.

siena, how about a b&b on Put-in-bay? I remember passing a b&b when we were out and about on our golf cart and really being impressed with the looks of it. I think it was the Black Squirrel. Check it out:http://www.put-in-bay.com/bnb.html

Also, I would check out other hotels on Put-in-Bay to see if there are any that do not require a 2 night stay. If you google hotel Put-in-Bay, a lot of them show up and they have reviews. Good luck!

The hotels in Sandusky are either really dumpy or a bazillion dollars. There are several highly rated b&b's on this site:

http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/

Thanks for the websites! Now it will just be a question of whether or not there are availabilities, since it is the last minute.

Looks like we're going to South Bass. I'll post a trip report when I get back...might be helpful to someone else.

Thanks again!

When on S. Bass, be sure to try
the Lobster Bisque at the
lakefront restaurant.
Can't recall the name
but all their signs advertise
it.
Have a great time.

I GAVE WRONG INFO! The restaurant that I recommended for the Lobster Bisque is not The Harbor it is The Boardwalk. See: http://www.the-boardwalk.com/

Thanks for the correction. That's why this forum is such a great source of information...people genuinely want to get it right!

So did you go to S. Bass ?

Yes, we did! I said I'd post a trip report and never followed through.

We stayed at the Black Squirrel and it was...interesting. The bathrooms could have been cleaner, but overall we had a nice stay.

We rented a golf cart to get around the island, and that was a blast. We went to dinner at Axel and Harry's. Lovely setting, good food. Definitely the place to go for a "nice" dinner.

Ate lunch at the Boardwalk place with the good lobster bisque. Good food, reasonable prices, great view of Lake Erie.

Visited a few of the bars, like the place (name?) that boasts the "world's longest bar." It was ok. There wasn't really anywhere to go for a nice, quiet drink. It was definitely more of a party atmosphere.

Overall, we had a nice time. This is definitely a place to go for a short stay and isn't particularly family-friendly. If you're looking for a short trip with friends, then this is a good choice, IMHO.