Hey Wisconsinites!

[grace0418]

Tell me about Door County. We're looking for a weekend trip from Chicago. Thanks! :)

[Canuckistanian]

1. Isn't that Wisconsinians? n/t

[shraby]

2. I believe it's either Badgers or Cheeseheads.

On edit, I've not been to Door County but have heard its beautiful.

[grace0418]

9. Is it? Sorry!

[Lefta Dissenter]

10. No it's not...

you'll note that that was a Canuck who said that... (:hi: to Canada, by the way...) I am a proud Wisconsinite, sometimes a Badger, never a Cheesehead.

And though I've been to Door County a few times, it's been so long that I wouldn't be able to give any sound advice.

[grace0418]

12. LOL! I should've read his user name!

I thought Wisconsinites was right, but what do I know? :)

[Canuckistanian]

18. Damn! That name gives me away every time

Hello, proud denizens of Wisconsin! :hi:

[MadisonProgressive]

19. No, it's Wisconsinites...

I'm born and raised here and it's always been Wisconsinites!

[joneschick]

3. honeymooned in Sturgeon Bay 20 years ago

wonderful little cottages on Lake Michigan. I believe they're still there with new owners. Waitressed as a teen in Ephraim at Wilson's. You have to stop at Wilson's for ice cream or the trip doesn't count. Lots of kitschy shopping along with some very nice artists. Try googling. Does the trip include kids? Peninsula State Park is wonderful. There's a restaurant with a sod roof somewhere.......

[TheMightyFavog]

7. Ephraim.. Wisconsin's only dry town.

Just a nicle bit of trivia for you.

[grace0418]

16. Thanks! Ice cream sounds good right now.

Supposed to be 100 tomorrow. Thanks for the tips!

[sybylla]

4. We took a trip to Door County in 1997 - my impressions if interested

We stayed in Sturgeon Bay and took in it's sights Friday night and Sunday. Saturday we toured the peninsula which you can drive in a couple of hours if you never stop. It's a nice place to vacation and you can definitely do it in a weekend.

We did a mini lighthouse tour. I would definitely recommend Cana Island lighthouse. It's a nice walk, a beautiful setting and a great tour, especially early in the morning when we went. But to get there you have to traverse the shallows so wear shoes or sandals you can take off or don't mind getting wet. We hit a couple more lighthouses on the west coast of the peninsula and they were equally as interesting. Season your vacation with them to taste.

We didn't take the ferry to Washington Island because we thought it was a little expensive. Our vacation had a tight budget so we didn't go, but others have told me it's worth the money.

There are plenty of campgrounds, B&B's, cherry orchards (though I think the cherry season may be over soon), antique shops, horse trails and more for interested tourists. You really can pick and choose the activities you want and there is plenty to do whether you want a quiet/romantic getaway or something to do with the kids. Of course, we had great weather. If you're stuck indoors, it will seriously change your itinerary.

Sturgeon Bay is quaint. They have a very nice nautical museum (Door County Maritime Museum) if you like museums. They also have a great variety of restaurants and a very nice public beach. When we were there, we visited the yacht factory but I think it's closed now. Someone else may know.

Door County is great if you don't mind a bit of a touristy vacation (kitchy and somewhat overpriced) but it is a very beautiful place to visit. Perhaps some Door County residents here can point out a few not-so-touristy places to go in the county if that is what you prefer.

[grace0418]

14. Thank you. This is very helpful!

I love DU!

[ewagner]

5. Have to go to

Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant

goats still on the roof?

[RevCheesehead]

6. Yep.

That's all the way up in Sister Bay - but fun to watch. :)

[grace0418]

15. What's good to order there?

Swedish places usually have great breakfast.

[Poiuyt]

21. Swedish pancakes and Swedish meatballs

We'll get in the car, drive 2 hours to get to Al Johnson's, eat pankcakes till we're ready to burst, and then drive home.

