Welcome to Marblehead
It's like no other place you've ever been...
Marblehead is a seaside village in Ottawa County, Ohio, just a short drive from Cedar Point. It sits at the tip of the Marblehead Peninsula, which divides Lake Erie proper from Sandusky Bay. Our quaint village offers specialty shops, casual restaurants, beaches, wineries, art galleries, museums, boat docks and an iconic lighthouse.
Marblehead encompasses just over two and one-half square miles and is home to a permanent population of approximately one thousand. Our country-like roads lead you to a simpler, more authentic place that never feels touristy. We enjoy an eclectic mix of summer cottages, permanent homes and lakefront condominiums. Limestone hugs the shoreline, particularly near the famous lighthouse, mistaken for marble by early settlers, giving the village its name.
Marblehead is part of the area that is referred to regionally as Vacationland, due to the large number of tourists who flock to the area in the summer months. It remains a popular vacation destination thanks to its lake frontage, ferry service to the Lake Erie Islands, the nearby Lakeside Chautauqua, and Cedar Point amusement park.
Marblehead Lighthouse is the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the American side of the Great Lakes. The lighthouse is a part of the Marblehead Lighthouse State Park located within the village. It is a frequent first stop for travelers, with daily tours and the chance to peek inside the Keeper’s House and Lifesaving Station, which now operate as museums. Marblehead Lighthouse was the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes to have a female Lighthouse Keeper. The Marblehead Lighthouse has also appeared on a U.S. postage stamp.
Additionally
Marblehead is home to a United States Coast Guard station, the busiest Coast Guard station on the Great Lakes. Nearby, in Sandusky Bay, is Johnson’s Island Confederate Cemetery, the final resting place for 206 Confederate officers.
East Harbor State Park offers 2 miles of sandy beach, 10 miles of hiking trails, bird and wildlife watching, boating, swimming, picnicking and camping. Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve protects the only natural United States population of the Lakeside Daisy, a threatened plant species and one of Ohio's most spectacular wildflowers.
From spring until fall, our town is bustling with tourists who enjoy Lake Erie and leisure time activities. Winter brings a peaceful stillness to Marblehead. When a fresh snowfall gently descends, one can hardly resist taking a photograph of this picture-perfect scene of a small-town winter. The spring thaw brings welcome sunshine, Lakeside Daisies and city-weary weekenders in search of our peaceful atmosphere.
The same services, and more, that are found in much larger cities are available here. We have a excellent public water system, sanitary sewers, police, fire and EMS, high-speed internet access, a ferry to Kelleys Island, a wealth of businesses catering to nearly every possible need, attractive parks and five different denominations of churches. The Village of Marblehead enjoys a deep-rooted history fashioned by a community of neighbors.
It's like no other place you've ever been... and you'll want to come back, again and again.