~10 minutes away
Cedar Point — America's Roller Coast
The reason most people come to Sandusky, and still the best collection of roller coasters on the planet. From The Cedar it's about a 10-minute drive to the causeway — close enough to rope-drop the park, come back mid-afternoon for a break on the bay, and return for the evening rides when the lines thin out.
Local tip: summer weekends, get there before opening. And when your legs give out, Tique's Bar is pouring back at the hotel — no driving downtown required.
~15 minutes away
Kalahari & the Indoor Waterparks
Kalahari Resorts — one of the largest indoor waterparks in the country — is about 15 minutes from The Cedar, and day passes mean you don't have to stay (or pay) resort rates to ride the slides. It's the classic rainy-day or shoulder-season play, and a big part of why Sandusky is a year-round destination. Great Wolf Lodge and Cedar Point Shores round out the waterpark lineup in season.
Local tip: plenty of our guests do Kalahari by day and sleep better (and cheaper) in a quiet themed room on the water.
Ferries a short drive away
Put-in-Bay & Kelleys Island
The Lake Erie islands are the region's best day trip. The Jet Express leaves from downtown Sandusky for both Put-in-Bay (golf carts, Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial, the famous bar scene) and Kelleys Island (the quieter one — glacial grooves, beaches, wineries). The Kelleys Island Ferry also runs from Marblehead if you'd rather bring a car over.
Local tip: rent a golf cart the moment you land at Put-in-Bay — they go fast on summer Saturdays. Catch an afternoon boat back and you're on our waterfront for sunset.
~20 minutes away
Marblehead Lighthouse & the Peninsula
The most photographed lighthouse on the Great Lakes, standing since 1822 at the tip of the Marblehead Peninsula. The state park around it is free to walk, the views across to Kelleys Island are worth the drive alone, and East Harbor State Park — with one of the best sand beaches on Ohio's Lake Erie shore — is on the way.
Local tip: golden hour. Bring a camera and stop for ice cream on the peninsula afterward.
~10 minutes away
Downtown Sandusky
Downtown Sandusky has quietly become one of Ohio's best small downtowns — a walkable waterfront grid of restaurants, breweries, and shops around Jackson Street Pier, plus the beautifully restored Sandusky State Theatre and the Merry-Go-Round Museum.
Our sister spot: Paddle Bar at 305 E Water St is our own waterfront tiki bar — live music, fresh-squeezed cocktails, frozen drinks, and local Ohio craft beer right on the water. Tell them The Cedar sent you.
Zero minutes away
Or Just… Stay Put
The Cedar's own waterfront is the amenity guests mention most. Tables and chairs line Sandusky Bay for all guests, sunsets over the water are nightly, and Tique's Bar — our outdoor bar on the property — pours handcrafted cocktails, local Ohio beer, wine, and zero-proof drinks Wednesday through Monday. Rayz on the Bay, a local favorite for burgers and Lake Erie perch, is about two blocks down the shore.
And the rooms themselves are half the trip: 12 individually themed rooms — sleep under constellations, among vinyl records, or in a captain's quarters. Plenty of guests come back to collect them all.
Make The Cedar your base camp
12 themed rooms on Sandusky Bay · self check-in · dogs welcome · bar on site
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