Door County, A Wisconsin Gem

Named one of the top ten vacation destinations in North America by Money magazine, Door County, Wisconsin offers visitors scenic seaside experiences in the heart of the Midwest.

Scenic view of Ephraim, located on the western shore of Door County. Ephraim has preserved its Norwegian and Moravian roots by making them a part of its modern life. Photo courtesy Door County Visitors Bureau.

The downtown and marina at Sister Bay. Photo courtesy Door County Visitors Bureau.

With 300 miles of shoreline and plenty of green space, outdoor recreation opportunities abound in Door County on both land and sea. Five state parks, 11 historic lighthouses and more than 50 beaches and parks provide the option to be active or just enjoy the sights.

Here you can view thousands of acres of orchards, explore art galleries, devour delicious cherry pie, sip on local wines and brews, splash in the lake or paddle along the bluffs.

Door County is located on a peninsula about 50 miles northeast of the city of Green Bay. It is approximately 70 miles long, and is flanked by Green Bay on its western shore, and Lake Michigan on its eastern shore. It is about 18 miles wide at its widest point in the southern part of the county and narrows to less than 2 miles across at the northern tip of the peninsula.

Door County is one of the Midwest’s premier tourism destinations, attracting some 2 million visitors per year. Door County’s estimated year-round population is around 28,000. Sturgeon Bay, the county seat and its only city, has an estimated population of about 9,100.

History

Founded in 1851, Door County is named after Death’s Door, the aptly named water passage that lies off the tip of the peninsula where the waters of Lake Michigan and Green Bay converge.

Death’s Door is the English translation of Porte Des Morts, the name given to this treacherous water passage by early French explorers based on Native American stories they heard and their own perilous experiences. Given the right (or wrong) conditions, navigation in this narrow stretch of water can be tricky thanks to the clash- ing lake and bay currents. Numerous 18th, 19th and early 20th century shipwrecks can be found there…however, none recently.

Wisconsin Cheese

Experience cheese tasting and lunch at Renard’s Cheese. Learn about one of the most delicious products that Wisconsin has to offer and the family tradition of cheese making. A short video will guide you through the process of cheese making and everyone’s favorite - cheese sampling! www.renardscheese.com

Enjoy a cheese tasting at Door Artisan Cheese Company. The newest cheese maker in Door County showcases the craft of cheese making from the milk vat to the cheese case. Mike Brennenstuhl had a vision — creating a special place that celebrates Wisconsin cheese making expertise, and taking it to a new level with a chance to see cheese making in action while enjoying specialty cheeses, regional and international wine, and fine dining. www.doorartisancheese.com

Visit a goat dairy farm and creamery located in Sister Bay. Door County Creamery began handcrafting cheese on the goat farm in 2010, and in July 2013 Jesse and Rachael Johnson’s dream became a reality with the opening of the Door County Creamery, a cheese making facility and retail store. Their tag line is also their mission: Love local cheese—give the Door County community the opportunity to fall in love with fresh, local cheeses. www.doorcountycreamery.com

Sample cheese at Renard’s Cheese. Byways Photo.

Coffee, Tea & Sweets

Stop at Door County Candy in Sturgeon Bay. Since 1996, owner Terry Ullman has been satisfying visitors sweet tooths with confectionery delights. www.doorcountycandy.com

Door County Coffee & Tea Company is a favorite of locals and visitors. You’ll find a gourmet, made-fromscratch breakfast and attend “Coffee College” at Door County’s premier coffee roaster. They roast coffee in small batches to exacting specifications, so be sure to try (and take home!) delicious flavors like Cherry Crème, Raspberry Butter Crunch and Caramel Pecan Scones or for the coffee die-hards try the bold and delicious Premiere Select, Intense Dark or Elite Espresso.

Door County Coffee & Tea uses the finest Specialty Class 1 Arabica coffee beans grown throughout the world, and roasts in a fluidized-air bed roaster producing a wonderfully even, perfect roast every time. www.doorcountycoffee.com

Wine Tasting, Brew & Spirits

Door County has seven local wineries and an expanding grape growing industry. These wineries have joined together to create the Door County Wine Trail, complete with a specially created Door County Wine Trail map/website.

Egg Harbor has been named one of the best small towns in America. A sparkling new marina and beach stand out on the waterfront while specialty shopping dots a main street lined with blooms. Here you’ll find local artisan produce, breads, and cheeses around every corner and parks and golf courses that frame the harbor’s natural beauty.

Door Peninsula Winery and Door County Distillery are in Carlsville. Door County’s original and largest winery, housed in the historic Carlsville Schoolhouse is well-known for fruit and sweet/semi-sweet wines.

Door County Distillery is the first in the area to produce vodka, gin and fruit infused vodka. The distillery showcases the copper still and small batch, on-site production, distilled with clean, limestone infused waters from the Door Peninsula. Be sure to try their cherry infused spirits like the Cherry Bluff Infusion – bitters and cherry brandy.

At Door 44 Winery, their specialty is making wine from grapes that grow in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. From these grapes, they take pride in making fruit-forward, balanced, food-friendly wines that target consumer demand and celebrate the region.

