Island of Adventure
In the wee hours of September 10, 1813, as dawn broke over Rattlesnake Island, a sharp-eyed spotter on the American naval ship, the USS Lawrence, notified Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry that six British naval vessels were bearing down on them at a high rate of speed…
In response, Perry issued orders to engage with Robert H. Barclay’s British fleet. However, the wind not being in the Americans’ favor, they were slow to get into firing position to do battle. At 11:45 AM, the British began pounding the USS Lawrence with their long-range cannons, good to one mile, but only accurate at half that distance!
Commandant Perry knew he was in trouble because the USS Lawrence was only armed with short heavy guns or carronades, also known as smashers, due to the heavy damage they caused. But these smashers only had an affective range of under half a mile. Once in position, the Americans began trading fire with the British, but the USS Lawrence was heavily damaged and Perry knew, with a sinking ship and four-fifths of his crew dead or wounded, that he had to think fast. Abandoning the ship, Perry took his crew and the battle flag, loaded them into a rowboat, and rowed over half a mile under heavy fire to his back-up ship, the USS Niagara.
The entire time, Perry stood at the bow of the rowboat, carrying his now famous blue and white battle flag with the words, “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP.” The British, expecting Perry to retreat or surrender, dropped their guard just long enough for Perry to regroup, catch a good breeze in the sails of the Niagara, and circle back around to pound the British into defeat. The British surrendered at 3:08 PM. This marked the first time in history that an entire British naval squadron surrendered to an American vessel. It was a costly battle in terms of ships and human casualties, with the British losing 41 men to the Americans’ 27, and both having 94 wounded apiece.
The Battle of Lake Erie now gave America Detroit, Lake Erie, and the Michigan Territory. But, more importantly, it kept the British from penetrating into middle America.
Many scholars feel that the Americans’ winning The Battle of Lake Erie was truly the turning point of the War of 1812. Wikipedia states that The Battle of Lake Erie has often been called The Battle of Put-In-Bay, which is where Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry’s museum and International Peace Memorial now reside.
Put-in-Bay
Considering the popularity of cruise lines touring the Great Lakes with Cleveland and neighboring islands on their excursion schedule, I’m always surprised when asking my patients how many have been to Put-In-Bay (PIB), that so few Medina County residents have visited the island paradise less than two hours away!
Last month, my wife and I made our annual Summer trek to PIB, as we have done over the last 35 years! Yes, we love it that much! But I have to be honest, I never bought a place up there due to my incessant drive to keep finding new places to have fun. But if I can’t get to an island with palms, or Key West, the other love of my life since childhood, PIB, is the next best place.
This year, much gala celebration is planned because 2023 marks the 210th Anniversary of The Battle of Lake Erie and the 100th Anniversary of the building of Perry’s International Peace Monument. Please check out the various weekends for different events. A virtual celebration is planned for Sunday, September 10th, at exactly 11:45 AM, the time the battle actually began. It will be streamed on various social media outlets, according to the Erie Maritime Museum.
Let’s take a closer look at our island of adventure…
Getting there is classic island stuff — boat or plane — and the boat can be yours, or one of the two ferry companies. If you want to take your vehicle, avoid golf cart rentals, or you have a lot of stuff for camping and/or bachelor or bachelorette parties, Miller’s Ferry out of Port Clinton is your ticket to adventure. If you don’t have much stuff and are only going up for the day (and you love golf carts like I do), the Jet Express is a twin-water-turbine-43-mph joy ride to paradise. Please, if you are going by Jet Express, sit on the open-air upper deck and let the changes in latitude change your attitude, as you leave your troubles behind.
Staying at PIB can vary from quaint bread and breakfasts, where you can sit and listen to island lore with the owner, to motels of all sizes and shapes…
The adventurous of the lot can select camping sites in advance on the 20-some-acre state campground, which also has a few select very cool round cabins for rent. Check out the campsites early — they go fast, especially on holiday weekends. If you can, try for the six or eight choice sites on the southernmost tip of the campgrounds. They are located several hundred feet above Lake Erie on a bluff (please, no sleep walking). The sunsets have to be biblical! These sites are still on my bucket list.
Next to the campsite is a boat docking area with jet-ski and sup board rental. This is a very quiet end of the island with no restaurants or adult beverage establishments — yes, it is kid-friendly. (I must make a personal statement here. Just like Las Vegas, there are some areas I would take my children and other places I would not when they were young.) PIB gets, I feel, a bad rap as a boozer island and not a place for children. Go during the week, be away from downtown after 7 PM, and it’s a really cool family get-away.
Dr. Pfister and Terri Pfister enjoy the shores of Put-in-Bay
What else is there to do for a family?
My wife and I went up during the wine festival. But the next week, my son went up with his friends to their Pirate Festival and really enjoyed the costumes and pageantry. There was even a full-size pirate ship that could be boarded and toured.
The Battle of Lake Erie Put-Put Golf is very well-done and creatively laid out. It’s next to the entrance of Perry’s Cave, which can be toured with a guide for a small charge. This cave is very easily negotiated and is exceedingly exciting for kids (but not if they’re claustrophobic). My boys enjoyed this cave for decades, as well as one of the world’s largest geodes that you can actually walk down into, across the street under Heineman’s Winery.
Believe it or not, next to the cave building is a butterfly atrium with an extensive gift shop. I really thought this place would go out of business years ago, but they keep reinventing really cool family things to do… and they do it in a classy way.
Downtown has some more shops for island souvenirs… and there are fairly-upscale, more-than-t-shirts-and-sandals men’s and women’s shops that have some very nice island wear.
