Like a Local

• 3 min. read

Did you know tucked away in the part of Port Clinton known as the Sutton Center is a lovely restaurant known as Bistro 163? Bistro 163 was founded with the goal of increasing food security in Ottawa County and providing a safe space for community gathering. The restaurant is once…

• 2 min. read

Guest post sponsored by Bouquet Bliss Beverage Co. written by Olivia Hartley Hi friends! I’m so excited to finally share something that’s been blooming in my heart for a while now—Bouquet Bliss Beverage Co., a bouquet and beverage experience like no other…

• 4 min. read

Hello Crew, this is your Captain Abigail speaking and today’s mission is to learn about the non-profit, Federation World Headquarters. The Federation World Headquarters is currently located inside the Sandusky Mall in Sandusky, OH with previous locations being Lorain…

• 7 min. read

Part of Shores & Islands Ohio Like a Local series – Meet Lee Jones, Farmer S&IO: Tell us about your business? Who is involved in the operations? Lee: Farmer Jones Farm Market at The Chef's Garden, is a culmination of family passion and dedication led by…

• 5 min. read

Part of Shores & Islands Ohio Like a Local series – Meet Mary Giles, Realtor S&IO: Tell us about your business? Mary: I proudly serve as a dedicated realtor within my community on a full-time basis. While my primary focus lies in the field of real estate sales, my…

• 5 min. read

Part of Shores & Islands Ohio Like a Local series – Meet Janet Wermuth, owner S&IO: Tell us about your business. Janet: My husband Steve and I literally started Crooked Tree Vineyard from the ground up. We purchased the five-acre parcel of land in 2010. It was…

• 3 min. read

Part of the Shores & Islands Ohio Like a Local Series – Meet Julene Market, co-owner S&IO: Tell us about your business. Who is involved in the operations? Julene: Our family owns and operates Miller Boat Line, the passenger and vehicle ferry service to Put-in-Bay…

• 5 min. read

Part of the Shores & Islands Ohio Like a Local series – Meet Amy Hoffman S&IO: Tell us about your business. Amy: The Cottages at the Water’s Edge is a family vacation property just west of downtown Vermilion, along the shores of Lake Erie. The first cottages…

• 4 min. read

Meet Emma Melter, who recently joined the Shores & Islands Ohio team as Group Experience Manager. Emma handles administrative and support services for all types of groups, including meetings/conventions, motorcoach, social, and sports. Let's get to know Emma! S&IO…

• 4 min. read

Meet Travis Nash, who recently joined the Shores & Islands Ohio team as CMS (Content Management System) Manager. Travis will help S&IO continually monitor and adjust our website as well as create content, update, and optimize tasks association with our online presence…

• 3 min. read

Part of the Shores & Islands Ohio Like a Local series - Meet Nikolai Blumensaadt, owner S&IO: Tell us about your business. Nikolai: My family and I have proudly owned and operated our business since 2014. My wife, Kenzie, and I moved back to the islands area to open the…

• 5 min. read

Meet Dayton Barnett, new Social Media Manager for Shores & Islands Ohio. Dayton recently started with the organization while simultaneously working at Cedar Point through HalloWeekends. Here, we get to know him a bit better and see what he thinks about becoming a…

• 10 min. read

Meet Brooke Gammie, matriarch of #GamFam6 and one of the proprietors of Quarry Hill Orchards and Quarry Hill Winery in beautiful Berlin Heights, Ohio. S&IO: Tell us about your family history in relation to Berlin Heights and the fruit-farming industry. As a multi-generational…

• 7 min. read

S&IO: Tell us about Blue Sky Charters. Why did you choose to start a sport fishing business? CAPTAIN PEG: We are a sport fishing charter business in Port Clinton, fishing the Western Basin of Lake Erie. We fish for walleye and yellow perch. We use light tackle, and drift fish…

• 5 min. read

Published June 2022 Meet Katrina Reed, Put-in-Bay resident and the voice of Miller Ferries! Shores & Islands Ohio wanted to get to know Katrina, Like a Local. Learn what it’s like to live on an island and what’s new with the ferry this season! S&IO: Tell us…

