A Weekend at Maumee Bay State Park

Summary

For this event, we will rent a cabin at Maumee Bay State Park, which sits on Lake Erie just outside Toledo.

This will be for three days and two nights, from Friday, May 29, 2026, through Sunday, May 31, 2026.

Maps

Here is a map of the Park. Here is a map of the cabins (we will be in either cabin 18 or cabin 20, but this won't be assigned until check-in).

Here's an Ohio road map as a PDF, and here's the same Ohio road map as a JPG.

Cost

Your cost for this event will be $125. This covers lodging for both Friday and Saturday nights ($62.50 for each night).

The Actual Exchange of Money

After you sign up for this event, I'm going to send you a DM (direct message) here on Meetup. That DM will contain my PayPal and Venmo information. You will pick one of those two options and electronically send me the money. I will not accept any other payment method.

I can see on Meetup when someone has seen the DMs that I send. If I see that you've seen my message but I don't hear from you, that won't go well. If you're in doubt about whether you want to go once I ask you for money, just change your RSVP. Otherwise, I may just remove you from the group.

If you're going to sign up for this event, don't ignore my emails. I'm going to expect money from you within 72 hours after I message you. Or, if you need more time before you can pay me, I'm willing to work with you, but you have to at least respond to my email and let me know what's going on.

Cancellations / Refunds

I can't guarantee the ability to get anyone's money back to them without notice at least a week out from the actual event. This means that, if you want to be certain of getting your money back, you need to let me know you're dropping out by Friday, May 22.

Cabin Amenities, or, "Did someone say a hot tub?"

Here is the cabin we'll be staying at: a Four-Bedroom Deluxe Cabin. I've uploaded several pictures, below.

From the Lodge website:

"Deluxe amenities include a dishwasher, washer and dryer, and a private hot tub which seats up to 5 Guests comfortably."

• Private 5 person Hot Tub
• Heat / Central AC
• Fully furnished kitchen, equipped with a stove, refrigerator, microwave, pots, pans, eating utensils, dish towels, and dish soap
• Coffee Pot (coffee and filters not included, but I'll bring some; note also that the Lodge does have free coffee next to the service desk every morning and throughout most of the day)
• Living room with a couch, chair and coffee table
• Gas fireplace
• Outdoor Fire Pit, firewood can be purchased at the Lodge.
• Satellite TV
• Porch, with a table and 4 chairs
• Charcoal grill
• Picnic table
• Telephone
• Iron & Ironing Board
• AM/FM clock radio
• Hair dryer
• WiFi
• Linens, bath & pool towels
• Broom, dust pan and trash bag
• Access to Lodge amenities (indoor pool and fitness center)
• Non-smoking

"So where is everyone going to be sleeping?"

We'll start with the Cabin Layout from the Lodge website:

On the first level, you'll find a living area, kitchen, dining table and a bathroom with either a shower or a roll-in shower, and two bedrooms. One bedroom has (1) one king bed, and the second bedroom has (1) one bunk bed and (1) one twin bed.

The second level has two additional bedrooms and a bathroom with shower (no bathtub). One bedroom comes with (1) one queen bed, and the other has (1) one bunk bed and (1) one double bed ... These Cabins also include a rollaway bed inside ... if needed.

So, because I'm the organizer and I have an inflated opinion of myself, I'm paying for both sides and taking the king bed. Dibs on remaining beds will go to whoever gives me money first, but no single can have the queen or double over a couple, and a couple must take the queen or double if they're available. The arithmetic here should be obvious (I can't cover my costs if a single is sleeping in the queen or double, unless you're willing to pay for both sides of it), but I'll explain it to you offline if it's not.

However, if there's sufficient interest in this event, I might give up the king to a couple and take the rollaway bed for myself. But let's cross that bridge if and when we get to it.

Itinerary, or, "What are we doing while we're at the Lake?"

The only structured activity I'm doing is a 5-6 mile hike around the Park on Saturday morning (exact start time to be announced, but don't sleep in) for those who are interested. (The Park is fairly flat, so this shouldn't be strenuous.) The rest of your weekend is up to you.

