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Welcome back, adventure seekers! As the sun begins to shine brighter and the days grow longer, we are thrilled to share some exciting updates from Explorer Rest & Recreation for the 2024 summer season. Our journey continues with new additions and enhanced experiences designed to make your stay even more memorable.

Reflecting on Our 2023 Milestones
Last summer, we proudly unveiled 21 meticulously designed rooms, including our ADA-compliant Explorer Executive Suite. Our King and custom Queen over Queen Bunk with a daybed quickly became a favorite, especially among sports travelers. These accommodations provided the perfect blend of comfort and convenience, setting a high standard for our guests.

Winter Work Brings New Experiences
While winter often brings a time of rest, we remained hard at work, determined to elevate our property. Our efforts have culminated in several exciting new additions for summer 2024:

The Explorer Ranch
Introducing the Explorer Ranch – a spacious three-room suite that comfortably sleeps up to eight people. With two bathrooms, this suite is perfect for families or groups seeking ample space and modern amenities. Whether you’re gathering for a reunion or just enjoying a getaway, the Explorer Ranch offers a unique blend of comfort and style.

The Explorer Suite – 3
We are also delighted to present three new Explorer Suites. Each suite features an open studio layout, equipped with a King bed and two Queen beds, comfortably sleeping up to six guests. The open design ensures a relaxed and versatile space, ideal for both short stays and extended vacations.

A Culinary Delight: Berardis Food Trailer
One of the most exciting additions to our property is the Berardis Food Trailer. With a rich history of over 75 years serving Sandusky, Ohio, and once delighting guests along the Cedar Point midway, Berardis is now part of the Explorer family. This partnership brings a beloved local favorite right to your doorstep.

A Menu to Savor
Our menu features the iconic Philly Cheesesteak in a variety of creative versions. Start your day with a Philly Cheesesteak breakfast sandwich, complete with eggs, or try our Philly Cheesesteak quesadilla for a flavorful twist. Of course, the classic Philly Cheesesteak on an 8′ hoagie bun remains a fan favorite, now enhanced with a new garlic peppercorn aioli sauce. What sets us apart? We offer breakfast items all day long, and our fries are fresh, hand-cut, and irresistibly delicious.

A Perfect Alignment
The Berardis brand and Explorer Rest & Recreation share a commitment to family-friendly dining and exceptional service. We’re excited about this collaboration and confident that it will enhance your overall experience at our property.

Looking Ahead
As we look forward to the rest of 2024 and beyond, our mission remains the same: to provide an exceptional, welcoming environment for all our guests. Whether you’re here for a sports event, Cedar Point, a family vacation, or a relaxing retreat, Explorer Rest & Recreation is dedicated to making your stay unforgettable.

We can’t wait to welcome you back and share in the joy of these new additions. Here’s to a summer full of exploration, relaxation, and delicious moments at Explorer Rest & Recreation!

Stay adventurous,
The Explorer Rest & Recreation Team

Sorry for the delay in posts! We have been very busy on the site as many have seen and commented publicly. We appreciate all the support from Sandusky folks commenting on social and giving kudos to the construction team. They have rocked and we are super blessed to have such a nice product coming along. In the past several weeks, we have added substantial amount of labor including Dusty Boldman and his drywall team. We also had a major milestone with our new sign that was co-designed by Brady Signs and Richardson Design. If you have not seen it, we will give you a sneak peak, but must say it’s even better in person.!

We said goodbye to a few things! Above is a shot of the plumbing that was under the hood. Long story short, it was not in great shape, and we had to replace a lot of studs and sills. Here are some other things we said bye to in May.

As we were sad to say goodbye to some things (Many local memories at the Mecca), we were happy to say hello to some new things that freshen up the property and will shape its identity moving forward. In the last month, we have freshened up our exterior with some new siding, strengthened our sound barrier with new doors and windows, given the interiors some new drywall, lipstick and door/window casing and erected a new identity, Explorer Rest & Recreation. I almost forgot; we also began shaping the food truck park! Here are some images of some of the major milestones listed above.

