Gideon Owen, One of the ‘Best Things to Do at the Shores & Islands of Lake Erie’
- Marketing at Gideon Owen
- Sep 14, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 17, 2023
Special thanks to 'Breakfast with Nick' for visiting and choosing Gideon Owen as one of the ‘Best Things to Do at the Shores & Islands of Lake Erie!’ Read about his visit and find out what else there is to do during your visit to the lake! Our friends at Twin Oast made the list, too!
It’s been a few years since we’ve stayed at Lake Erie. Our last visit was in 2016, when the folks from Shores & Islands hosted us around the time of Owen’s birthday. He was obsessed with lighthouses at the time, so we visited the structures on the mainland and South Bass Island. This summer we were happy to return to explore more of Port Clinton, Marblehead, Lakeside, Kelleys Island, and Catawba Island, so we present some of the best things to do at the Shores & Islands!
Sip Wines on the Patio at Gideon Owen Wine Company
Regulars to the area will remember the long-running Mon Ami winery on Catawba Island. In 2019 the winery was purchased by Quintin and Donna Smith, who have handsomely refurbished the restaurant, patio, upstairs event space, and the historic winery, and added vineyards. They renamed it Gideon Owen Wine Company in honor of one of the original winemakers on the peninsula.
Quintin gave us a tour of the restaurant, event space, and the original underground wine-making and barreling facilities, still in use today!
The Smiths own Twin Oast Brewing company just up the road, and like that beautiful property, they’ve given Gideon Owen Wine Co. an expansive patio, perfect for catching live music, tasting house wines and cocktails, and feasting on burgers or fresh Lake Erie walleye.
Savor Beer & Pizza on the Patio at Twin Oast Brewing
Before purchasing Gideon Owen Wine Company, Quintin and Donna Smith opened Twin Oast Brewing just up the road on the Catawba peninsula. It’s easy to see why the brewery has become such a popular destination for the area, with massive tiered patios, lawns, firepits, water features, orchards, even a small concert venue.
The brewery is also a full-service restaurant, pairing pretzels, pizzas, tacos, burgers with their house beers.
Twin Oast takes its name from the two iconic towers. Oasts are English hop-drying kilns, and the duo at the brewery were specially built for it as decorative pieces, modeled on actual oasts from overseas. They’re a centerpiece of the stunning, 60-acre property.
Read more about Nick's trip to the Shores & Islands region and view pics here.
The patio at Gideon Owen is easily one of the most Instagrammable spots at the shores! I took hundreds of photos of our wine flight and the beautiful stone architecture on my iPhone, but I had a hard time uploading them to my travel blog because of the HEIC format. I used Best Heic Convert Png to batch convert everything to PNG, and it made the whole process so much faster. If you’re planning to capture memories here, definitely keep that tool handy!
We had such an amazing time at Gideon Owen last weekend! The historic wine cellar is breathtaking, but the long drive and walking around the vineyards really took a toll on my lower back and knees. I’m so glad I packed Nature Pain Relief Patches in my travel bag. They provided the natural relief I needed to keep exploring the rest of the Lake Erie islands without any discomfort. It's a must-visit spot, just make sure you're prepared for all the walking!
I have so many great memories at this estate back when it was Mon Ami, and I love what the new owners have done with the place. I actually started a digital scrapbook of all the historic wineries I've visited in Ohio. I write up my reviews in Markdown and then use High Quality Markdown To Pdf to create a beautiful, high-quality PDF portfolio. It’s the perfect way to keep these travel memories organized and professional-looking.
Gideon Owen is hands-down my favorite spot at the lake! The history of those stone cellars is just incredible, and their brunch is a must-try. I’ve been putting together a weekend itinerary for my friends to explore the Shores & Islands, and I used Best Free Markdown To Html to convert my travel notes into a clean webpage. It made sharing the winery’s schedule and menu links so much easier for everyone to read on their phones!
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