Our cabin will be close to the Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference Center, and you will have access to all the Lodge's amenities, as this is whom we are renting our cabin from. Many of these will already be included for free with your lodging fee:

Outdoor Activities

• 18-hole Scottish links golf course (seasonal)
• Tennis courts (fenced in)
• Pickle ball courts (fenced in)
• Basketball courts (fenced in)
• Amphitheater
• Outdoor Pool
• Shuffleboard court behind the lodge
• Horseshoe pits behind the lodge
• Campfire rentals
• Bike rentals (seasonal)
• Canoe & Paddleboat rentals (seasonal)
• Hiking trails (map available at the front desk)
• Storybook Trail

Indoor Activities

• Indoor racquetball and wallyball courts
• Kids’ splash pad (inside the indoor pool area)
• Indoor Pool
• Children’s soft play area by the game room
• Game room across from the indoor pool
• Board games (available at the front desk)
• DVD players & movie rental (available at the front desk)

The Park itself also has archery, an 18-hole disc golf course, fishing, a Nature Center, and two beaches (one on Lake Erie and one on the Park's inland lake), among other options.

You can also just sit and look at Lake Erie! Please note, however, that, while our cabin will be very close to Lake Erie, we will not actually have a view of the Lake from the cabin.

Finally, if you have specific questions about any of these activities and want more details, your best bet would be to call the Lodge's front desk directly at 419-836-1466.

Food

Our cabin will have a full kitchen and an outdoor grill. The Lodge also has a restaurant and a lounge from which you can get food between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Here are their breakfast and lunch/dinner menus.

See also the next section, below.

Communication

Once I have your money, I'll add you to a group email chat here on Meetup. That is how and where we will discuss all matters related to this event. This includes the matter of food, which the cabin's kitchen will not come equipped with. We'll have to bring what we want. We'll discuss this, and everything else, in the group chat.

Do not post comments here to this event page to discuss arrangements related to the event. These conversations should occur in the private group email chat I will set up here on Meetup.

Where We'll Meet / Check-In and Check-Out

The cabin's check-in and check-out times are 4:30 p.m. and 10:00 a.m., respectively.

Obviously, however, the Park itself will be open on Friday before 4:30 p.m. and on Sunday after 10 a.m. I'll be at the Park early enough on Friday to get us checked in as soon as possible and get us into the cabin. I'll post here once I've done that.

Depending on when you arrive at the Park, you'll meet me either at the Lodge or the cabin. I'll give you updates as to my location, and you'll be able to contact me through either comments here or DMs through Meetup's message system.

The cabin's GPS coordinates will be in the vicinity of 41°40'43.1"N 83°21'24.1"W.

"What if I just want to stay for one night and not two?"

You may certainly do this, if you wish. You still have to pay for both nights, however. This event is not a timeshare.

Getting to Maumee Bay

The Lodge's actual address is 1750 State Park Road #2, Oregon, OH 43616, and your GPS will get you there just fine. However, it may want to take you up US 23 once you get to Carey, which is on the other side of Upper Sandusky.

I personally hate this. I much prefer to take SR 15 to I-75N at Findlay. The time is comparable either way. I also like to stop and fill up at Findlay, in which case I don't have to think about gas at all while I'm in Toledo.

Before blindly trusting your GPS before you head out, you might want to just take a couple minutes, look at a map, and have a general idea of what you're doing before you leave. This isn't strictly required, though.

Carpooling?

If there's interest in carpooling, I would recommend this be discussed in the email chat. However, if the only way you can make this event is by carpooling, then feel free to ask in the comments below to get a sense of what might be available before you sign up.

The difficulty about carpooling here is that you'll be away from your car for a weekend. If you park it at, say, a Wal-Mart, then it's going to be sitting there for two days. Your car will probably be fine, but how comfortable will you be leaving it there?

And if you're not parking at something like a Wal-Mart, then this means that you're probably driving over to someone else's home, or they're driving to yours to pick you up. But, again, we can discuss this in the email chat if people wish.

I, however, don't carpool. I won't ride with you, nor will I let you ride with me.