• 8 min. read

Published March 2022 As part of our ongoing Like a Local series, where we interview Shores & Islands Ohio business owners and local personalities, S&IO recently checked in with Kelleys Island mainstay, the Kelley's Island Wine Company. Meet Abbey Rosado, General…

• 9 min. read

Published January 2022 Shores & Islands recently sat down with Kristina Smith, Marketing and Communications Manager at Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums to learn a bit more about the museum, President Hayes, and Kristina’s thoughts on Shores…

• 6 min. read

Sandusky local Allie Schuster has been working at Lake Erie Shores & Islands this summer as a social media and public relations intern. Recently we chatted with her for our Like a Local series about her experiences working in travel and tourism at the height of the season and…

• 5 min. read

Published July 2021 Molly Sampson recently became the new Executive Director of the Maritime Museum of Sandusky, moving to the area from Georgia. Lake Erie Shores & Islands sat down with Molly to talk about moving back to Ohio, her favorite Shores & Islands experiences…

• 3 min. read

Published June 2021 Wendy Chambers joined the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau earlier this year as Executive Director and has hit the road running in promoting this amazing island destination. The island recently unveiled a new logo and slogan, “An…

• 5 min. read

Published March 2021 Recently we sat down with our friend Jerry Simon, Director of Sales at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, to chat about his job, his life, and the opportunities of selling meetings and conventions in a post-pandemic travel economy. LES&I: Tell us about…

• 4 min. read

Published February 2021 LES&I: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? KURRI: My name is Kurri Lewis and I am the Executive Director and Curator of the Merry-Go-Round Museum in downtown Sandusky. I graduated from the University of Findlay in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science…

• 4 min. read

Published November 2020 Lake Erie Shores & Islands is a proud supporter of the arts. The performing arts have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of several events and the closing of venues due to group gathering and social distancing…

• 3 min. read

Updated January 2022 Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by Jordan Killam, former Director of Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, and originally published in January 2019. It gives an insider look into what the island is like in winter. For…

• 4 min. read

Updated January 2022 Editor’s Note: This is a guest post written by Put-in-Bay resident Peter Huston, and originally published in Janauary 2019. Peter and his wife Amy are year-round residents of the island and operate the First Island Son Bed & Breakfast. Here he…

• 4 min. read

I’m Jordan. I manage the Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce, which is a fantastically interesting job. I meet and greet thousands of visitors each summer, answer their questions, make recommendations about where to go, what to see, where to stay, etc. Not to mention, I act…

• 4 min. read

Published May 2018 Lake Erie Shores & Islands recently chatted with Jackie Finger, owner of several businesses on Kelleys Island including the Village Pump, to learn more about the restaurant and to see what she loves most about the region. LES&I: What is your connection…

• 4 min. read

Published April 2018 Lake Erie Shores & Islands recently chatted with Erie MetroParks Executive Director, Amy Bowman-Moore, to learn more about the park district (celebrating its 50th anniversary this year!) and to see what she loves most about the region. LES&I: What…

• 5 min. read

Go back 27 years, October 31st, 1990, in Sandusky, Ohio. I was seven years old, my sister and I watched my mom pass out candy to trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. My dad, dressed as a monster, would sit motionless on a bale of straw, as Elvira (my mom) passed out candy. All…

• 4 min. read

Relationship-driven. Quality-focused. Family-centric. If you're a regular at Quarry Hill Orchards, you're probably a regular because of the authentic atmosphere, fresh (and delicious!) fruit, engaging conversation, memorable experiences, good people, oh, and the…

• 4 min. read

A “Lake Erie Like a Local” story by Aaron Smith. A version of this blog post originally appeared at https://skinnysmith.wordpress.com/. Follow Aaron on Twitter @SkinnySmitty. Growing up in Fremont, Ohio – 20 minutes from Lake Erie – my summers were…

• 4 min. read

Recently after a weekly “Lake Erie Love” events segment on local morning radio show “The Morning Crew on K96,” Lake Erie Shores & Islands sat down with morning host and Lake Erie local, Kami Moon to see what she loves most about the region…

• 4 min. read

Jeff Herzog resides in Huron, Ohio with his wife and three children. He is an accomplished freelance photographer who enjoys kayaking, beach volleyball, hiking, and of course birding. Jeff plans to visit his 50th state of North Dakota this summer and enjoy the birds every step of…