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Destination: A Door to Explore
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Wisconsin’s Door County: orchards, beaches, theater and more
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BY LOLLY MERRELL
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| The harbor at Sister Bay, one of dozens of tie-up spots in Door County. |
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CONSIDER THE CLASSIC Wisconsin “fish boil”: pieces of whitefish or trout caught in local waters, combined with red potatoes, lemon and salt, and boiled in a heavy cauldron. It’s a plain recipe, but like the character of the waterbound region from which it hails—Door County—the revered fish boil is as satisfying and elegant as it is straightforward.
Of course, Midwestern modesty only partly explains why this 75-mile-long peninsula—a realm of forest, beaches, orchards and soaring bluffs— has been a favored vacation spot since 1850. The mild summer climate, which hovers in the mid-70s, lured city folk from Chicago, Milwaukee and Minnesota looking for a waterside escape from prairie heat. Inns and cottages sprang up around busy ports on Green Bay to the west and Lake Michigan to the east. Most of those original structures, now more than a century old, still welcome visitors to the 300 miles of coastline.
After all these years, Door County has earned a reputation as a popular summer destination. Critics may point to the surplus of gnome-festooned gift emporiums, but a swell of new art galleries, restaurants and music and theater productions has injected a cosmopolitan streak into the area’s coastal villages. While locals shudder at the new nickname, “the Martha’s Vineyard of the Midwest,” Door County may have to accept its new status as a top vacation spot in the country, not just the corn belt.
One thing visitors and locals can agree on: The natural beauty is hard to beat. On one side of this narrow peninsula, limestone cliffs soar 200 feet above the gentle waves of Lake Michigan. On the other, marshy beaches edge into Green Bay. In between, dense forests of birches and evergreens frame wildflower meadows and more than 2,000 acres of cherry orchards. No fewer than five state parks (look them up at dnr.wi.gov) offer enormous sand dunes, hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, and perfect swimming beaches.
The southernmost launching point for a proper tour of Door County is Sturgeon Bay, a 90-minute drive from the closest airport, which is in Green Bay. The peninsula has been a shipbuilding and fishing hub since the mid-19th century, and Sturgeon Bay is the best place to watch the boats—from needle-thin racing crafts to naval minesweepers. Stop by the Door County Maritime Museum, which showcases historic shipbuilding techniques and has a working submarine telescope on display (920-743-5958; dcmm.org).
For a great view of Green Bay’s famed waters and shadowy coves, head up scenic Highway 42, past wildflower meadows, small working farms and the occasional Scandinavian sod roof. (Look for goats and sheep grazing.)
The town of Egg Harbor offers the first views of the water from the highway. It’s worth a stop for its Birch Creek Music Performance Center, where gifted school-age musicians from around the country put on regular concerts all summer (920-868-3763; birchcreek.org). The town of Fish Creek, eight miles north, is home to the Peninsula Players, a 72-year-old summer theater. From June to October, the cast performs Broadway productions and popular musicals on a stage set in an idyllic garden (920-868-3287; peninsulaplayers.com).
The art scene thrives in Fish Creek, where galleries selling artisans’ crafts—woven items, pottery, jewelry—are housed in Victorian-style storefronts on Main Street and overflow into outlying barns and fishing shacks. Restaurants have embraced an artistic edge, as well, evident at the Cookery, where the French toast is topped with cherries from local orchards, and at Mr. Helsinki, which serves creative crepes and fondues.
Fish Creek is a perfect base for sampling the bay side of “the Door.” Nearby Peninsula State Park has more than 3,800 wooded acres and bluff views of the bay. Rent a bike at Nor Door Sport & Cyclery (920-868-2275; nordoorsports.com; $25 a day) and tackle the park’s five-mile Sunset Trail. Then recover in a rocking chair on the porch of the White Gull Inn, a well-preserved 19th-century hotel whose fish boil, served several times a week, is famous around the county.
As you make your way farther north along Highway 42, you’ll notice the traffic thickening, especially on weekends—all the more reason to hop on a ferry to Washington Island, just off the peninsula’s northern tip. Decidedly more remote and less trafficked (most visitors explore it by bike), 22-square-mile Washington Island has miles of Lake Michigan beaches and one of the best restaurants in the county, at the Washington Hotel. Almost all the ingredients used in its kitchen are grown on the island; try the whitefish pizza, fired in a massive brick oven.
