Now is the perfect time to check out the Shores & Islands Ohio Cheers Trail. Cabin fever will surely have you wanting to get out of the house, but winter weather will have you looking for indoor activities. Why not try a taste of regional flavor? You can do so by visiting local breweries, cideries, wineries, and distilleries throughout this coastal region between Cleveland and Toledo. But how do you manage finding them all, let alone visiting them all? Enter the Shores & Islands Cheers Trail – an easy way to locate local craft beverage makers and a fun way to taste your way through the region.
The Cheers Trail makes is easy to find brews, ciders, and sips made with local ingredients. Available as a free, mobile exclusive, instantly-delivered experience through text and email, the Cheers Trail takes you across 22 of the best libations-makers Ohio has to offer. Using your mobile passport, check-in when visiting participating businesses and earn points toward exciting prizes that can be redeemed at Shores & Islands Ohio Welcome Centers, which are located in Sandusky and Port Clinton. Prizes can be earned for making qualifying purchases at five or more locations and you’ll earn points if you sip back, relax, and spend quality time at these brew-tiful locations.
Get started by scanning the QR code or visit SHORESandISLANDS.com, under the “Things to Do” tab, click “Trails,” then “Shores & Islands Ohio Cheers Trail.” First, sign up with your phone number or email then the mobile passport will be delivered to your phone via text or email. There is no app to download and your pass can be saved to your phone’s home screen for easy one-tap access. When visiting a participating business, check-in to gain points towards your prize, just ensure your location services is turned on to check-in via GPS.
Your adventure will take you across northern Ohio from Avon Lake to Helena, and to Catawba where you will find Twin Oast Brewery, offering craft-made beers and food mixing traditional German offerings with a modern American sentiment, also known as one of Ohio’s premiere fruit-based sour beer brewers. Gideon Owen Wine Company is a 150-year-old winery in Catawba. You may remember them as Mon Ami, but they have undergone a complete overhaul to both their indoor and outdoor spaces, menu, and more. It’s now a perfect blend of historic charm with an 1872 wine cellar, modern patio with fire pits, fine dining, and a wine bar.
Next, to Marblehead’s Rocky Point Winery, just a few minutes from the iconic Marblehead Lighthouse. It’s a great place to relax and enjoy wines made using Midwest grapes, including ones grown on Isle St. George in Lake Erie. Then to Sandusky’s Everwild Spirits, a craft bourbon distillery producing whiskeys and craft cocktails that represent the local land and grains native to Ohio.
Berlin Heights offers the very unique Redhead Ciderhouse at Burnham Orchards. Redhead Ciderhouse is an estate cidery who grows, presses, and ferments on site. Hard ciders can be sampled in the tasting room or purchased to-go from the orchard’s market. Don’t forget to visit the island locations during the warmer months, as the Cheers Trail is a year-round experience.
These are just a few locations the Cheers Trail will lead you to on your journey of experiencing some of the best local flavors, culture, and history.
Don’t want to drive? Firelands Adventure Tours offers two different 4-hour winery tours throughout the region in a climate-controlled, comfortable 16-passenger bus. Tours begin and end at Jackson Street Pier in downtown Sandusky and each include three winery stops, either east or west of Sandusky. These tours are VIP, all-inclusive wine-tasting events, that include wines paired with delicious snacks, interesting discussions with wine makers and winery staff, an informative tour of the production facilities, and gratuities for one all-inclusive price.
Traveling the Cheers Trail is a fun and enjoyable experience, from games for the kids to winter-friendly outdoor spaces with igloos, glass houses, and heated patios, the Cheers Trail is for the whole family. Everywhere you visit will offer something for everyone, including giant pretzels, cheese trays, coffee, beautiful views, live music, and so much more! As you travel to each location check out all the other things the region has to offer and remember…
Good food, good drink, and good company with Shores & Islands Ohio Cheers Trail will make your getaway one to remember. Start your digital passport today to immediately begin earning points and please sip responsibly!
