South Bass Island State Park

Nice place to stop and take in the view. There is a luncheonette and place for provisions. You can rent a kayak or a cabin. Check ahead for availability.

Started camping here in 2010 and immediately fell in love with the place. SBISP is the best deal on PIB, hotels/​houses are very expensive to book, so camping is a great alternative.
I am unsure how the crowd is during the week at the SBISP, but during the weekends they are packed. Christmas in July is ALWAYS sold out, so if you plan to camp during that weekend you have to book 6 months in advance. (trust me)
Price for camping is very reasonable, basically $ 65/​campsite, but when you factor in price per person it is around $ 10/​person. Everyone that is staying there is there to party, quiet time is after 10pm. Alcohol, though it states you cannot drink, everyone does, just put it in a red solo cup, the rangers are extremely cool as long as you show them respect, and remember to clean up prior to leaving. SBISP has remained successful because people respect the rules, by doing this, authority figures allow some of the rules to be bent, i.e. drinking.
They say 6 people per campsite, and I believe 2 or 3 tents per site, honestly, I have never had a problem, I’ve rented two sites next to each other with almost 20 people total staying there along with 8 tents set up, again, respect the rules and they look the other way on small things.
Bathrooms are alright, remind me of a typical park bathroom, this isn’t the Ritz Carlton, but they do have outlets in the bathrooms. Showers have hardly any pressure, but are manageable.
They now allow two cars per pad, (extra fee for second car)
Campfire wood is few and far between, (you cannot bring wood over from the mainland), you can however purchase some.
Only one cab company runs inside SBISP, others pickup/​drop-​off at the entrance into the grounds. One of the cool things (safety) is that late night dropoffs (1am+), you are greeted by an officer checking to see who you are and where exactly you are staying in SBISP. He is extremely friendly and is just doing his job to keep any unwelcome guest from disturbing the campers, show him some respect.
In summary; SBISP is a great cheap alternative that still boast all the same amenities that any other part of the island would offer. I would not think twice about staying anywhere else except in SBISP!

SBI State Park has a great location, especially for tent camping. The park is situated on a bluff on the Southwest coast of the island. Tent sites are located along the shore, providing unobstructed sunsets. The sites are well-​shaded by firs, and the lake provides a nice breeze. There are a large number of RV sites up off the lake as well.
Beneath the park, there is a rocky beach and a station for watersport rentals and a trailer housing a restaurant. They also have a handful of cabins available for rent.
To help keep it quiet (and safe, I imagine) golf carts are not allowed past the check in station.
The two negatives we ran into were that the lake exposure brings with it some strong wind, and the bathrooms were pretty run down.

Flying up from DC to WI for AirVenture, we stopped for the night in Put In Bay and camped at SBISP because it was close to the airport. Aside from having a great time for the evening (as east coasters we had no idea PIB or its nightlife existed), we really enjoyed our stay at the campground. We set up our tent on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie. The campsites were great– reasonbly priced ($ 30), shaded, reasonably flat and free of debris, roomy, and had a great view. The only think keeping SBISP from a fifth star were the bathrooms and showers, which reminded me of a prison cell, and badly in need of a fresh coat of paint. Other than that, this is a great place to stay on the island.
Take note: The beach is very rocky… bring water shoes if you plan on going in for a swim or you will regret it. Trust me on this.

Once when I was camping here we were setting up a campfire on a stony beach. I didn’t have a place to sit so I picked up a big rock to move over by the fire. Underneath were a couple of snakes — my immediate instinct was to throw the rock down and smash the snakes… but at the last second I remembered that they were probably a threatened species! They had a poster about protecting them at the ranger station.
That is the closest I’ve ever been to becoming a Captain Planet villain.