Enter: Lakeside.
We drove to Lakeside this past Saturday. If you've never been there (or never heard of it) it's right by Marblehead except it's much more of a hidden and enclosed area. Literally. You have to pay to enter--and it's not cheap, so plan ahead and I strongly suggest parking at the South Gate and taking the shuttle. Two reasons for that: it's much cheaper and you don't have to find a parking spot. Finding a parking spot on Lakeside during a summer Saturday is mostly impossible.
That being said, don't mistake the lack of parking options for an overly crowded place--it was far from that. There were plenty of people there but it never felt crowded at all (and this is coming from someone who is more sensitive to crowds than most. As in, I hate them.)
We drove in since we didn't know any better, but now we know for future visits. And I'm sure there will be plenty of future visits.
This place is gorgeous, sparkling clean, and quiet. It's full of cute little shops and restaurants (all located by the beach; everything is walkable) and the streets are lined with beach cottages galore. They don't allow tobacco or alcohol in Lakeside, which makes it a nice place to take a kid. We'd love to take Charlotte to Put-In-Bay on weekend, but given the drunken debauchery that PIB is known for it makes it a turnoff.
There was a children's pool and splash pad overlooking the beach, and the pool had a maximum depth of 1.5 feet--so we could let Charlotte play without us hovering over her every move.
After dinner and dessert of warm, freshly baked donuts and a little shopping we headed back home and I can't wait to go back. If you haven't gone, go! You'll love it.
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