Dr. Pfister, with island legend and Ambassador cigar shop owner Richard Warren
Moving away from downtown and out toward the airport…
Island legend and world traveler Richard Warren opened his shop in an antique barn, nestled off the beaten-path in a wooded glen. He calls it the Great Lakes Tobacconist or, as locals call it, the Ambassador. You must, even if you don’t smoke, tour his Key West and Havana Cuba-influenced display of cigar memorabilia. Heck, this guy even slept in Hemmingway’s house and was on his boat, the Pila, in Cuba. It is truly an amazing exhibit.
Once you drag dad away, head across the street to the airport. The airport has helicopter tours of PIB and the neighboring islands… definitely not for the faint of heart. I must add, for the ultimate PIB experience… in my mind… once in your life… the double open cockpit biplane ride is breathtaking, to say the least. It was probably 10 years ago, around a hundred and a half per person… only you and the pilot… and the pilot sits behind you! It is an antique (and has a very unique sound), but once full throttle, it’s like the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, only higher… much higher! The pilot asked me how many Gs I wanted to pull banking around Perry’s Monument. At about three, I had enough and we headed straight up and then straight down! We leveled out and went over Middle Bass and Rattlesnake island, as my stomach began to return to its proper anatomical position in my body. Coming in for the landing (I remember it as if it were yesterday), the pilot had to crab the plane, turn the nose side to side, so he could see the runway (remember, he’s behind you, and your head is in his visual sight line)! It was pretty cool, but my wife has never gone up.
The last three summers, the airport has been the site of Bash on the Bay, a huge concert layout on the airport runway. Kid Rock opened the first year, Keith Urban was last year, and this year is Pit Bull and Luke Bryan, August 23rd and 24th. But rooms have been sold out since April. I have tried. Anybody got a boat that sleeps eight or ten?
Just east of downtown is the Battle of Lake Erie Museum…
…a truly must-see attraction once on the island. The architect was a genius. As he positioned the back of the museum to be parallel to the monument, he then designed the museum to have two-story all-glass columnar windows that stretch across the back of the entire museum (and perfectly frame the entire 352 feet of the monument)!
As a visitor walks into the foyer and looks out onto Perry’s Doric Column structure, one is taken back by its simplistic design that speaks so powerfully, without saying a word. Once inspired by the museum and the historical importance of the events here, a visit to the top of the monument is a definite must-do. I have been up there several times, and on a clear day you really get a bird’s eye view of the islands with your feet still on the ground. And yes, on a clear day, you can see Canada. It’s actually the largest of Lake Erie’s islands, Canadian-owned 28-square-mile Pelee Island.
After all this historical excitement, a quick trip downtown to tour the eating and beverage establishments is in order…
I could triple the length of this blog if I were to go over all of the possible combinations and permutations of how one could drink and eat on PIB….
Suffice it to say, this is my extremely short list and that investigation and data collecting is still on-going.
As you step off the Jet Express and walk down the corridor of 40-feet-plus “family boats,” you have to your left the newest eateries that are intertwined under the title of “Tropical Key West.” One could spend a day just partaking of the extremely wide tropical variations that they offer in drink and food. It can be loud on the weekend and is set for a younger crowd (under 40).
Lobster bisque on the left and prawn shrimp on right; need I say more?
My family’s favorite (and I feel it is a must-see) is the multi-level, hotdogs-to-king-crab mouthwatering Boardwalk to your right as you leave the Jet.
The Boardwalk’s third-story enclosed all-wood décor (with 40-foot double-sided bar running up the middle) is truly the flagship restaurant on PIB.
Personally, I prefer the outside multi-level umbrella deck of the second story. The gentle breezes off the lake, along with the warmth of the filtered sun, provide the perfect ambience to experience their world-famous Lobster Bisque. This bisque has won more awards than LeBron James with its silky smooth texture… and just the right lobster finish in its after-taste. It can be served in a dish, but I feel — for a true culinary experience — you need to try it served in a sourdough bowl (yes, please nibble on the bowl as you go).
Pair this bisque with a half-pound of their prawn-sized shrimp and wash it down with a home-grown local wine. Can you say “I am in heaven!”
Across the street from the Boardwalk is another of my family’s favorites — Mossback. They truly have the best perch and walleye baskets on the planet… ok, at least on PIB. The breading is so delicate (I am not a beer-battered fish-lover. I want the breading to complement the delicate flavor of these mild fish… not to totally dominate it… and Mossback does this to perfection.)
Chicken lovers, which I am also, will truly love the outdoor-grilled-over-wood-all-afternoon-half-chicken (with coleslaw and melt-in-your-mouth rolls) served next to the island’s iconic Round House Bar. (It is perfectly circular and open for business, are you ready for this… since June of 1873!)
Dr. Pfister at Put-in-Bay
So there you have my “short list” (which does not even include chocolate and taco restaurants and all of the little secret hideaways that make visiting PIB such an adventure)!
I’m sorry this blog got a bit lengthy, but condensing 35 years of my PIB experiences into a short story is difficult for me. I have enjoyed watching my boys grow up here, as they would find a new adventure to enjoy every summer.
And for the adults and grandparents, there always seems to be just enough change in latitudes for a change in attitudes. Spending a couple of days here — no airfare, no TSA, no lines, just soul-relaxing tropical goodness — just what the Doctor ordered.
In fact (lawyers beware), if you’re in need of a stay-cation, I’m writing you a prescription to visit Put-in-Bay.
Happy sailing, sun-bathing, eating, and everything tropical Ohio,
Dr. Pfister