Updated January 2023

“Don’t Miss” #LakeErieLove Group Activities

On Ohio's north coast, we're all about Lake Erie Love. We love our Great Lake, our islands, our neighborhoods, our friendly people, and our natural resources. Groups of all types including family reunions, student groups, senior groups, military reunions, and motorcoach tours, love visiting for the variety of activity options offered.

The group sales team at Shores & Islands Ohio works closely with a number of local attraction, dining, and hotel partners to make planning easy. Here are the Top Ten activities that have appeared most often on group itineraries and have received rave reviews.

  1. Island Tour Train – This island tour gives groups a guided tour of Put-in-Bay and includes stops at many of the island’s most visited attractions.
  2. Winery Tours – Groups love touring and tasting the many wineries on the Shores & Islands Ohio Cheers Trail. Beginning in 2023, Firelands Adventure Tours will be offering guided bus tours to area wineries for groups up to 18 people. Leave the driving to someone else and enjoy the sites along the way!
  3. Ghostly Manor – This much loved attraction is a hit with student groups especially. In addition to the award-winning haunted house, the thrill center includes a skating rink, arcade, indoor black light miniature golf, XD-4D theatre, bounce houses, and indoor climbing playground.
  4. Downtown Sandusky Historical Tour – This popular itinerary includes the Follett House, Cooke-Dorn Historic Site, and a driving tour of local Underground Railroad sites. Firelands Adventure Tours (see winery tours above) also offers a guided Underground Railroad tour of Sandusky.
  5. Tour and talk at Sandusky Greenhouse – Sometimes scheduled in conjunction with the downtown Sandusky historical tour or with one of Sandusky's museums, this horticultural tour gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to maintain Sandusky's lovely floral gardens and many tropical plants.
  6. Liberty Aviation Museum Tour – This museum showcases operational, historical aircraft and vehicles, including “Georgie's Gal” a WWII B-25 Mitchell Bomber, a U.S. Navy WWII TBM Avenger, PT-boats, and more. Visitors can witness the restoration of a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor and dine in the 1950s-era themed diner.
  7. Merry-Go-Round Museum – Group visitor's young and young-at-heart enjoy a spin on the carousel and the lively band organ music at the Merry-Go-Round Museum. Tours include this history of carousels and carousel art, wood carving demonstrations, gift shop, and more.
  8. Ferguson Gallery – The highlight of a visit to the gallery of master glass cutter Cary S. Ferguson is a glass blowing demonstration and the opportunity to create your own paper weight.
  9. Marblehead Lighthouse/Keeper's House – The oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes has been welcoming visitors since 1822. Complement a visit to this majestic lighthouse with a stop at the nearby Keeper's House, the oldest surviving home in the area and home of first three original keepers of the light.
  10. Edison Birthplace/Milan Museum – Be inspired when visiting the birthplace of invention! Groups tour Thomas Edison's boyhood home which includes a collection of early inventions and family mementos. Then, within the same quaint village block the Milan Museum gives visitors a glimpse into the past with historical exhibits, antique toys, and a renowned glass collection.