While you’re making plans to visit us this July, we have some fun and unique suggestions to create a day or weekend you’ll remember. Each has that element of surprise that you may be looking for and we can guarantee that they are memory making, leaving you with plenty to talk about over dinner and wine at Orchard Bar & Table or sipping a cocktail at The Coop. If you’re spending the night and have the energy to experience more the following day start with breakfast at our Farm Stand where we offer fantastic coffees and espressos, fresh pastries, and hot breakfasts daily before you head for more fun.
Here’s five, maybe six, (who’s counting) fun events to add to your July adventure calendar. Promise you’ll join us before or after and celebrate your day!
- off the vine -
a catawba island blog
Ørchard on Catawba Island is about an hour from Toledo and just over an hour from Cleveland. We’re on the way to the Miller Ferry and an easy stop whether you’re going or coming back. We are open daily at 8AM and invite you to join us for dining, wine, beer and cocktails, a wonderful shopping experience and a chance to enjoy the atmosphere of the grounds, from the orchard to the vineyard and all the feature we create to make your visit special. Visit us at 3350 NE Catawba Rd, Port Clinton, OH 43452.
2023 Port Clinton Art Walks 2023
Held every fourth Thursday between May and September from 5 to 8PM at The Arts Garage (TAG) in historic downtown Port Clinton, you’ll meet artist and artisan talent from around Ottawa county and find their art inspired by Lake Erie, surrounding nature and local history and more. Art is the perfect way to take home some memories of your visit to the area. For more information, go to the Greater Port Clinton Arts Council’s website.
The Roar of Community Theatre!
When Did You Last See Your Trousers? It’s not a question but a screwy comedy about a cheating husband who loses his clothes to a burglar while sleeping with his mistress. How he gets back to his wife wearing not much more than jockey shorts is a hoot with all the elements of a British comedy: satire, absurdity, sarcasm, insults and taboo subjects. Good for a girl’s night out that can begin with dinner at the Ørchard on Catawba Island or end with a nightcap at The Coop where you can talk about this study in justice. Showing for two solid weekends at Play Makers Civic Theatre just minutes from us. For schedule and tickets information click here.
Lakeside Chautauqua Wet Paint Sale & Plein Air Festival, July 14-16
Not really wet paint but the work is fresh and newly created for a first look. You’ll find plein air (which is French for “outside) artists all around the grounds at beautiful Lakeside Chautauqua doing their thing throughout the weekend. This is a special chance to look over their shoulders and watch as their subjects emerge on canvas. Paintings completed by the artists that weekend will be available for purchase just south of the Pavilion on the final day, Sunday July 16 from Noon to 1:30PM. Click here to go to the Lakeside website for information.
Senaca Cavern Lantern Tours
Lit by headlamps, lanterns and eerie ghost stories, this hour-long guided tour of Ohio’s Seneca caverns is a mini adventure that winds through the dimly lit passageways that Ohio’s early explorers explored. Learn the history and folklore that lies 65 feet beneath the surface. Date and times are limited and reservations are a must so click here to book now. Bellevue is about 30 minutes from the Ørchard on Catawba Island.
Take Off at Liberty Aviation Museum
Throughout July and into August there you’ll find a number of opportunities to experience flights in vintage aircraft including the 5-AT "City of Wichita"/"City of Port Clinton", the world’s first mass produced airliner; a Kestrel Warbird T6, one of the most famous aircrafts in military history; a UH-1Huey and AH-1 Cobra, both vintage Vietnam helicopters; and a WWII B-25 bomber, “Rosie’s Reply.” There’s more as the Museum moves through summer into fall including a Military Vehicle and Equipment Show, Junior Pilot programs, Vintage Airplane and Car Shows, and more. For complete information and reservations about all that happens at this amazing museum just 5 minutes from the Orchard, click here or call 419.732.0234.
Lakeside Chautauqua’s 20th Annual Wooden Boat Show
This combined with the Plein Air Wet Paint festival makes for one of Lakeside Chautauqua’s most unique weekends of the summer. The Wooden Boat Show will cap the weekend’s activities with more than 70 beautiful wooden cruisers docked along the lakefront. You’ll find antique boats from the early 20th century up to vintage vessels from the past 30 years. This is a celebration of the exquisite craftsmanship in the tradition of wooden boat building and shouldn’t be missed. For more information about the park, show and other events click here.