[grace0418]

8. We don't have kids and my husband prefers a fairly low

kitch factor. I can handle a bit of kitch but not super cheesy kitch (i.e. I like vintage "atomic" art kitch but not Nascar kitch, if that makes any sense).

My husband has never been there and I haven't been since I was a kid so my memory is faint (I was probably last there in the late 70s). What's to do up there? Where is the best place to go? Something pretty low-key is preferable. We like to hike but are not athletes by any stretch. Walks in the woods or by lakes is more our speed.

To give you some background on us, we're two 30-something urbanites with no kids. We love world travel and good food, art, museums, natural wonders, coffee shops, street fairs, music & film, ethnic festivals, gardens. We don't like tourist traps, sanitized/Disneyfied experiences, or out-of-control partying. If we had our way, we'd be living in Northern California and spending our weekends at the ocean, in the redwoods or in Sonoma. Around here, we enjoy Saugatuck/Douglas/Union Pier, Madison, Lake Geneva, Minneapolis, Champaign (in small doses) and obviously Chicago, too.

So, with that in mind, can any of you kind people offer some suggestions? We'd really appreciate it! Thank you in advance. You all rock!

[Dying Eagle]

11. I honeymooned in Egg Harbor

I loved it. Great time, we even made it out of our room a few times. If you have the time i recommend both Peninsula state park and Washington island. Just make sure you plan on spending a good deal of money. Door County is a tourist trap and the prices reflect that.

[grace0418]

13. LOL! When you were out of your room, did the prices

seem like 5 bucks for a can of soda and 20 bucks for breakfast high or more reasonable than that?

[sybylla]

17. The food is relatively reasonable most places - nowhere near $5 for soda

It's all the other stuff that gets a little pricey. From the state park weekend pass to the ticket prices on lighthouse tours.

You might be able to find more specifics at http://www.travelwisconsin.com/

[RevCheesehead]

20. And fill up your gas tank in Algoma or Green Bay.

Gas prices in Door Co - including Sturgeon Bay, are about .10/gal higher than the rest of the state.

[RetroLounge]

22. Too Expensive and too many people from Illinois...

:sarcasm:

Actually, I haven't been there in 15 years or more, so can't say...

RL

[RevCheesehead]

23. Nah, you hit that one squarely on the head!

:hi:

[Jimbo S]

24. Been to Door Co. more times than I can count

Are you going during the week or weekend?

Make a reservation somewhere in advance. It's possible to get a place without notice, but your options are limited.

I like to stay in either Sister Bay or Fish Creek. More to do on the Green Bay side than the Lake Michigan side.

Swedish pancakes at Al Johnson's is a must do. And bring a camera to snap shots of the goats.

Penninsula State Park is great for a run or a bike ride. Mostly shaded. They have bike rentals at the Fish Creek entrance.

The Penninsula Players always put on a good show. Stop by the box office in the afternoon to get tix for that evening's performance.

Plenty of places to shop.

[grace0418]

25. Hi Everyone! Here's what we're doing.

Everything in Fish Creek, Sister Bay and Egg Harbor that looked decent was booked, and everything else looked a little too ratty for my taste. I just can't see spending over $100 a night to stay somewhere that looks like Aunt Judy's rumpus room complete with drop ceiling and orange recliners, ya know?

Anyway, so we found a place in Sturgeon Bay called Stone Harbor Resort that looked okay. I didn't want to stay so far south but it'll be fine I'm sure.

We plan on taking the sightseeing suggestions you all gave (though hubby doesn't seem as charmed about the goats as I am so we'll have to see about that). Thank you so much! I'll write a recap when we get home.

G

[sybylla]

26. Hope you have a great time

I look forward to hearing how it went.

[RevCheesehead]

27. Sounds like a good plan to me.

Don't forget to fill up the gas tank before you get to Door Co.

Sturgeon Bay is the hub of activity. It's also the last place you'll find a Target, Wal-Mart, Applebee's, McDonald's, Hardees or Culver's.

