Fall life on Lake Erie: Still things to do

PORT CLINTON – Although the summer tourist season ended a few weeks ago, there are still opportunities to enjoy Lake Erie and the North Coast during the fall months.

From haunted attractions and local festivals to fishing and viewing the changing colors, the area has plenty to offer locals and those looking for some weekend fun.

Fall festivals

Put-in-Bay will have its 10th annual Island Wine Festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Doller House. Event-goers can sample foreign and domestic wines, including those from Put-in-Bay Winery at the Doller House and Heineman Winery on South Bass Island.

The annual Apple Festival in downtown Oak Harbor is Oct. 11 and 12 and provides a weekend of all things apple, from treats to vendors and nighttime entertainment. For information, visit www.oakharborohio.net/events/apple-festival.

Also Oct. 11 is the annual Lighthouse Festival in Lakeside and Marblehead. The day includes tours of the Marblehead Lighthouse, a farmers market, artists, children’s crafts, hayrides and more. For information, visit www.lakesideohio.com/calendar/events/2283#.VCrMhxawW-Y.

Put-in-Bay will have it’s 21st annual Island Oktober Fest on Oct. 10-12 under a large tent on Toledo Avenue. The event includes German food and live entertainment. For information, visit www.putinbay.com/calendar.htm.

The village of Elmore will have its annual Tombstone Derby on Oct. 25 at Depot Park. The event includes races with motorized caskets, vendors and other Halloween fun.

Fishing and boating

Although people have started having their boats pulled from the lake and stored for winter, some locals leave their vessels in until late fall to take advantage of good weather for fishing and boat trips.

The yellow perch catch has been good, multiple sources have consistently said. Charter captains and head boats continue to take trips.

Sassy Sal at the Jefferson Street Pier offers head boat fishing trips at 8 a.m. daily — weather permitting. Customers are asked to call ahead to make a reservation at 419-732-7755.

Shoreline fishing also offers anglers some opportunities in the fall.

Crappie season usually picks up this time of year at marinas around Catawba Island and Marblehead and places like East Harbor and Dempsey and Mazurik public accesses. The yellow perch catch at the Marblehead Lighthouse has been good so far this year, Hi-Way Bait and Tackle has reported.

Fall foliage

The leaves have slowly begun to turn, although there’s still plenty of green out there.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources Fall Color Forester Casey Burdick told The Associated Press fall foliage colors are expected to peak in northern Ohio around mid-October.

One way to see them is on the hiking trail, and there are plenty in this area, including East Harbor State Park and Great Egret Marsh in Danbury Township, as well as Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Benton Township and Magee Marsh Wildlife Area in Carroll Township.

Lakeside

Lakeside Chautauqua is a gated Methodist community on the Marblehead Peninsula. During the summer, visitors have to pay a fee to get in.

But in the fall, the gates are open.

Although there are much fewer events than in the summer, Lakeside still has things to offer. Fall also can be a good time to explore the community and see the unique cottages with unusual names sometimes painted in unusual shades.

The shops also remain open on fall Saturdays, and many of them have discount signs posted in their windows.

Movies are shown at the Orchestra Hall, and the Ohio State University Marching Band will have a concert at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 at Hoover Auditorium. Tickets are $10 each and available online at www.osumbinottawacounty.com.

Pumpkin patches

There are plenty of roadside stands with fall produce and, of course, pumpkins. Some places offer U-pick pumpkin patches, and some have corn mazes and hayrides.

Bergman’s Orchards in Danbury Township and Country Lane Tree Farm offer U-pick pumpkins. Country Lane and Jason’s Pumpkin Patch in Oak Harbor have hayrides, a corn maze and other things to do.

For information, visit jasonspumpkinpatch.com/activities.html and www.countrylanetreefarm.com/.

Haunted attractions

Cedar Point’s Halloweekends last through Nov. 1, and they offer a weekend of haunted houses and other fun scares throughout the park.

The park also has family-friendly Halloween attractions, including an expanded Howl-O-Palooza kids’ area and cornstalk and hay bale mazes, pedal tractors, trick-or-treat stations and live entertainment.

Country Lane Tree Farm also has haunted hayrides after dark. Monsters, ghouls and more lurk in the haunted pine forest, waiting to frighten those aboard the hayride.

mksmith@gannett.com

419-734-7521

Twitter: @kristinasmithNM