Lakeside Chautauqua is a family destination, and the safety and well-being of every guest are the highest priorities. Please review the policies below and the Know Before You Go section of the website prior to your visit.
Pass & Arrival Info
Guests and residents must purchase a Chautauqua Pass and Auto Pass to enter the grounds of Lakeside between Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day (May 24-Sept. 2, 2024).
Purchasing passes online prior to your arrival saves you time and money. When you arrive, jump in the fast pass lane at the Fifth Street Gate to enter.
A Preservation Fee is applied to all Adult Daily and Weekly Chautauqua Passes. Purchased online: $2 per adult per pass. Purchased at the gate: $3 per adult per pass. Please note that the Preservation Fee does not apply to Season Chautauqua Passes or Youth and Child Passes.
Our Lakeside facilities and grounds play a significant role in the Chautauqua experience every year. Across the grounds, there are more than 50 historic structures and facilities, nine miles of roads and sidewalks, and extensive parks and grounds to maintain. As the operating costs increase, we must invest in the maintenance and repair of our grounds, buildings and infrastructure and continue this reinvestment year after year.
Guests and residents must purchase a Chautauqua Pass and Auto Pass to enter the grounds of Lakeside between Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day (May 24-Sept. 2, 2024). Purchasing a Chautauqua Pass includes admittance to Lakeside’s grounds and access to Hoover Auditorium entertainment, the Pool, Wellness Center and a variety of Chautauqua experiences. Please carry your Chautauqua Pass with you at all times.
Will Call, for prepaid Chautauqua Passes and Auto Passes, is located inside the Welcome Center (near the Route 163/South Gate Parking Lot) on weekends, the South Gate on weekdays and the Fifth Street Gate when the South Gate is closed. Please note: there is no drive-thru window at the Welcome Center. Short-term parking is located outside the building. Please use the stairs or ramp from the South Gate Parking Lot to pick up Passes from the desk attendant.
To help with congestion and continue our high safety standards, Lakeside offers three different parking options and fees. Park at the nearby Danbury School Parking Lot, South Gate Parking Lot or on the grounds of Lakeside.
- Danbury School Parking Lot (May 25-Aug. 25, 2024): $3 per day and $21 per week
- South Gate Parking Lot (May 24-Sept. 2, 2024): $8 per day and $56 per week
- On the Lakeside Grounds (May 24-Sept. 2, 2024): $15 per day and $100 per week
We encourage you to purchase your Auto Passes online prior to your arrival or you can purchase at the Fifth Street Gate, South Gate or Welcome Center. Upon receiving your Auto Pass from a gate attendant, please place it in the lower left corner of your windshield. The Safety Services Department will check Auto Passes as part of their daily routine.
Please present your Chautauqua Pass to be scanned by the gate attendant when entering and exiting the gates of Lakeside. Passes are required for entry to Hoover Auditorium entertainment and the Grindley Aquatic & Wellness Campus Pool. Present your Chautauqua Passes and Auto Passes from a mobile device or a printed pass.
Lakeside will scan barcodes printed on Daily and Weekly Chautauqua Passes upon entering and exiting the gates of Lakeside. Season Chautauqua Passes will not be scanned.
A Daily Chautauqua Pass is valid from the date of entry until 7 p.m. the following day, which means you get to experience almost two days of summertime fun for the price of one.
Lakeside offers a complimentary Shopping & Dining Pass. The pass is valid for 2 hours and must be validated/stamped by the manager of a business establishment. If this is not completed, or if the time allotted is exceeded, the guest(s) will be charged a fee upon departure.
Evening concerts are held at Hoover Auditorium (115 W. Third St.), located on Third St. between Walnut and Central Avenues in Lakeside, Ohio. The auditorium is a short walk from all available parking locations. A complimentary golf cart shuttle service is available on a continuous route during the summer season. The historic auditorium seats more than 2,400 guests.
