"Must Do" Fun in Door County
 

My husband and I will spend a week in Door County this July. It will be our first trip there. What are the "Must Do" fun activities? Thanks!

Take the ferry and tour Washington Island. Find and eat at a Fish Boil, not my favorite but not to be missed in Door County.

Last summer there was a great post about Door County by priscillatravel40. We go to Door County every year and I found out about new things from her post. Pull up Wisconsin and do a search for last year's "Door County in September".

Door County offers a wide variety of things to do from the touristy shopping, fudge or ice cream shops, restaurants etc. to the beautiful nature/scenery in state parks and everything in between. There are great bike and hiking trails, golf courses, and ferry rides and tours. Describe what kind of activities are "fun" for you, and I can offer specific suggestions. Some enjoy it for the peace and quiet and others want all the "tourist" offerings.

College Mom asked for our favorite activities and she would supply specifics. Favorites: walking/biking trails, nice restaurants, fun shopping, beach for swimming, things around Bailey's Harbor-that's where we're staying. Thanks.

I haven't been there in a while but I recall nice art galleries. I also recall that in Two harbors of somewhere like that there's a Scandinavian restaurant (maybe something like Al Johnson's) with a sod roof and goats up there. Pretty cute and great food.

For an Elderhostel program we stayed at the Wagon Trail at Rowleys Bay, a nice established place. And during the week focused on he arts, including visit to galleries, Peninsula Art School, lunch at Al Johnsons (with goats on roof), also Julia's Cafe in Fish Creek, and yes a fish boil.

But the highlights were the performances by the Pennisula Players and concert at Pennisula Music Festival. This was early August.

Ozarksbill
[email protected]

Peninsula State Park, Whitefish Dunes State Park and Cave Point are worth checking out. We stayed in Bailey's Harbor last year (it was our first time to Door County and we were attracted to it being billed as "the quiet side"). There's definitely less traffic but we found ourselves driving to Egg Harbor and Fish Creek for dinner more than expected. Luckily pretty much everything in Door is a short and pleasant drive away.

Aunty A - For hiking/biking trails, Pennisula State Park has good trails with bike rentals just outside the park if you don't bring your own bike. Back roads also offer good biking, but avoid the major roads if biking. Fish Creek and Sister Bay offer more of the tourist type shops, restuarants, as well as traffic, so you may enjoy Bailey's Harbor for the quiet pace. Al Johnsons (in Sister Bay with real goats on the roof) offers good Scandanavian food, White Gull Inn (Fish Creek) is noted for their fish boil but also offers other good options. Wilsons (Ephraim) is famous for their ice cream served in an old fashion setting. The Door County Bakery is well known for its multi grain bread, but anything from there is good. Travelling from Egg Harbor up the main road on the western coast to the northern tip covers the major tourist attractions and brings you back to the east coast which also offers coastal beauty and far less crowds (and traffic). Pennisula Players offer performances. Swimming beaches are limited and Lake Michigan is very cold so enjoy the lake views and plan to venture into the lake only if it is really hot on land. The harbors offer great views of boats, the Bay, and islands. There are lighthouses along the coasts, wildflowers, birds, and interesting old farm builings on the smaller interior roads if any of those interest you. The evenings usually cool off even in the summer so be prepared for cool as well as warm temperatures. Hope you have a great time!

Found a website that might be helpful to those fodorites considering a trip to Door County. It is: www.doorcountynavigator.com. It offers great information on the wide variety of activities available to do while visiting Door County.

You have to get some ice cream at Wilson's, go to the lighthouses, hike or bike in the park. If you have even a bit of a creative side, go to the Hands on Art Studio. I spend a day there and find it so relaxing. The art studios are also great. I thought that Washington Island was a waste, to be honest. Have a great time.

I definitely recommend Al Johnson's for breakfast one morning. There will most definitely be a wait since it's one of the "must do" attractions in Door County, but the atmosphere is fabulous!