When we were researching where to go in Wisconsin, Door County came up time and again. We spent a week on the peninsula which is also known as the thumb of Wisconsin. It has Green Bay on one side and Lake Michigan on the other, so we were surrounded by water our entire time here. 

For our first three days here we camped at the highly rated Peninsula State Park. This large park, perched right on the banks of Green Bay, is a favorite for bikers, kayakers, and campers. We were three for three! On our first full day in the park we set out on the Sunset Bike Trail which cuts the park from top to bottom. The gravel trail through the heavily wooded park gave us access to the park’s highlights. 

One stop was at the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, which has been operational since 1868. The house and its beautiful grounds made for a great rest stop.

After a morning on the bike we headed into the nearby town of Fish Creek to check it out. Steve was quick to find Nan & Jerry’s, where he could buy his Wisconsin fishing license. Like much of Door County, Fish Creek is filled with cute, touristy shops that are fun to just browse and explore.

The fish boil is a culinary tradition in Door County brought to the area by Scandinavian immigrants. The boils were originally used to feed large crowds of lumberjacks and fishermen and now it’s a tourist attraction in the area. We attended the boil at Fish Creek’s Pelletier’s restaurant.

Lake Michigan Whitefish is cut into small chunks and boiled in a large cauldron along with potatoes, onions, and corn. The grand finale is when the boilman tosses a can of kerosene onto the fire causing the cauldron to boil over. It’s quite a spectacle. 

Steve enjoyed his traditional fish dinner and I opted for a lovely portobello mushroom sandwich.  

Another highlight of Peninsula State Park is the newly re-opened Eagle’s Tower. After the fish boil we took the ramp up the 60 foot structure. The Tower sits atop Eagle Bluff putting the observation deck at 253 feet above the Bay of Green Bay, providing an excellent view of the spectacular sunset. What a nice way to end the day!

While camping in the park we had easy access to boat launches and took advantage of that. We hadn’t had our inflatable Botē kayaks out in at least a year and a half and were anxious to see if they still held air. We launched just around the bluff from the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse and paddled around to get a view of the historic building from the water.

It was a beautiful, calm morning, which allowed Steve to also put his new fishing license to work. The kayaks worked great and we’re looking forward to using them many more times this summer. No fish was caught.

Days in Door County are easily filled just wandering around the cute villages and taking in the shops and sights. We made purchases at Uncle Tom’s Candy Store, Bea’s Ho-Made Products, and Al Johnson’s which famously features goats on the sod roofs. 

Part way through our week here we moved to a commercial campground, Rustic Timbers, which provided us with the full hookups we didn’t have at the state park. Luckily moving is a quick task and at the new campground we were able to do laundry and connect our Starlink for internet.  

We celebrated my birthday while in Door County and made sure it was a full and fun day. We started with a guided kayaking tour to Cave Point Park, on the Lake Michigan side of the Peninsula. Considered one of the most iconic natural landscapes in all of Door County, the wave-worn dolomite ledges are best viewed from the water.

With our guide Sam we paddled into the formations to get views the people on land could not. Luckily it was a fairly warm morning and the water was not too choppy, which gave us the confidence to paddle into the cave. Video proves it! Another perfect start to a perfect day.

The afternoon was spent enjoying the unusually warm weather while visiting a number of the area wineries. I can’t say the wine was all that great, but it’s a fun thing to do while visiting Door County. 

We are always interested in learning a little history when we visit an area, so we opted to end our time in Door County with a tour of the newly re-established Horseshoe Bay Farms. Originally built by Frank Murphy in the early 1920s, the farm was to be a premier dairy stock facility. When that enterprise ran into problems, the farm converted to a fruit producer, becoming the largest farm in the county.

State of the art when it was built, the farm was in disrepair until a community effort began its restoration in 2018. Our tour, led by a community member, helped us understand how things used to be and where they are going in this historic place. 

One week in Door County was not enough! That’s why many families come here year after year for generations.