The island is a popular recreation spot and is often referred to as the "Key West of Lake Erie." The village of Put-in-Bay is a popular tourist destination during the summer. It is served by ferry from nearby Port Clinton and Sandusky, both on the mainland. The island is the annual host of the Inter-Lake Yachting Association regatta, known as Bay Week.
Approximately 3.7 miles (6.0 km) long and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide and comprises 1,588.3 acres (642.8 hectares), the island is separated by an isthmus into a smaller, residential northeastern side (East Point)[1] and a southwestern side that contains an airfield and the village center of Put-in-Bay, the island's only incorporated community. The island is 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the nearest point on the mainland (Scott Point in the peninsular Catawba Island Township) and approximately 10 miles (16 km) north northeast of Port Clinton, Ohio, and 14 miles (23 km) north northwest of Sandusky, Ohio.
As of the 2000 census there were 631 residents on the island.
Access
Transportation to the island via car, bike, or walk-ons is provided by ferries from the Miller Boat Line (departing from the northern point of Catawba Island), and Jet Express (departing from Port Clinton, Sandusky, and Cedar Point. Other boat access is provided by various charter boat companies in the area. The island also has a small airport. Golf carts are a popular method of transportation on the island.
Pamela F. Service's 'tween' novel Phantom Victory (1994), features a main character, Terri, who lives on South Bass Island and works at the excavation of the historic Victory hotel, which burned down in 1919.
^The Michigan Botanist. Michigan Botanical Club. 1975. p. 145. The site selected for Perry's Victory Monument was the low, marshy, wooded narrow isthmus between the village of Put-in-Bay and that portion of South Bass Island referred to as East Point. Known as Chapman's Marsh or Chapman's Pond, the site was cleared in the summer of 1912 for the construction [...]
