Enjoy a Last Blast of Summer with a Late Summer Vacation to Marblehead, Ohio

Aug 2, 2025

Marblehead Ohio offers the charm of a New England Vacation just a short drive from Waukegan. The area offers a historic lighthouse, gorgeous state park, several nature preserves and marshes, an island filled with coastal charm, lots of shops and restaurants, and of course plenty of fun in the sun. Whether you’ve got a passion for boating, hiking, fishing, swimming, nature, or even shopping, you’ll find a blissful last minute summer vacation getaway here at Marblehead. So, what are you waiting for? Hop into your new car from Classic of Waukegan and let’s hit the road for a last blast of summer!

Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve encompasses 137 acres of former limestone quarried land turned nature preserve. The park offers a nice chance to stretch your legs and check out the flowers and moss that grow here. The Lakeside daisy is an extremely rare and threatened plant, and is only found in a few specific habitats around the world! These flowers require a dry, rocky prairie with limestone base and lots of sunshine! From early to mid-May, these flowers put on a spectacular display of golden yellow blossoms!

Lions Park at Lake Point offers peaceful views of Lake Erie and Cedar Point that’s perfect for a family picnic lunch, even if you bring fido along! While the area is not enormous by any means, it’s nearly 9 acres of public land available for relaxing and basking in the sun. This dog friendly park features a playground, picnic area with grills and tables, a covered bridge, fishing pond, paths for nature watching and walking, and beautiful grassy areas to play and picnic.

Lucien M Clemons Park has park frontage along Lake Erie itself and includes both beautiful green open space and a small waterfront submerged land area. It’s a great place to enjoy a picnic, do some bird watching, go fishing, and check out the Lake Erie Coastal Trail.

Marblehead Lighthouse State Park is one of the area’s best known, most photographed landmarks, and it’s easy to see the draw! This picturesque historic site is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes. Visitors can climb to the top of the lighthouse during the summer season and check out gorgeous views of the lake and surrounding islands. There’s also a museum on site featuring US Coast Guard historic documents and archives, and a replica lifesaving station. Great for a picnic lunch along the lake for a lovely family day out.

Meadowbrook Marsh is nearly 200-acres of beautiful park home to migratory birds and waterfowl. It’s a top notch area for birders who will be delighted to find a wide variety of birdlife all year round. The open marsh area is home to birds such as the Great Egret, Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, American Bittern, Black-Crowned Night Heron, and more. Numerous migrant songbirds can also be seen during the spring months as well as October, such as flycatchers, thrushes, warblers, sparrows, and more. If you’re lucky, you may even spot some impressive raptors on the prowl for a meal or two. It’s been reported that more than 200 bird species have been logged living in and traveling through the area.

The Dempsey Wildlife Area on the Sandusky Bay is located on the southern coast of Marblehead Peninsula. It offers a boat ramp and launch point for those who wish to enjoy an afternoon of boating, kayaking, canoeing, or sailing. You’ll want to pack a lot of bug spray during your visit here, but it’ll be worth it for the magnificent wildlife and bird spotting! Birds in the area include pelicans, egrets, herons, great horned owls, and more. More than 50 acres of this wildlife preserve feature woodlands teeming with wildlife.

East Harbor State Park is a public recreation area located on the shores of Lake Erie that sprawls more than 1800 acres. You’ll find The wonderfully maintained 1,500-foot sand beach at East Harbor State Park Beach perfect for swimming, hiking, boating and fishing. There are numerous campsites for tents and RVs/Campers, a marina with boat launch, and several wetland wildlife preserve areas such as the Great Black Swamp and the edge of the state’s prairie marsh zone.

The Nature Conservancy’s Great Egret Marsh Preserve encompasses 150-acres of Lake Erie marshlands and surrounding uplands. Each summer the area is covered with a stunning array of water lotus that’s just bursting with life – frogs, fish, waterfowl, and migratory birds all call this area home. Enjoy an afternoon of paddleboarding, kayaking, or canoeing through the marshes to get an up close look at amphibians, fish, reptiles, insects and birds residing in the grasses and lilypads. There’s space for hiking and fishing as well as birdwatching.

Kelleys Island is a village on an island in Lake Erie, located in the western basin, that’s just 4 and a half square miles. Take the ferry from the mainland and rent a golf cart to explore the island just a few miles north of Marblehead. The area is filled to the brim with charming shops, seasonal and year-round restaurants and pubs and waterfront eateries, wine tastings, parks, and more. Visitors to the island love sticking around to watch the beautiful sunsets over teh lake, exploring the Glacial Grooves site, the Kelleys Island History Museum, and more. It’s a small little island that really packs a wallop of fun for all ages. You can easily spend all day here, or book a rental on the island and make a weekend getaway of it.

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