DISCOVERING OHIO

LAKE ERIE SHORES & ISLANDS, OHIO, July 7, 2016 — While delegates, supporters, elected officials and other visitors are making final arrangements to descend upon downtown Cleveland for the Republican National Convention in just two short weeks, many others are making plans to visit the nearby Lake Erie Shores & Islands. And with so much to see and do, it’s no wonder why nearly 10 million people visit this entertainment mecca in Ohio each year. Here is a list of just some of the ways visitors can “Find It Here” in Ohio.

Did you know that there have been eight United States Presidents that have hailed from the state of Ohio? Former United States President William Henry Harrison celebrated the groundbreaking of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad, Ohio’s first railroad, in Bellevue in 1835, while former President William Howard Taft gave a campaign speech in Sandusky in 1908. Cedar Point’s luxurious Hotel Breakers housed several Presidents throughout its history, including Ohio’s own Warren Harding. Former Presidents James A. Garfield and Rutherford B. Hayes both spent the night at the Island House Hotel in Port Clinton. In fact, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums in nearby Fremont was the nation’s first Presidential Library!

Cedar Point, located along the coast of Lake Erie in Sandusky, is the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World.”® This park is known for breaking records! New this year is Valravn, the tallest, fastest and longest dive roller coaster in the world! This steel screamer joins an unmatched array of 17 other roller coasters, including the 310-foot-tall, 93 mph Millennium Force, voted the “Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World.” The beachfront thrill park is a definite “must-do” for any adrenaline junkie. Sandusky is also home toKalahari Resort, one of the largest indoor waterparks in the world! Featuring a mix of rides, slides and other water fun, this resort is perfect for the entire family, or business trip thanks to more than 215,000 square feet of convention space! Heineman Winery and Crystal Cave on South Bass Island is home to the world’s largest celestite geode!

While NASA’s Juno spacecraft begins its historic journey around Jupiter, work is continuing on one of the agency’s most anticipated projects ever – Orion. A key component of Orion, the Service Module, is undergoing a series of tests at the NASA Glenn Research Center’s Plum Brook Station. Located in Sandusky, this world-class facility is home to the world’s largest vacuum chamber, the world’s most powerful spacecraft acoustic test chamber and the world’s highest capacity and most powerful spacecraft shaker system!

You’ve heard that Cedar Point is the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World,”® but Lake Erie Shores & Islands is also known as the “Walleye Capital of the World” and the “Warbler Capital of the World.” A trip to the area is not complete without sampling fresh-caught walleye or perch. There are even locations that will cook up your own catch and serve it to you with all the fixings! The latter is thanks to several key birding hot spots, like Magee Marsh in Oak Harbor which hosts the annual “Biggest Week in American Birding,” that attracted more than 90,000 visitors this past May. Old Woman Creek in Huron is also known for birding and is one of the country’s only freshwater estuaries. The Shores & Islands area provides a perfect respite for birds during their annual spring and fall migrations.

The Shores & Islands area is alive with history! From the Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum in Milan, Ohio, to the Marblehead Lighthouse – the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, to the ice-aged Glacial Grooves on Kelleys Island, there is something for every kind of history buff here. Visitors can even take an elevator to the top of one of the tallest monuments in the United States at thePerry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial on South Bass Island. Commemorating the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812, this iconic monument is a part of the National Park Service’s Centennial celebration.

Find your #LakeErieLove and learn even more cool facts and attractions at www.shoresandislands.com.

PRESS RELEASE SUBMITTED BY
Jill L. Bauer
Public Relations Coordinator
Lake Erie Shores & Islands – East
4424 Milan Road, Suite A
Sandusky, OH 44870
419.625.2984 or 800.255.3743
www.SHORESandISLANDS.com