How a Cleveland-Area Designer Made This Catawba Peninsula Vacation House Feel Like Home

For a family spending summers on Ohio’s Catawba Peninsula, designer Summer Alaedeen transformed a stark, open-plan house into a comfortable retreat with clever seating, layered color and spaces designed for both entertaining and everyday family life.

Best New View — The Galley

Dine just feet from the water at The Galley, a new restaurant with sailboat views, a big patio and an approachable menu.

Best Cocktails and Mocktails — Patina Porch

Sip garden-fresh cocktails and mocktails with sunset views over the marsh at this laid-back Sandusky gathering spot.

Best Breakfast Poutine — SoLo on Main in Port Stanley

A Port Stanley restaurant puts a fresh morning spin on a beloved Quebec classic.

Best Plunge — Saunagoose Cleveland

A new Scranton Peninsula retreat brings Scandinavian sauna culture and cold plunges to Cleveland’s Flats.

Best Buzz — Strawberry Shots at the Groove Bar & Grill

Kelleys Island’s iconic strawberry shots have drawn visitors for more than 30 years — and they’re still made to order, berry by berry.

Best Pancakes — Sandusky Bay Pancake House

Stack up pancakes, local ingredients and a playful coffee creation at this Sandusky breakfast favorite.

Big Picture: How the Ford Tri-Motor Changed Lake Erie Aviation

Ford’s iconic Tri-Motor plane transformed air travel and made getting to Ohio’s Lake Erie islands safer and easier.

Best Fruit Carver — Chef Lin Repko

At Sandusky’s Rockin’ Ranch, chef Lin Repko transforms ordinary produce into extraordinary works of art, continuing a fruit-carving tradition rooted in her Thai family.

Best Pedestrian Connection — Gordie Howe Bridge

The new Gordie Howe Bridge connects Detroit and Windsor with a free cross-border trail for walkers and bicyclists.

Best New Food Truck Park — Linwood Landing

Food trucks, live music, cocktails and lakefront sunsets make Linwood Landing a lively new gathering spot in Vermilion.