After getting a bit tired of being indoors from the long winter, with a burning desire to get on the road, we headed out towards Sandusky, Ohio this past weekend to explore and see what we could find.

Shores and Islands, the local tourism board for the Lake Erie travel region, recently gave our family a voucher to visit the Maritime Museum, Milan Museum, and the Merry-Go-Round Museum in and around Sandusky, so it gave us a good reason to explore.

With Lake Erie being such an integral part of our region, the Maritime Museum explores the history of shipping, transportation, and recreation on our Great Lake.

The biggest lesson I personally learned from visiting the Maritime Museum was the history of pirating, as I had no idea this happened in our area. Pirates used to even set up fake lighthouses that caused ships to run aground, giving them the perfect advantage for pillaging.

The Maritime Museum offered a perfect mixture of educational exhibits for the parents while also providing kid friendly areas that they could play, like on a pirate ship or building their own boat craft.

The museum also had a beautiful collection of Lyman Boat Works vessels, making us slightly envious of those with boats.

The Maritime Museum is small and perfect for younger families with kids with small attention spans. Visiting the museum takes about an hour including the two outbuildings.