We get asked the same question all the time; “What is there to do on the water close to your marina?”. In the past few years we have seen a major uptick in new things to do along with all of the old hang outs, so we figured we would let everyone know what they all are! The Sandusky Bay has a lot of new and exciting things to do from new restaurants, new marinas, new events, and on and on. Lets start with the restaurants and bars within 30 minutes of our marina and then a few local boating hangouts. Coordinates are estimates and will place you in front of the locations and in close proximity. USE THEM AS ESTIMATES ONLY! Refer to a chart or GPS for exacts.
1 –  Jimmy Bukkets up the Sandusky River – 41.505°N/82.65°W
http://www.jimmybukketts.com/
Jimmy Bukkets is at Memory Marina up the Sandusky River. You will want to be sure you have your chart handy or a GPS to guide you up the river for this run. It is a great ride up the river with a lot of cool wildlife to see on the way. It is a real easy way to spend a beautiful day on the water and a great place to grab for food and cold drinks! They have entertainment as well…check out their website above for more information! If you have a friend that has made the trip before…that is a great way to learn the navigational part of this trip.
2 – The Cove –  41.431°N/82-901°W
The Cove is a nice little restaurant just west of the Sandusky Bay bridge. You do have a spot to watch where there are some under water rock piles so be on the lookout for the markers. Your best bet is to stay farther offshore and then make a straight shot in. The is a great little breakfast spot…and a good place to start your Sunday morning with breakfast and some Bloody Mary’s! If you need help finding it, let us know!
3-  2 Cans Tiki Bar – 41.436°N/82.701°W
This is another great place West of the Sandusky Bay Bridge! They frequently have entertainment, and a good selection of cold beverages to chose from! Watch for the bouys out front that mark the rock piles!
4-  Dockside Cafe – 41.458°N/82.718°W
http://sanduskydockside.com/#!/home
Dockside Cafe is one of the newer places on the bay and is located at the Sandusky Municipal Marina in the downtown area. Dockside cafe has some very good quality food and the burgers are always a hit with our customers and staff alike! They also have some very good fish tacos if you are in a seafood mood. Great atmosphere, great food, and a great view!
5 – Damons at Battery Park Marina –  41.463°N/82.701°W
http://www.damons.com/
I think most of you have been to Damons for some BBQ ribs before, but you may not have been on the water when doing it! You can have a beautiful few and eat Damons famous food on the water at Battery Park Marina.
6 – Famous Daves at Cedar Point Marina – 41.475°N/82.685°W
http://www.famousdaves.com/home
If you haven’t been to Famous Daves, I strongly suggest you do so! Some really good BBQ, lots of cold beverages to choose from, and some great views….roller coasters and all!!
7 – Quaker Steak and Lube – 41.442°N/82.678°W
http://thelube.com/locations/ohio/sandusky/
Need to cure a wing fix, but want to take the boat!? Quaker Steak and Lube can scratch that itch! This is a new spot that took place of the old TGI Fridays on Sandusky. Plenty of food on the menu with wings being the main stay and of course plenty of cold beverages and beers to choose from. My favorite wing sauce is the boom-boom flavor…try it on wings and the shrimp!
8 – I 5’s in the Huron Boat Basin – 41.393°N/82.553°W
http://i5sbar.com/
I 5’s is a great restaurant/bar in the Huron Boat Basin. They have some really great week day specials that make this a terrific week day boating trip! Pull up to a transient dock and go grab a bite to eat.
9 – HBB at Shrocks Marina – 41.542°N/82.768°W
http://www.hiddenbeachbar.com/
Hidden Beach Bar is definitely my favorite little hidden gem! HBB is located at Shrocks marina over in Marblehead and along with great views and great staff, you will find some wonderful food and beer selection. They are very well known for their Yellow Perch sandwich but I have never had a bad meal there before. One of the best on the water beer selections as well as a wonderful view!
10 – Cleats bar and Grille – 41.592°N/82.804°W
http://www.cleatswings.com/
Cleats is located in East Harbor and offers a wide variety of food and beverages but is most known for their wings. Wednesday is wing night!
11 – Dockers on Kellys Island  – 41.592°N/82.712°W
http://www.portsidemarinaki.com/1002/Page.aspx
Dockers is located at Portside Marina on Kellys Island. You can get to several places from their marina and they have plenty of transient slips to choose from! Dockers has great food and a really nice view from their outside bar!
12 – The Village Pump on Kellys Island – 41.592°N/82.712°W
http://www.villagepumpki.com/
The home of the Brandy Alexander!!! The pump is within walking distance of Portside Marina and not only has Brandy Alexanders…but some terrific yellow perch sandwiches! All of the food is good, and the staff treats you like family.
13 – The Casino on Kellys Island – 41.592°N/82.712°W
http://www.kelleysislandcasino.com/
The Casino has its own marina for you to dock at and is well know for its night life! If dancing and being social is your thing, this is a great place for you to check out on a Friday or Saturday night! They have food as well and the view is terrific.
14 – Bag of the Moon on Kellys Island – 41.592°N/82.712°W
http://www.bagthemoonkelleys.com/
STRAWBERRY SHOTS. I don’t think I need to say anything else!
15 – Kellys Island Brewery on Kellys Island – 41.592°N/82.712°W
kelleysislandbrewpub.com/
This is a bit of a walk from Portside Marina, but it is well worth it! You could always rent a golf cart for a tour of the island and it would make the trip more manageable. KI Brewery has some great craft beers and plenty of delicious food. It is a nice quiet spot on the SW shore of the Island and a great place to take an adventure to!
16 – West Bay Inn on Kellys Island – 41.592°N/82.800°W
http://www.westbayinn.com/
The West Bay is a wonderful place for any day on the water…but amazing for a sunset dinner!!! The patio faces the West and the sunset views are amazing! Along with the view…the docking is free for patrons and the food and staff are great!
17 – Sandusky Municipal Marina – 41.458°N/82.717°W
http://www.ci.sandusky.oh.us/recreation/paper-district-marina.htm
The is the same marina you would go to for Dockside Cafe, but lets not forget all the local places within walking distance! Hotdog Tonys, Water Street Grill, Small City Taphouse, Zinc Brasserie, J Bistro, Dalys Pub, and the list goes on! Food, drinks, shopping, you got it all right from your boat!
18 – East Harbor State Park Beach – 41.556°N/82.800°W
http://eastharborstatepark.org/
This is a great beach and in close proximity to plenty of local attractions!
19 – The Sandbar at Bay Point – 41.493°N/82.718°W
This is likely the most popular hang out spot along the Lake Erie shoreline! Plenty of beach for volleyball, tossing a football, swimming, or simply loafing on the beach! Also in close proximity to great water sports water, restaurants, bars, marinas, gas, etc!
20 – The entire west end of the Sandusky Bay – 41.467°N/82.895°W
This is the most under utilized part of our entire great resource! If water sports is your game, you need to check out the entire west end of the bay! You have a few place to grab some food and beverages and the water is always flat as a pancake. We have renters that never leave this area and have an absolute BLAST! Also remember that the early summer fishing is great back there.

This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as attractions, but this is a good list to get you started! If we stretch this out to 45 minutes we could add another 20+ to the list which would keep your summer on the water fresh and exciting on every trip! There is a reason why so many boaters chose our area to boat from. We have tons of attractions and places to go by the water, and we will be happy to help you get there! Until next time…..
See you on the water,