3 Day Getaways

Northwest Ohio

Lighthouse Hunt

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Day One: Stay Grounded in History
With the cooler temperatures and beautiful blue of autumn skies, this is a great time to get out and take some pictures of Lake Erie area lighthouses. The Vermilion Lighthouse, situated on the border of both Erie and Lorain Counties has an interesting history that spans two centuries beginning in 1847 when the first wooden structure was built to the cast iron version of around 1877 to the present-day tower raised in 1991. Just to the west, the Sandusky Harbor Breakwater Lighthouse is situated at the end of a long, stone pier extending from Cedar Point. In its early days, the Sandusky Harbor is said to have been the structure 10 men clung to when a sudden storm hit and left them surrounded by 40-foot waters! Don't Miss: The world's No. 1-rated amusement park, Cedar Point and the Inland Seas Maritime Museum.

Day Two: Visit the Shores and Islands
Northwest Ohio has the state's – and some of the country's – most famous lighthouses. On a trip to Marblehead Lighthouse, visitors can see the only Ohio lighthouse that was once featured on a U.S. stamp! It's also the oldest-running lighthouse in all of the Great Lakes. Its beautiful structure and surroundings make it a hot-spot for lighthouse enthusiasts. Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial on South Bass Island is a whopping 352-foot-tall column commemorating the sailors who fought in the War of 1812 (including the victory of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry over the British) and the long-lasting peace between Britain, Canada and the U.S. Don't Miss: Several of the premier birding locations in the United States: Magee Marsh Wildlife Area near Port Clinton is a 2,000-acre marsh on the shore of Lake Erie boasts the largest list of birds of any Ohio site, and East Harbor State Park near Marblehead has wooded areas near the shore of Lake Erie that attract big numbers of migrant songbirds in fall, including kinglets, cuckoos, warblers, vireos and sparrows.

Day Three: Visit the 'Other' Lake
Lake Erie is obviously the largest lake in the region, but there's another lake situated in northwest Ohio that houses some spectacular lighthouses. Grand Lake at St. Mary's is home to the Northwood Lighthouse (a.k.a. Eddystone) whose current structure was built in 1923, though the lighthouse dates back to 1698. Also on the shores of the man-made Grand Lake is the Celina Lighthouse, a dome-shaped lighthouse that assisted the development of the Miami-Erie Canal. Be sure to bring your own flashlight with you because the Celina Lighthouse is rumored to be haunted! On the south side of the Grand Lake, Behm's Grimm Memorial stands tall as a memorial to Stanley Grimm, co-owner of Behm's Landing and Restaurant. Don't Miss: The Miami-Erie Trail, a 47-mile portion of the statewide Buckeye Trail, and the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta.