Whether your idea of a vacation includes scenic hikes, gallery
hopping, fine dining or snuggling with someone special in a quaint
bed and breakfast, Wisconsin's Door County has something for you.
This picturesque peninsula also offers a rare diversity of natural
beauty, from the rocky bluffs on Lake Michigan to the serene
beaches stretching along Green Bay.
Outdoorsy types will want to check out Cave Point County Park.
Part of Whitefish Dunes State Park, it features limestone sea caves
formed by Lake Michigan's relentless pounding against the bluffs.
The 19-acre park has a tranquil half-mile hiking trail and is a
haven for a variety of birds.
Take the Washington Island Ferry for the half-hour trip across
Death's Door Straits to Washington Island, where you can spend an
entire day exploring the great outdoors. Challenge yourself by
climbing the 184 steps to the top of the tower in Mountain Park. On
a clear day, you'll have a 360-degree view that includes beautiful
Washington Island, Escanaba, Mich., and Rock and St. Martin
Islands.
Schoolhouse Beach is a sheltered harbor covered with smooth,
white stones - perfect for a relaxing picnic lunch. Ridges
Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor is a pristine 1,200-acre nature
preserve featuring native wildflowers along five miles of rustic
trails and bridges.
Peninsula State Park, one of the state's most popular, offers
Segway and bike tours of 3,762 acres of trails. In the summer there
is great camping, an 18-hole golf course (one of many in Door
County), swimming areas and boat rentals. Winter amenities include
groomed ski touring, snowmobiling and sledding. Year-round visits
to the observation tower and tours through Eagle Bluff Lighthouse
offer spectacular vistas.
Artsy folks can choose between numerous galleries, art lectures
and hands-on activities. In fact, at Hands On Art Studio in Fish
Creek, you can paint your own ceramics, glassware, T-shirts or
birdhouses. For more advanced work, experiment with fused glass,
throw a pot or make a project in the metal studio. Check out the
colorful water tower covered with tiles and perhaps add one of your
own. The $4 cost for the tile is donated to local animal shelters
and humane societies. The studio's owners Karon and Cy are animal
lovers who enjoy showing off their menagerie of rescued animals,
from llamas to pygmy goats.
Washington Island Art and Nature Center occupies an old
schoolhouse and features works of local artists, including
watercolors, prints, jewelry and photography. The nature room has
many displays, including an observation beehive and a 180-gallon
freshwater fish exhibit. The Peninsula School of Art offers
workshops and classes in painting, drawing, pottery, jewelry or
photography. The Francis Hardy Center for the Arts also offers
artist workshops, providing educational opportunities for adults
and children to observe and learn from professionals.
For those who prefer to appreciate art rather than create it,
there are plenty of opportunities to gallery hop/shop. Stop in at
Fine Line Designs on Ephraim's north end, which features original
painting, sculpture and custom wood furnishings; stone, metal, wood
and glass sculpture; and fiber art, deep in color and texture.
Another great stop is the Potter Wheel Gallery in Fish Creek, a
true Door County landmark.
As early as the 1930s, performers began discovering in Door
County an environment that encourages creativity. Today, nearly a
dozen performing arts organizations thrive on the peninsula. Sit
under the stars at the American Folklore Theatre or sit inside the
concert barn at the Birch Creek Music Performance Center. Take in a
play at the secluded Peninsula Players Theatre. Arrive an hour
before the show to see the sun setting over the waters of Green Bay
or stroll the cedar-lined shore.
The Door Community Auditorium features professional and
community programming and each August serves as the home of the
Peninsula Music Festival, featuring renowned musicians in a
three-week celebration of world class symphonic music. Door
Shakespeare brings theater alive outdoors in repertory with
classical comedies, not only by Shakespeare but also Wilde,
Rostand, Sheridan and Moliere.
