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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Middle Bass Island
Go for 1–2 nights if you want a quiet Lake Erie island with a winery ruin, a state-park campground and golf-cart roads; skip if you need bars, shops or a car-free ferry network.
Middle Bass is the low-key middle island of the Lake Erie group: about 3 km across, one ferry dock, one general store, a former winery and a state park. It suits a single overnight or a long day trip from Catawba or Put-in-Bay, not a full week. Ferries run several times a day in summer and thin out in spring and fall, so the season sets the plan more than the sights do.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Apr (ferries limited or suspended, most businesses closed)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–200 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Poison control 1-800-222-1222 · State Park office +1 419 285-0311
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or a soft drink at the general store | $2–5 |
| Burger or sandwich at J.F. Walleyes | $12–20 |
| Pizza at Uncle Joe's | $15–25 |
| Beer at St. Hazard's | $6–9 |
| Golf-cart rental, per day | $80–120 |
| Passenger ferry, Catawba ↔ Middle Bass, one way | $10–12 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MBL · Middle Bass Island Airport
- Small general-aviation field, about 640 m of runway; no scheduled passenger service — charter only
- CLE · Cleveland Hopkins
- About 1 h 45 min by car to the Catawba ferry dock, then the ferry
- TOL · Toledo Express
- About 1 h 15 min by car to Catawba, then the ferry
Typical fares
- Ferry Catawba → Middle Bass dock
- about $10–12 one way, 20–30 min
- Sonny-S Middle Bass → Put-in-Bay
- short passenger hop; last boat early evening on weekdays, midnight at weekends
- Golf cart, one day
- $80–120
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The island is small enough to walk, and bikes and golf carts are the usual way to cover more ground. Cars are allowed but speed limits are low. Bring what you need: there is one general store and no fuel station on the island.
See and do
Known for
- Lonz Winery ruin
- Middle Bass Island State Park
- Quiet Lake Erie shoreline
- Golf-cart roads
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Put-in-Bay and South Bass Island | Sonny-S passenger ferry from the Middle Bass dock | About 30–45 min including boarding |
| Kelleys Island | Ferry to Catawba or Put-in-Bay, then a second ferry | 2.5–4 h |
| Catawba Island and Port Clinton | Mainland ferry from the Middle Bass dock | About 30–60 min |
| Sandusky | Ferry to Catawba, then a car or shuttle west | About 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- State Park campground and marina
- 21 sites, reservation only, May–Oct; fire ring and picnic table, showers at the harbormaster building, no toilets, electricity or potable water on site. Boat docking also possible.
- St. Hazard's Resort, east side
- Villas for up to six, chalets for up to five and simpler cabins with a shared bath house; pool and Wi-Fi. The island's main bed base outside camping.
- Near the ferry dock
- Walkable to J.F. Walleyes and the Lonz Winery site; best if you arrive without a vehicle.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the ferry dock? | Where is the ferry dock? |
| What time is the last boat? | What time is the last boat? |
| Do you take cards? | Do you take cards? |
| Is the campground open? | Is the campground open? |
| Can I rent a golf cart? | Can I rent a golf cart? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Ferry service is seasonal: several trips a day in summer, weather-dependent sailings in spring and fall, and little or nothing in winter.
- The campground has no toilets, electricity or potable water on site; showers are at the harbormaster building.
- The Sonny-S ferry to Put-in-Bay stops running in the early evening on weekdays and at midnight at weekends — check the last sailing before you plan a return.
- Cell and data coverage can be patchy on the east end and at East Point; download what you need before boarding.
A very low-crime island; the real risks are open water, weather that turns fast on Lake Erie, and thin ferry service in the shoulder season. Wear a life jacket on kayaks and paddleboards, and keep an eye on the last boat.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Middle Bass Island yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lonz Winery ruin
- Middle Bass Island State Park
- Quiet Lake Erie shoreline
- Golf-cart roads
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources — Middle Bass Island State Park: ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/middle-bass-island-state-park-campground
- Lake Erie Islands Conservancy — East Point Preserve: lakeerieislandsconservancy.org/middle-bass-island-east-point-preserve/
- Middle Bass Ferry (Sonny-S): middlebassferry.net/
- Wikivoyage: Middle Bass Island, revision 5244527 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5244527
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Middle Bass Island
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Poison control1-800-222-1222
- State Park office+1 419 285-0311
No consulates on the island; national embassies are in Washington, DC, with consulates in Cleveland and Detroit.
Tipping is expected in the US: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/middle-bass-island). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.