We should have some exciting news soon on opening some of this amazing property. S & H Blind & Floors came in big time for some flooring that we will show you in the next blog post! As always, we are so lucky to have a great local contractor group that has been pushing this along. We will send you off with shots from Grant Puckrin and the 19th UAS Precision team. Thank you all for the efforts!

During the past the couple weeks there has been substantial progress made inside the old Mecca Motel. Kyle Hager and the Style Master’s team have been leading the charge with CT Electric, Hartland, Bayshore Concrete and Excavating and Custom Windows and Doors!

During the past the couple weeks there has been substantial progress made inside the old Mecca Motel. Kyle Hager and the Style Master’s team have been leading the charge with CT Electric, Hartland, Bayshore Concrete and Excavating and Custom Windows and Doors!

Love the new windows specified and installed by Custom Window Sandusky, Ohio

Lot of progress in the back by Bayshore Concrete and Excavating

Our new public bathrooms rough in process started. These will serve guests of the Food Truck Park and our Explorer guests!

Alot of digging by Hartland plumbing team!

Check out the new electric by CT Electric and plumbing lines by Hartland!

Retro fridges arrived!

Laying out some field tile designs with our main man Kyle Hager and Style Masters!

Lake Erie Adventure Company is a premium rental operator of kayak and paddle boards, headquarters located 10 minutes from Cedar Point Amusement Park.  LEA offers season pass membership for its locals and an extensive program of events including the popular “Sunset Paddles” and “Moonlight Paddles”.  The company is very passionate about the local community and will often welcome charitable events for special causes.

Where is Lake Erie Adventure Company?

The headquarters is located at 507 River Road Huron, Ohio 44839.  Lake Erie Adventure Company also operates a flight rental location at the Sandusky KOA.  This locations address is 2 East Shoreline Drive Sandusky, Ohio 44870.

What should you expect on the Huron River paddles?

From the main headquarters, Lake Erie Adventure Company offers three unique paddles.  South through the Huron River, guests will paddle through a channel with several areas to branch off and explore wildlife and patches of American lotus.  Directly west of the launch is Mudbrook channel, our favorite on days when the wind does not permit a comfortable lake or river paddle. And finally, the paddle to the Huron Pier Lighthouse.  This is local favorite, especially when the sun is setting you can capture breathtaking sunsets.

What should you expect on the East Sandusky Bay paddles?

The Lake Erie Adventure Company launch is located at the Sandusky KOA Campground on Cleveland Road and East Shoreline Drive.  This body of water is referred to as the Back Sandusky Bay by locals.  Guests will have to either have a membership handy or book a time slot to enter the guarded west entrance to the campground. This waterway is shallow and framed by The Cedar Point peninsula and Sandusky mainland.  Our three favorite paddles at this location are due west to get some epic photography of Cedar Point from the water, east to paddle along the gorgeous Cedar Point Chaussee “Willow Tree” road and catch amazing wildlife from the neighboring protected estuary and around the corner when the water locus and lilies are not thick, you can take a unique path through Plum Brook.  If you like to fish, bring a pole as this is a great location for Small and Largemouth Bass, Crappie and jumbo Catfish! 

Through our many journeys paddling, we recommend bringing clothes that could possibly get wet, sunscreen, a hat, snacks, and some water.  LEA is all about safety, the company provides 12’ kayaks and paddle boards with extreme stability.  The Old Town Vapor 12 has a total weight load of 375 lbs., the Twin Heron total weight capacity is 500 lbs., our Sportsman 120 sit-on-top total weight capacity is 500lbs.  This provides guest a very comfortable paddle on any channel of water.  Basically, you would have to try to tip yourself over in these kayaks!  All LEA launches are manufactured by EZ Dock.  Enjoy a quick video on how easy it is to launch with Lake Erie Adventure here courtesy of local celebrity and influencer Benny!

Prior to 2023 season LEA sold Kayaks, Paddle boards, paddling accessories, snacks and trendy clothing at 507 River Road Huron, Ohio 44839.  The headquarters will have a massive sale in May to liquidate the retail portion of the business. The decision was tough for owners Lisa and Justin Brady. The inside of Lake Erie Adventure will shift to an event space for our local community to have fun retreats with businesses, friends and families.