Escape to Buckeye Lake: An Easy Day Trip for the Summer!
I cannot believe I’ve lived in Columbus, Ohio for almost eleven years now and hadn’t yet made a trip to Buckeye Lake. Buckeye Lake is just 30-45 minutes east of Columbus and is the perfect little lake town getaway, whether you’re there for the weekend or just there for the day! A few weekends ago, I took a day trip and hit up so many great spots for food, drinks, and activities in the Buckeye Lake area and I’ve condensed them all into a post to help you plan your trip there soon.
Buckeye Lake Stop #1: Millersport Coffee
One of the first things that struck us about this cute little lake town is how connected all of the small business owners are. Millersport Coffee was our first stop (because duh, coffee!) where we met the family that owns the small, but growing, go-to coffee shop in Millersport. They’re working on a new shop just down the street and it sounds like it’s going to be beautiful – by the time you make a visit later this summer it might be finished! I ordered an iced white mocha with caramel cold foam and it was to DIE for.
Buckeye Lake Stop #2: Buckeye Lake Place
What’s a day trip without a little shopping?! We loved the lake-themed decor available for sale in this cute Millersport shop. We met the owner, who led us upstairs to the CUTEST little Airbnb that will be available for rental very soon! The loft boasts a fully equipped kitchen, airy living area, sliding barn doors, luxurious bedroom with fine linens, and spa-style bathroom. Check it out at the link HERE.
Buckeye Lake Stop #3: Lakebound Outfitters
Our next stop was just up the road in Millersport to check out Lakebound Outfitters. At this point, we already knew that we wanted to plan a trip back to Buckeye Lake later this summer so we wanted to find out more information on kayak rentals for our next trip. Lakebound Outfitters offers full day kayak rentals on Buckeye Lake for just $60 (half day is $20-35). And the best part?? There’s a pizza shop attached to the rental office and they will hand deliver pizzas to you ON THE WATER. It cannot get better than that!
Buckeye Lake Stop #4: Weldon’s Ice Cream
Weldon’s Ice Cream was founded in 1930, and specializes in ice cream and frozen desserts. We were still too full from coffee to enjoy ice cream at this stop, but we did love the original interior decor and booths. I can’t wait to stop here next time!
Buckeye Lake Stop #5: Millersport Lions Community Market & Sweet Corn Festival Grounds
Did you know that Millersport/Buckeye Lake is home to one of the largest festivals in the state?? More people attend the Sweet Corn Festival than the Ohio State Fair! This year, the Sweet Corn Festival is extra special as it’s the 75th anniversary. The Millersport Sweet Corn Festival offers concerts, rides, games, animals, tractor pulls, contests, prizes, entertainment and more for free admission and only $10 parking per vehicle. Check it out on August 31st, September 1 – 2 from 5 pm – 11 pm and September 3 from 11 am – 11 pm.
Held on a more consistent basis is the Millersport Lions Community Market, which is held July 9 & 23, August 6 & 13, and September 10 & 24 (9:30am to 1pm). The twice-a-month market offers a variety of vendors with local connections.
Buckeye Lake Stop #5: Horvath’s Harbor for Lunch
After a busy morning of bouncing around, we were ready to RELAX. The back patio at Horvath’s Harbor in Thornville (east side of Buckeye Lake) backs up right to a canal connected to the lake, right on the water. The cocktail and food options on this menu were incredible, and we’re totally planning to stop here next time to try more things. My favorite this trip was the Lobster Roll!
Buckeye Lake Stop #6: 3XP, Buckeye Lakes’ original bike, boat, and brew tour
What’s a trip to Buckeye Lake without being on the water?? We were pumped to be connected to the owner of 3XP: Paddles, Pedals, and Pints. This tour is new to Buckeye Lake this year and is the BEST way to get a tour of Buckeye Lake while staying active and enjoying some drinks along the way! We opted for the 4 hour “Buckeye Lake West Tour” which runs Thursday & Friday at 3pm and Saturday & Sunday at 10am and 3pm.
You start at the 3XP office on brand new beach cruiser bikes, taking a short ride down to where you’ll enter the lake on 9ft sit-on top kayaks. Our tour guide, Jeff, did all the hard work for us! All we had to do was hop into our sturdy kayaks once they were halfway into the water and we were ready to paddle our way to our first stop, Buckeye Lake Winery.
Buckeye Lake Winery
I can’t say I’ve ever arrived to a winery by kayak, but it’s definitely something everyone should do at least once in their lives! The tour stops at Buckeye Lake Winery for 45-60 minutes, just enough time for you to enjoy some sun and a few wine slushies. We marked this down as another “must-stop” for our next trip to Buckeye Lake. The cheese boards looked amazing and we heard there is live music on Saturday nights!
After finishing up at the winery, we hopped back onto the kayaks to return to the north side of the lake where our bikes were waiting for us. Once we hit land, we enjoyed a nice 4 mile round trip bike ride on the paved path between the lake and some beautiful houses that faced the water. We both agreed this was the best part of the day, so relaxing!
Chef Shack, Buckeye Lake Brewery, and Boatyard Tavern N’ Grille
Toward the end of our tour, we rode our bikes to Buckeye Lake Brewery for some drinks and dinner at the attached food joint, Chef Shack. Buckeye Lake Brewery is a local brewery with a tap room serving draft beer, local wine, and bourbon. We must have worked up an appetite after kayaking and biking, because we were STARVING and the menu at Chef Shack made it hard to decide what to get. We ended up ordering chicken nachos and the shack patty melt (MY FAVORITE). Something else on the menu caught my eye that I couldn’t leave without trying, and I was glad I did. The owner/chef of chef shack convinced me to try the fried pickle with my sandwich and it was the BEST combo. It’s a dill spear wrapped in wonton wrapper with cream cheese, brown mustard, and salami wrapped inside. After dinner, we rode our bikes to Boatyard Tavern N Grille for one last view of the water, the perfect end to our crazy day at Buckeye Lake.
Thank you, Escape to Buckeye Lake and all of the small business owners at Buckeye Lake for an incredible day trip that we cannot wait to repeat sometime soon. If you have any questions on our trip or are planning one for yourself, please feel free to DM me on Instagram @crave_columbus or email me at cravecolumbus@gmail.com and I’d be happy to point you to some of our favorites. Escape to Buckeye Lake also has an app that you can download here that makes it super easy to plan your trip and navigate around the lake! Happy summer!
