When Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry defeated British and Canadian naval forces near South Bass Island in 1813, he struck a blow for American life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Put-In-Bay, Ohio, still puts a lot of stock in the pursuit of fun on and off the water. It’s what brings thousands of boaters here each year – and keeps them coming back.
Known as one of the busiest pleasure craft harbours in the Great Lakes, Put-In Bay is located on the northeast side of South Bass Island, just south of Middle Bass Island. Boaters coming from the north can most easily approach by leaving tiny Ballast Island (and its 92-foot lighthouse) to port. Heading southwest into the bay, keep the highly visible 352-foot tower of Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial to port as well.
Put-In Bay, Ohio, is a very lively place on most summer evenings and visiting boaters should be warned that holiday weekends are positively hectic. Boaters looking for a quiet location can rent a mooring from The Boardwalk Marina, but the main Put-In Bay public docks are likely to be noisy. On a weekend, be prepared to raft up with other boats and expect many boaters to be in party mode. The Boardwalk also has docks and The Crew’s Nest, with highly visible waterfront offices and great facilities, is a boating club that welcomes visitors during the week. Its members come mainly from nearby U.S. cities and take over the docks on weekends. There are more public docks, the Put-In Bay Yacht Club and Miller Marina further west.
Put-In Bay gained its first claim to fame in the fall of 1813 when its natural harbour was chosen by U.S.Naval Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry as his temporary base during theWar of 1812. Perry was pursuing a British naval fleet stationed in the Detroit River.The British had been in control of Lake Erie, but Perry won the upper hand for the Americans by defeating the British commodore when their respective fleets met in battle about 10 miles northwest of Put-In Bay.
America’s western Lake Erie islands were settled and used for grape growing and commercial fishing later in the 1800s. South Bass Island, almost four miles long and one and a half miles wide, is 1,588 acres. There are 600 full-time residents, but thousands more in summer.Weekends can see the harbour crowded with more than a thousand boats and downtown Put-In Bay’s streets packed with visitors who have arrived by ferry.
Put-In Bay was home to fashionable hotels and summer resorts by the early 1900s. In 1912, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial was built to commemorate not only Perry’s victory over British forces but also the century of peace with Britain and Canada that followed. The presence of many visiting Canadians at Put-In Bay is a pretty clear indication of the enduring nature of that friendship.
These days, the town is an interesting mix of high-toned summer enclave and flat-out tourist trap. There are many beautiful Victorian homes and estates, Perry’s classic pink granite Doric column, and downtown Put-In Bay’s party-hearty saloons – including the Beer Barrel, which claims to have the World’s Longest Bar. Other attractions range from caves and carousels to wineries and the local historical society’s museum. The downtown has plenty of restaurants, bars and ice cream parlours. Trolley-style island tours and rental bikes are available, but a golf cart is the best way to see the island quickly and easily.
Put-In Bay and South Bass Island may tire out boating visitors, but they will never be bored.