orangetravelcat

After the EAA show in Oshkosh, thinking of spending a few days in Sturgeon Bay. Is it going to be overrun with people? I know July is high season, but what I'd like to know is if there will be big waits for dinner, lots of traffic, and streets full of wall to wall people?

mdwest

Just one question. Why Sturgeon Bay?

Most people around here don't consider Sturgeon Bay to be reflective of the thumb of Door County. Are you looking for the Sturgeon Bay experience or the Door County experience?

orangetravelcat

The door county experience. no particular reason for sturgeon bay. what do you suggest?

orangetravelcat

oh, and if you can suggest a place that won't be overrun with children in July that would be a defnite plus.

mdwest

I would go farther north. The Lake Michigan side of the "thumb" is referred to a "The Quiet Side". We like to get a hotel there but we spend the days browsing the parks and shops (and restaurants) all over the upper part of the peninsula. Baileys Harbor and Jacksonport are on the Lake side. Egg Harbor, Ephraim, & Sister Bay are more crowded but fun.
You may want to check out their web site:
http://www.doorcounty.com/

orangetravelcat

Do you have any specific hotels to recommend?

neverthere

I can absolutely recommend The Beachfront Inn in Bailey's Harbor. The new owners have a real pride in the place and are doing a lot of remodeling in the off season; it is right on Lake Michigan and there are log fires on the beach every night. Really nice. It is very reasonable too. Get a room facing the water in the main building - it can get noisy if your room faces the road.

You can easily get anywhere from Bailey's Harbor as all roads seem to lead everywhere in Door County. I did not find it that crowded in August last year. It is a big place, plenty of room to spread out. A nice balance of shopping, eating and outdoor activities overall.

http://www.beachfrontinn.net/rooms.html

tuckerdc

July is high season in DC, but it's seldom wall-to-wall crowded. Though I'd suggest you avoid the 4th if you can.

True that the Green Bay (western side) of the peninsula tends to be a little busier, but perhaps you want to be 'where the action is.' Personally, I'd avoid Fish Creek, which really tends to be jammed.

There are several very nice hotels in Egg Harbor - including The Ashbrooke (not on the water) and Egg Harbor Lodge (water), which specifically mentions that it caters to adults. The following site offers lots of info:
http://www.doorcountynavigator.com/h..._eggharbor.htm

If you want to dine between 530 and 730 or so, you may face a wait in some of the more popular restaurants.

blueslipper

White Gull Inn, which I think is Fish Creek. We were there a couple of years ago, and it wasn't as crowded as we expected. Really enjoyed renting bikes and going around Peninsula State Park, too.