Kelleys Island + a relaxing family getaway

  We love Kelleys Island. We fell in love with the Lake Erie Island last year when we visited. We made plans to move there immediately and have a wee toyshop on the island. We may have been drinking some beers and watching the moon late at night, but we were serious at least for that night. It's a vacation paradise just a couple hours from Columbus, Ohio. We were super excited when Lake Erie Shores & Islands asked us to come and visit again.




Our schedules were pretty full this summer, so we decided on an autumn escape. We took the boys out of school for a few days of nature school and island living. We wanted to make it an affordable trip so that other Ohio families could be inspired to check it out. We were hosted two of our three nights by Bag the Moon Condos and given ferry rides and tickets to the local Cedar Point amusement park, but we tried to be as frugal as possible by bringing groceries and doing a lot of educational activities like hiking and geology lessons and playing outside. It was truly an affordable mini vacation for our family.

The greatest thing about the island is the fact that it's a village as well as a vacation destination. Over 350 people live on Kelleys Island all year round! We were there off-season and it was very slow and low key. We felt like the island was ours! The boys were so interested in the people. They loved that school kids had to take an airplane to school! We met some amazing and friendly folks there. I loved the tiny Post Office and the fudge-making lady from the Island Fudge Shoppe. (Amazing!!!) We loved the breakfast over at the Kelleys Island Brew Pub and the pizza from the Buckeye Bar was fantastic and the bartender won our hearts by letting the kids play putt putt golf and teaching them island games. We were made to feel very special everywhere we went and the kids loved it. We returned to the Village Pump for CRAZY good Perch dinners and the server remembered us from last year. It was a great night of food and good energy in the restaurant. Our condo was right downtown and we walked most places. It was clean and spacious and perfect for our family of five. I would stay there again for the location. The owner has a pub, Bag the Moon, that serves a mean breakfast and they sell handmade island jams and jelly. Love!

Our favorite adventure was playing on the shore and watching the boats and birds, but I have to say the geology lesson on The Glacial Grooves is what has stuck with the boys. The Glacial Grooves on Kelley's Island are the largest, most accessible grooves in the world. The island offers information and on the site there are lots of boards and signs where you can teach your children [or yourself] about the amazing history.

And of course, Cedar Point. You know they loved it. I forget about how exciting it can be there. One of the greatest things about parenting is reliving moments you remember too. I know the feeling of riding a rollercoaster for the first time and our 8 year old now does too. I liked sharing the place I had come as a child with my children. The park is just the same as I remember. Magical.

Lake Erie Shores & Island are rock stars and can help you plan an amazing escape too. Just contact them! We felt recharged and nature filled when we returned to the big city. Nice. We still dream of owning a golf cart and living on the island. Still.

All of our opinions are ours. We were not paid to talk about this post. We love this island and are happy to share.