Complimentary golf cart shuttles run 7 a.m.-11 p.m. daily during the summer, with the last pick up at 10:30 p.m. For those with limited mobility, the Mack Mobile is available by calling (419) 341-8247. Shuttles run on a continuous route between the following stops: Welcome Center (South Gate), Campground, Pool area (Sixth Street), Shuffleboard (Second Street & Central Avenue), Hotel Lakeside, the Fountain Inn, Hoover Auditorium, Fifth Street Gate, the Rhein Center (Sixth Street & Walnut Avenue) and the Lakeside Schoolhouse parking area. Please note that a shuttle service does not run from the Danbury School Parking Lot. Guests can pick up a shuttle from the South Gate entrance.
Lakeside Chautauqua accepts Mastercard, Visa, Discover and American Express. Please note that some shops and restaurants only accept cash. A Huntington Bank ATM is located inside the Third Street entrance of the Fountain Inn, located at 225 Maple Ave.
On the Grounds Policies
Lakeside Chautauqua is a non-smoking community. Smoking of cigarettes, cigars, pipes or other tobacco products, and use of alternative nicotine products like e-cigarettes/vaping products are prohibited in Lakeside except within a structure owned/permitted in a Lakeside homeowner’s structure.
There shall be no consumption of alcoholic beverages on the Lakeside grounds except within a homeowners’ property. Alcoholic beverages are not sold or served on the grounds. There are no alcoholic beverages and glass containers permitted in the Grindley Aquatic & Wellness Campus Pool area. The illegal use or possession of drugs or controlled substances on the Lakeside grounds is prohibited.
Lakeside Chautauqua as both a private land owner and an employer, prohibits the presence of firearms within Lakeside except those carried by law enforcement personnel or otherwise allowed by law. Notice signs have been posted.
No motorcycles are permitted on the Lakeside grounds. Motorcycles must be parked in the South Gate Parking Lot from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
For select shows, a queue line will begin on Third Street in front of Hoover Auditorium no earlier than 5:30 p.m. on the day of the show. The following shows will have queue lines for 2024 summer season:
- June 22: Newsboys
- June 29: RaeLynn
- July 13: 10,000 Maniacs
- July 20: Girl Named Tom
- Aug. 24: Jefferson Starship
Each person in the queue line may hold a queue place for one other person. Queue line enters through Hoover Auditorium lobby doors only; once the queue line is empty, then Hoover side doors will open for guests.
For queue line shows only, the doors to Hoover Auditorium open around 6:45 p.m. ADA access for those with canes, walkers and wheelchairs begins at 6:30 p.m. through the center doors on the west side of the building along Walnut Ave. Please only one additional guest for ADA assistance. Check concert start times at lakesideohio.com/calendar.
For all regular shows, the doors to Hoover Auditorium open at 7 p.m. ADA access for those with canes, walkers and wheelchairs begins at the same time through the center doors on the west side of the building along Walnut Ave. Please only one additional guest for ADA assistance. Check concert start times at lakesideohio.com/calendar.
Seats in Hoover Auditorium are general admission and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each guest may hold only one seat in addition to their own.
At some Hoover Auditorium performances, bags will be checked upon admission. Backpacks and large purses are prohibited inside Hoover Auditorium.
Food and beverages are not permitted in Hoover Auditorium during live performances, shows, worship or entertainment. Bottle water is permitted.
The discharge, ignition or explosion of fireworks in Lakeside is banned and never authorized.
No animals other than pets may be brought or kept on the Lakeside grounds. All pets, including dogs and cats, shall at all times be under leash or confined to the property of the property owner, renter or guest who owns the animal. Walkers of pets shall clean up after their pet at all times and in all locations. Service dogs are welcome.
Quiet hours are from 11 p.m. (11:30 p.m. on Saturday) to 8 a.m. (noon on Sunday).
The speed limit in Lakeside is 15 mph. Only licensed drivers who carry liability insurance may drive golf carts. All golf carts on the grounds must pass an inspection. One safety belt per person is required.
Some areas around Lakeside are pedestrian-only, for example, Walnut Plaza, the lakefront path, the Dock and Bettinger Park. Wheelchairs, baby strollers and kids’ wagons are welcome.
