What Boblo actually is
Bois Blanc Island, Boblo to everyone who has ever lived within an hour of it, sat at the mouth of the Detroit River doing important work long before anyone lived on it. Fort Amherstburg went up across the channel in 1796 partly because guns from the fort could reach the island and secure passage along the river.
Then, from 1898 to 1993, it was an amusement park. Ninety-five years of first dates, school trips, and steamer rides out of Detroit. A lot of people in this region have a Boblo memory, and that shapes how the island is talked about locally in a way that has nothing to do with real estate.
Since then it's become something else. Amico has been developing it as the Boblo Island and Marina Resort Community, with over 140 homes built on the north end and a master plan running to roughly 400 homes and residences at full build. Detached houses and condominiums, a full-service marina, beaches, and trails.
The old landmarks are still there among the new streets. The 1839 blockhouse, recently restored. The nineteenth-century lighthouse at the south end. The Albert Kahn-inspired dance hall. The 1909 Maritime Monument, raised to Great Lakes sailors and to Canadian-American friendship.
Living somewhere with that much history under it is part of the appeal, and it's a genuinely unusual thing to be able to buy.
What makes buying here different
This is the part I'd want you to read twice, because none of it appears in a listing photo.
The ferry is the road
Boblo has no bridge. Access is by a private sixteen-car ferry operated by the Amherstburg Ferry Company, which Amico owns. It runs year-round, seven days a week, departing roughly every twenty minutes, and the crossing takes three to four minutes. In practice that's a shorter commute than a lot of people have inside Windsor. But it is a scheduled crossing, not a road, and that changes how you plan a day.
Ferry dues are an annual cost
Households pay in the range of $5,000 a year toward the ferry. That's a real carrying cost and it belongs in your numbers alongside taxes and insurance from the very first conversation, not discovered later.
Access is restricted
The ferry serves residents and their guests. Boblo is a gated community where the river does the work of the gate. That privacy is a large part of why people buy here, and it's also worth understanding if you expect a steady stream of visitors.
Service interruptions have happened
In late 2023 the main ferry was out for about two weeks and the backup was taken out of service by Transport Canada. Residents got across by pontoon but couldn't bring vehicles. It's the sort of thing worth asking current questions about: what the backup arrangement is now, and what's changed since.
Emergency services work differently
The island has been part of a fire protection plan including dedicated equipment. Worth asking specifically how fire, ambulance, and police response operates for the island, because the answer isn't the same as it is on Sandwich Street.
Servicing, fees, and what the developer still controls
With a master-planned community still building out, ask what's built, what's approved, what's proposed, and what any condominium or community fees cover. Get the status certificate on anything condominium and read all of it.
None of this is a reason not to buy on Boblo. I'd own here. It's that the people who love living on Boblo are the ones who understood the ferry, the fees, and the rhythm of island life before they signed, rather than after.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Boblo Island?
In the Detroit River at the mouth of Lake Erie, part of the Town of Amherstburg, Ontario. It's 272 acres, reached by a private ferry from the Amherstburg mainland.
How do you get to Boblo Island?
By private ferry, or by boat to the island's marina. The sixteen-car ferry runs year-round, departing roughly every twenty minutes, with a crossing of three to four minutes. Access is limited to residents and their guests.
How much does the Boblo ferry cost residents?
Households pay in the range of $5,000 annually in ferry dues. Confirm the current figure and what it covers before you buy, since it's a meaningful carrying cost.
Can the public visit Boblo Island?
Not by ferry. The ferry is for residents and their guests. The federally owned White Sands beach at the south end is publicly accessible, but only by private boat. The developer has spoken about broadening public access in future, without a firm date.
How many homes are on Boblo Island?
More than 140 have been built, mostly on the north end, within a master plan running to roughly 400 homes and residences at full build. The mix includes detached houses and condominiums.
What was Boblo Island before?
The Boblo Island Amusement Park, which operated from 1898 to 1993 and drew visitors from both Detroit and Ontario by steamer. Before that the island had military significance tied to Fort Amherstburg, established in 1796.
What historic sites are on the island?
The 1839 blockhouse, since restored, the nineteenth-century lighthouse at the south end, the Albert Kahn-inspired dance hall, and the 1909 Maritime Monument commemorating Great Lakes sailors.
Is there a marina on Boblo Island?
Yes, a full-service marina, which for some owners is the point: you can keep the boat where you live.
What should I check before buying on Boblo?
Ferry dues and what they cover, the current backup ferry arrangement, how emergency services reach the island, any condominium or community fees with the status certificate, and what remains to be built under the master plan.
Is Boblo Island a good investment?
It's a lifestyle purchase in the truest sense. The supply is fixed by the shoreline, there's nothing comparable in the region, and it draws a buyer who specifically wants island living. The carrying costs and access constraints are real and should be priced into your thinking rather than discovered afterward.
Own on Boblo? There is no comparable market anywhere else in the county, which means a general online estimate has almost nothing useful to work from here. A Home Equity Check starts from the island's real, specific conditions.
The Home Equity Check