If you stay at the Washington Hotel, with its simple rooms, organic sheets and lake views, you can get an early ferry to fantastic Rock Island State Park, a car-free, 775-acre island just another hop to the north. Wealthy inventor Chester Thordarson, known primarily for his million-volt transformer, owned and developed part of the island around 1910, and left behind an imposing limestone boathouse modeled after traditional Icelandic manors. But the best reason to spend the day is the beaches—some rocky, some shallow and sandy—where you can launch yourself into the crystal cold waters of Lake Michigan.
The sometimes treacherous waves off the east coast of the peninsula are known for wrecking ships, so it’s no surprise that there are 10 lighthouses along the shore. One of the best preserved is at Cana Island, which can be reached by causeway for regularly scheduled tours. Nearby trails lead into the Ridges Sanctuary, home to 23 varieties of native Wisconsin orchids, such as the delicate pink moccasin flower and the tiny heartleaf twayblade.
There are so many ways to spend your weekend here but there’s really only one universal Door County pastime: watching the water. So before you complete your loop around the peninsula, stop for a while at Bailey’s Harbor. Buy some whitefish spread, crackers and a bag of chocolate-covered Montmorency cherries, and sit down to watch the sandpipers strut the 30 pristine acres of beach.
EAT
The Cookery
A
30-year-old breakfast tradition. The jams and sauces made here are sold
nationwide. Regulars come just for the granola-bread French toast with
Door County cherries on top. 4135 Main St. (Hwy. 42), Fish Creek; 920-868-3634; breakfast for two, $16*
Mr. Helsinki Restaurant & Wine Bar
Lemongrass crabcakes and crepes with Gruyère and smoked ham are served in this eclectic second-floor creperie. 4164 Main St., Fish Creek; 920-868-9898; dinner for two, $60
Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant
Door
County comfort food, in the form of Swedish meatballs and lingonberry
pie. The display of Scandinavian kitsch alone is worth
the visit. 702 Bay Shore Dr., Sister Bay; 920-854-2626; dinner for two, $30
Washington Hotel Restaurant
Contemporary
creations with a nod to the region’s heritage in smoked whitefish
pizza, handmade cheeses and an excellent wine selection. The flour for
the breakfast baked goods is made from wheat grown on the island. 354 Range Line Rd., Washington Island; 920-847-2169; dinner for two, $150
Red Cup Coffee House
Long-time
islanders gather on the front porch—or, on damp days, in front of the
fireplace—for rich organic espresso drinks, fresh bagels and pastries,
and a chance to catch up on island gossip. 1885 Detroit Harbor Rd., Washington Island; 920-847-3304; breakfast for two, $12
*Prices cover a three-course meal for two, not including drinks, tax or tip.
STAY
RCI-affiliated resorts in Door County include:
THE RUSHES,
Baileys Harbor
For more information,
visit RCI.com or call
Weeks: 800-338-7777
Points: 877-968-7476
OTHER HOTELS
White Gull Inn
A
collection of preserved or restored 19th-century houses, with
fireplaces, parlors, period furniture and miles of floral wallpaper.
The inn’s fish boil is one of the best in Door County. 4225 Main St., Fish Creek; 888-364-9642 or 920-868-3517; whitegullinn.com; doubles from $147
Washington Hotel
Tucked
away on secluded Washington Island, the 100-year-old hotel has
comfortable rooms (with shared bath) and an expansive garden. A
culinary school, held on selected summer afternoons, offers classes in
chocolate-making, artisanal cheeses and more. 354 Range Line Rd., Washington Island; 920-847-2169; thewashingtonhotel.com; doubles from $119 (no children under 13)
Edgewater Resort
A classic bay-front hotel overlooking Eagle Harbor, with wide porches, bright rooms and a couple of cottages. 10040 Water St. (Hwy. 42), Ephraim; 920-854-2734; edge-waterresort.com; doubles from $119
EXPLORE
Door
County has countless hiking trails and more than 100 miles of backroad
biking. For more information, consult doorcounty.com and the state park
system’s website, dnr.wi.gov.
Peninsula State Park 9462 Shore Rd., Fish Creek; 920-868-3258
Rock Island State Park Rock Island; 920-847-2235
Whitefish Dunes State Park 3275 Clark Lake Rd., Sturgeon Bay;
920-823-2400
Cana Lighthouse & The Ridges Sanctuary Ridges Rd., Bailey’s Harbor; 920-839-2802
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
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Published: July/August 2007 Issue
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Photo: Jupiter Images
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