In the event of severe weather, shelters are located at the Fountain Inn, Hoover Auditorium, Orchestra Hall, Hotel Lakeside, Bettinger Park restrooms, Wo-Ho-Mis Lodge, Hilltop House, Wesley Lodge, the Rhein Center and the Legacy House.
Public restrooms are located at the Pavilion, Bettinger Park near the shuffleboard courts, the Welcome Center, Hoover Auditorium, Grindley Aquatic & Wellness Campus Pool and Wellness Center, the Fountain Inn lobby and Hotel Lakeside lobby.
View Lakeside’s Rules & Regulations at lakesideohio.com/rules.
A few days a week during the summer, between 10 a.m.-3 p.m., LaFarge Quarry in Marblehead blasts the rock. These blasts cause a loud boom and an earthquake like rumble in Lakeside.
AEDs can be found in the Fountain Inn lobby near the office, Tennis Center Office, Wellness Center hallway, Pool office, Shuffleboard, Sailing Club, Security office and Lakeside Security trucks.
The nearest post office is located at 1306 W. Main St., Marblehead, Ohio 43440. Individual postage stamps are also available at the Lakeside Chautauqua Administration Office, located at 236 Walnut Ave.
Hammocks are welcome south of Fifth Street. They’re not permitted along the lakefront path or in Bettinger or Perry Parks.
Emergency medical care and urgent care facilities are available at Magruder Hospital (615 Fulton St. in Port Clinton), a 15-minute drive west of Lakeside. Call (419) 734-3131 for the hospital and (419) 732-0417 for urgent care.
Also available for medical care is Firelands Hospital (1111 Hayes Ave. in Sandusky), a half-hour drive from Lakeside. Call (419) 557-7400.
FASTrack Urgent Care is available (135 W. Perry St. in Port Clinton); walk-ins are accepted and there’s no facility fee. Call (419) 732-7800.
Urgent Care is also available at NOMS Urgent Care (2500 W. Strub Rd. in Sandusky). Call (419) 502-5932.
To view the hours of operation for facilities and recreation activities, visit lakesideohio.com/hours.
The weather on the lake is unpredictable. To view event changes, visit Lakeside’s homepage at lakesideohio.com and click on the ‘Event Changes & Updates’ section.
Group Rentals & Booking
A deposit is required at the time of booking if your event is in 30 days or less. All other deposits will vary based on the date of the event at the time of booking. The deposit date will be determined the day of booking in addition to receiving an Event Contract with the deposit date.
In-Season Parking: During the Chautauqua summer season, from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, parking is available in the following locations. For parking rates, visit lakesideohio.com/admission.
- Danbury School Parking Lot
- South Gate Parking Lot
- Inside the Gates: There’s limited parking within the gates of Lakeside, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Possible parking locations are around Wesley Lodge, the Lakeside Schoolhouse, south of Hoover Auditorium. Parking is also available around Hilltop House, the Fountain Inn and Hotel Lakeside if you’re an overnight guest of those facilities.
Off Season Parking: From Labor Day through the Thursday before Memorial Day, all parking is free and has much more availability, especially inside the gates at the venues.
Yes. The Lakeside Salon & Spa are located within the gates on Walnut Avenue. For details and to book your service, visit lakesidesalonandspa.com.
No, groups are required to bring their own linens or rent through Lakeside Linen Supply at lakesidelinensupply.com.
Rental fees can vary depending on the venue rental, but most include the following:
- Tables & chairs
- Table & chair setup
- AV/projection
- Sound
- Podium
*Please ask your event representative what your rental fee includes based on your venue.
Yes, we do offer Group Rate Passes for groups of 25 or more that are renting a venue or group housing. The rates for 2023 are:
- Adult (ages 22+): $25 Daily/$145 Weekly
- Youth (ages 13-21): $15 Daily/$85 Weekly
- Child (ages 5-12): $5 Daily/$25 Weekly