Enjoy a tour and tasting at Island Orchard Cider in Ellison Bay. They craft Wisconsin Hard Apple and Cherry. Ciders are in the Normandy tradition, think sparkling, dry apple and cherry champagne. Their orchards on Door County’s Washington Island provide the perfect rocky limestone soil and climate for their French and American cider apples. www.islandorchardcider.com

Wind down along the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula for a cold one at Door County Brewing Company in Bailey’s Harbor. A family-owned craft brewery established in 2012, they source as many ingredients as possible from Door County and Wisconsin to produce beers based on local resources, local influences and local heritage. www.doorcountybrewingco.com

Swedish pancakes at Al Johnson’s.

Sister Bay

In Sister Bay take some time to stroll the 1,900 feet of public waterfront or explore the shopping in Sister Bay. Check out Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik to shop for authentic Swedish goods or stop into Door County Confectionery for a sweet treat.

Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant is an authentic Swedish family-owned restaurant where you can find goats grazing on the sod roof. It’s quite a sight, and it’s made this place one of the most famous restaurants in the Midwest. But the Swedish pancakes are the specialty which brings visitors back again and again. www.aljohnsons.com

Cherry Country

Door County is among the top cherry producing regions in the country with more than 2,500 acres of cherry orchards. The cherry trees normally bloom in mid to late May with cherries ready for picking in mid July to early August. Door County typically harvests anywhere between 8-12 million pounds of cherries per year.

Seaquist Orchards has more than 1,000 acres of cherries (the county’s largest single producer), along with 30 acres of apples and a few acres of apricots and pears. The bulk of the cherries raised are of the Montmorency variety, a tart cherry, but several varieties of sweet cherries are raised also. Fresh, hand-picked cherries, both tart and sweet, are sold directly to consumers. www.seaquistorchards.com At Orchard Country Winery & Market in Fish Creek, Montmorency cherry is freshly picked and packaged during summer harvest with the morning dew still present. The rest end up in bottles of satisfying, fruity wine such as “Cherry Blossom,” fresh baked cherry pies, fresh-pressed jugs of tart cherry juice, plump dried cherries and rows of scrumptious cherry jams and pie fillings. www.orchardcountry.com

Stop in for a quick dip at the Door County Ice Cream Factory, located in the Sister Bay’s original General Store (built in 1912). This family-owned shop features homemade ice cream, sundaes, malts and shakes. Patrons can watch ice cream being made during production hours. www.doorcountyicecream.com

Ellison Bluff County Park

Continue the journey north to Ellison Bay with some of the most breathtaking views of Door County and pay a visit to Ellison Bluff County Park, Stroll along the wooded walkway that leads you to the edge of a sheer 100-foot limestone bluff. Reflect on the beauty and relax to the sound of the rolling waves in this photographer’s paradise.

Authentic Fish Boil

Settle in for an authentic Fish Boil dinner, a Door County dining tradition, at Rowley’s Bay Restaurant, a vintage waterfront resort. A storyteller weaves the tale of the fish boil outside around the fiery cauldron on Rowley’s Bay before dinner inside.

A traditional Door County fish boil features freshly caught Lake Michigan whitefish caught by local fishermen and cooked outside over an open fire, just as it was 100 years ago by the Scandinavian settlers of the Peninsula. www.doorcounty.com/dine/fish-boils www.rowleysbayresort.com

Did you know? The fish boil tradition began as an economical way to feed large, hungry groups of lumberjacks and fishermen. Churches picked up the tradition to raise money, and people from all over would come to taste the local fish, potatoes and Door County cherry pie. Eventually area restaurants followed and the Door County Fish Boil became a “not to be missed” event for every visitor.

The Ridges Sanctuary & Range Lights

Stop and smell the flowers on a naturalist-guided wildflower walk at Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin’s oldest nonprofit nature preserve. A designated State Natural Area, an Audubon Important Bird Area and National Natural Landmark, the Ridges Sanctuary is home to native wildflowers along its five miles of rustic trails and bridges.

Some early blooming flowers to watch for include Trailing Arbutus, Marsh Marigold, Arctic Primrose, Dwarf Lake Iris and Indian Paintbrush.

No visit to The Ridges would be complete without experiencing the iconic Baileys Harbor Range Lights.

Built in 1869 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, the Upper Range Light and its companion Lower Range Light are the only lighthouses of this design that are still on range and functional as navigational aids. These modest but enduring structures played a critical role in the history of Baileys Harbor and in the founding of The Ridges. www.ridgessanctuary.org

Cherry trees in blossom at the Orchard Country Winery & Market. Photos courtesy Door County Visitors Bureau.

Be sure and save time to enjoy the tranquility offered by less energetic pursuits. Stroll along miles of scenic shoreline. Pick a pail of delicious cherries in July or a basket of crunchy apples in September. Or take in one of the colorful weekend festivals that are held in the peninsula’s quaint waterfront villages and on Washington Island throughout the year. Find lots more information online at www.DoorCounty.com

About the Author: Stephen Kirchner has been editor and publisher of Byways Magazine for 35 years. He is based in Louisville, KY.