Middle Bass Island

About 45 year round residents call Middle Bass Island "home",  and many summer islanders name Middle Bass as their island choice for their summer retreat. "Middle Bass is what Put-in-Bay was like forty years ago" some residents and visitors will tell you. Gentle, unpaved roads lead to beaches, historic lodgings and past gingerbread - trimmed Victorian cottages. Middle Bass is a a refreshing island with no hint of any mainland frenzy.

Bicycles and golf carts are the perfect travel mode - the island is only about a mile and half long. On Middle Bass you also find an eclectic gift shop, general store, brewery, live entertainment, fishing charters and bed and breakfasts. Take time to explore the Middle Bass Kuehnle wildlife refuge - where you can see a snapping turtle - filled swamp, nesting area and wetlands. This is a birder's destination in spring and fall - Middle Bass is centered on one of North Americas's main bird migratory paths, as well as on a migratory path for the Monarch butterfly. Twice a year, especially visible in late August/September, the Monarch traces the route between Canada and Mexico. The Lake Erie Islands are but brief resting spots for the treacherous path that the butterfly must take.

 The State of Ohio is currently developing part of the island for a campground and transient marina.