Western Edge of Lake Michigan in July
 

We are planning our trip around a conference in Chicago starting Friday, July 9th. We will leave Kansas City on July 3rd and visit friends in Champaign, IL. Sunday the 4th we plan to head north toward Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Are there "can't miss" places along the way to Sturgeon Bay? We are mostly interested in towns along the lake, hiking or biking trails, moderate priced dining with a view, and lodging along the waterfront. Any suggestions of a good place to spend the night on the 4th of July? Finally, any suggestions for lodging in Sturgeon Bay or surrounding area? Thanks.

I forgot to say that "we" is my husband and I , in our 50s.

Do you have to stop in Sturgeon Bay? I would highly recommend heading farther up the peninsula for the real flavor of Door County. As for other places to visit, you might want to check out my April 11 post responding to ctspice.

Check the WI DNR web-site for some good info. about parks and trails -- both hiking and bike.
If this link works it's will show you some of the bike trails.
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/tra...e.html#touring

Thanks, kp, the link did work. And to mdwest, we will go further north, I have been looking at lodging in some of the smaller towns. I agree with you that it is all about the water and small town discoveries! Any other lodging suggestions?

We always stay at a place on the water in Jacksonport. That is on the Lake Michigan side and most people prefer staying on the much, much busier bay side.

The place we stay is a small motel called the Square Rigger Lodge. It is nothing fancy but the beach is where I spend every morning. It has a restaurant that serves breakfast and fish boils only some evenings before July 4th. We do spend most of our afternoon and evenings elsewhere on the peninsula.

Thanks!