Club J.J. Island Bash

Note that although this event is sponsored by Jest Jugglers of Columbus, it takes place outside of the Columbus area.

The ferry is about $10 or $20 round-trip (see Details below for more info) depending on whether you take the one where the last boat off the island is in the early evening (cheaper) or the one where the last boat off is about midnight. The island has restaurants in all price ranges.

Jugglers will gather in De Rivera Park in downtown Put-in-Bay, probably near the gazebo or the fountain. There is no indoor location for juggling, so this event only works if it isn't raining.

Camping: Because camping slots on the island are limited, they usally aren't available to people who arrive Saturday. An option for camping on the shore side that generally has some sites available late Saturday night is Fort Firelands Recreation Park, 5650 E. Harbor Road, Lakeside, Ohio, 43440.

This place actually is on Ohio Route 163 between Port Clinton and Lakeside near the intersection with Ohio Route 269. Camp sites are $10 to $15 a night for tents. It has a flush toilet/shower building, fire rings and picnic tables at the more expensive tent sites, a restaurant on the premises, etc. The phone number is (419)734-1237.

How to Get There:

You can get access to South Bass Island/Put-in-Bay through one of two boat lines.

Jet Express

This leaves from downtown Port Clinton, Ohio. The round-trip fare is $18. It is thought that Triple A members (this is an American automobile club) can get a few dollars off. The chief advantages of going with the more expensive boat are that if you are just going for the day, you can spend more time on the island because the last boat leaves the island about midnight and the fact that it lands in downtown Put-in-Bay, very close to the juggling site. To get a boat schedule and directions mailed to you, call toll-free, (800) 245-1JET.

Here's another tip concerning the Jet Express. The parking lot right next to the boat dock in Port Clinton is a pay parking lot. Jet Express has free parking a few blocks away and shuttles people between the parking and the dock on a regular basis. To get to the parking lot, keep going west past the dock, drive behind the supermarket a few blocks away and keep going until you get to the lot.

Miller Boat Line

The other ferry is the Miller Boat Line, which leaves from Catawba Point, Ohio (the end of Ohio Route 53 North off of Ohio Route 2. The round-trip fare is about $10. This ferry, unlike the other, takes cars, except there isn't much need for cars on the island and parking is very limited, so it probably is easier to leave the car. The last boat off the island leaves in the early evening. Also, this ferry arrives on the opposite side of the island from downtown Put-in-Bay, so getting to the juggling site requires a tram ride or a walk or a unicycle ride of about two miles.

The toll-free phone number for the Miller Boat Line is (800) 500-2421 for schedules and so forth.