Sandusky, OH Outdoor Activities

North Coast Parasail lofts guests high above the freshwater majesty of Lake Erie with gravity-defying parasailing excursions. Drift kite-like through the atmosphere during a 10-minute parasailing experience, which safely suspends adventurers at the end of an 800-foot towline. Breeze cruises deliver picturesque panoramas of Sandusky, Cedar Point, and the rarely seen tops of tall beachgoers' heads. Participants snag a complimentary T-shirt as well as a disposable camera good for capturing images of your feet dangling several hundred feet above the water.

In 1906, Joseph Fleitz purchased a tract of land along Seaman Road. Though he immediately started to farm, it would be another 85 years before his great-grandson, Paul, planted the first pumpkin patch, officially christening Fleitz Pumpkin Farm. Since then, the family has built other attractions, and the wind raises a thrumming whisper from the stalks of a 5-acre corn maze capable of stumping even Ivy League–educated scarecrows. Tractors pull hay carts full of chattering riders, and other amenities include a free tricycle zone and an area to feed goats and chickens. During the fall, when the air grows crisp and cornucopias hang heavy on the trees, row upon row of sunset-hued pumpkins line the periphery of the farm. The scents of cinnamon drifts from a snack shack serving freshly made doughnuts and hot cider.

A 6-inch perch strikes a baited minnow, and then a 26-inch walleye inhales them both. The boy landing this prize catch—who also happens to be a first-timer—reels as his teammates cheer so loudly that Captain Alan Maier isn't even sure that his handling tips are audible over the excitement. Once the fish reaches the boat side, the captain nets the walleye and encourages the boys—all members of his grandson's little league baseball team—to capture the moment with a picture.

Maier charters fishing excursions for perch and walleye so that anglers of all ages can have memories like these, which prompt Maier to recall all of the trips he had with his dad that ended with one of them saying, "let's catch just one more." Welcoming parties aboard his roomy Thompson Fisherman boat—measuring 27 feet long by 10 feet wide and equipped with a sun-shielding hardtop—the licensed captain launches from various docks in the area and then heads toward the western basin of Lake Erie. Trips furnish all equipment, including bait, ice, and coolers to hold catches. Guests are also welcome to bring their own rods, reels, and lures shaped like BLTs.