Foodies will find Door County anything but provincial. Sure
there are plenty of places offering down-home fare, but there also
are world-class gourmet restaurants, purveyors and classes. At
Stone's Throw Winery, wine and chocolate tasting sessions are held
throughout the day on weekends. The winery also offers such special
events as concerts under the stars and occasional dinners, such as
the popular lobster boil.
At Orchard Country Winery in Fish Creek, take a guided tour of
the grounds or browse through the shop filled with fine gifts and
foods. Depending on the season, you may also choose to pick fresh
fruit or take advantage of the unique "Trolley Progressive Dinner."
The five-hour event includes a ride in a trolley to one location
for appetizers and wine (and usually a fun ice-breaking activity).
After the appetizer course, guests hop on the trolley to head for
dinner at one of Door County's many restaurants. After dinner,
another trolley ride heads to a dessert venue and then returns the
riders back to the winery. It sounds a little corny, but we had a
great time, especially with the rowdy bachelorette party in our
group.
Bistro 42, located inside the Door Peninsula Winery, offers
terrific fire-baked pizzas from the stone hearth oven, which pair
nicely with the all-natural fruit wines offered. For upscale French
Mediterranean food, Trio, in Egg Harbor, is the place to go.
A nice daytime interlude can be had at Schopf's Hilltop Dairy.
Learn a little about the Wisconsin dairy industry and experience it
first-hand by first watching the milking operations and then
milking Cookie the cow yourself! Celebrate your experience by
enjoying some of the more than 30 flavors of homemade ice cream
made on premises.
Curt's Spice Co. & Oilerie claims to be the nation's largest
single store retailer of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The tiny
retail space is lined with 22 stainless steel tanks of flavored and
infused oils and vinegars, all waiting to be sampled.
A trip to Door County isn't complete without attending a fish
boil featuring whitefish caught by local fishermen and cooked
outdoors over an open fire, just as it was 100 years ago by the
area's Scandinavian settlers.
But I was far more impressed by Al Johnson's in Sister Bay. Not
only was the house specialty - Swedish pancakes with lingonberries
- delicious, but there were live goats grazing on the restaurant's
sod-covered roof. Another quaint spot is Wilson's Ice Cream Parlor,
with its old-fashioned soda fountain and ice cream specialties,
home-brewed draft root beer, flame-broiled burgers and juke boxes
that play all the oldies.
For a little hands-on culinary fun, check out The Washington
Hotel on Washington Island, where you can learn about locally grown
ingredients while improving your culinary skills.
For general sightseeing, board an old Chicago Fire Boat and get
an overall picture of Door County from the water. For land-based
learning opportunities, enjoy the Door County Historical Museum,
named the best small museum in the Midwest by the Chicago Tribune.
Continue your education by heading across the bridge to the Door
County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, which offers docent-guided
tours of exhibits that span the nautical history of Door County,
from early American Indian canoes to post-World War II bulk
carriers.
Continuing on the nautical theme, check out the Canal Station
Pier. The fully operational U.S. Coast Guard station, built in 1882
and automated in 1972, is located at the Lake Michigan end of the
Sturgeon Bay ship canal. Cana Island Lighthouse, Door County's most
recognizable lighthouse and landmark, allows a self-guided tour.
Wander through the oil room and keeper's house; then climb the
stairs to the top for a spectacular view of Lake Michigan. Peruse
the grounds and find the historical marker for the shipwreck of the
Frank O'Conner, one of the largest wooden ships ever built.
There's no way to take in everything in one visit, so plan on
returning many times as many folks do. While there are plenty of
budget-minded hotels and motels, to get the full Door County
experience you should opt for a stay at one of the many B&B and
small inns. Steve and Sue Sherman, owners of the sparkling clean
Village Green Lodge in Ephraim, offer great hospitality and
wonderful breakfasts in an adults-only environment. This
gay-friendly inn is quiet and just steps from the waterfront. If
you prefer to stay at a gay-owned spot, check out the Chanticleer
guesthouse in Sturgeon Bay or The Inn at Windmill Farm in Bailey's
Harbor.