The rest of the peninsula is a day-trip from SB. Be sure to check out the Door Co. Winery - free samples, with no limit! :)

[grace0418]

28. Hey everyone! We're home and very happy!

Thanks for all your great advice. You were right on the money!

So we stayed at the Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay. The drive was shorter than expected so we were there around 5:30. We checked in, unpacked and got our bearings. The hotel was quite nice, if anyone needs a place in Sturgeon Bay. It was fairly new and tasteful with two very nice pools. We had the indoor pool to ourselves most of the weekend, which was great. Our room even had a deck with a view of the bay and of the outdoor restaurant. The only problem was that the door leading outside tended to allow in a few ants and whatnot, nothing serious. And really the drive up the peninsula wasn't too bad. It was such a lovely drive anyway we really didn't mind, plus we had our ipod.

Anyway, Friday night I was pretty tired from a busy week so we decided to go to a local place for dinner and spend the rest of the evening planning the next day's adventures. We ate at the Inn at Cedar Creek which is just a couple of blocks away. The food was fantastic. And my husband, who never was a big fan of pie and never liked anything with cherries, decided to try a piece of fresh Door County cherry pie and was hooked. From that point on he wanted to stop at every roadside stand to see what kind of cherry products they sold.

Saturday we nixed our plans to go to Washington Island. It was $42 for the ferry, I just couldn't justify it. So instead we went to Newport State Park and hiked some of it's excellent trails. The weather was lovely so that was a great activity. We hiked about 6 miles total and decided to find somewhere for lunch. We ended up in Sister Bay where we ate at Zoey's, which was a nice lunch place.

After exploring Sister Bay and Ephraim (we tried to go to Wilsons but the line was too long), we went back to the hotel for a nap and a swim. Feeling refreshed, we drove to Fish Creek and had dinner at the Cookery, which was also very good. More cherry pie followed that dinner.

Sunday we picked up sandwiches and drove to Peninsula State Park for more hiking and exploring, along with a picnic lunch and a dip in the lake. It was a nice park but considerably more crowded. The trails seemed buggier and noiser (closer to the road) than the trails at Newport State Park. Maybe it was because it was hotter Sunday but we definitely enjoyed Newport State Park more. I think it also has something to do with it being a little farther away from the hustle and bustle. We decided not to swim at the beach because it was too crowded, so after exploring Fish Creek and Egg Harbor, we went back to the hotel for another refreshing swim in our "private" pool.

For dinner Sunday night we went to Mr. Helsinki's in Fish Creek and had one of the two best meals we had all weekend. I highly recommend the dinner crepes. We even strayed from our standard cherry pie for dessert and split a chocolate chip crepe topped with bananas foster. YUM!

Yesterday (Monday), we packed up and enjoyed one last swim before driving to Sister Bay for breakfast at Al Johnson's. Had the Swedish pancakes, which were lovely. There is a Swedish restaurant in Chicago (Ann Sather's) with excellent breakfast so I probably wasn't as blown away as Swedish pancake "virgin" would've been ;) but it was delicious nonetheless. And the goats were awesome! Wouldn't you know it, every time we were in Sister Bay I saw the goats but figured I would get a picture when we ate there, but Monday they were hiding so I never got a pic. Oh well.

Then we drove around to all the roadside stands we'd scouted out and picked up pie, fresh cherries, jams, mustards, dried cherries, etc. We even stopped at the Inn at Cedar Creek and bought a whole pie there (rather pricey but enormous and delicious). After that we drove home. We got lucky at made it home in 4 hours.

A great trip all around and thank you all again for your advice. It was perfect for a long weekend. When we go again (and we'd like to) I think we'll rent a cottage or a cabin so we can do more relaxing, bbq-ing, reading and playing games at "home" base. Eating out every meal gets tiresome for me and I was getting a little bored with all the shops, but loved the scenery, the parks, and all the farmstands. A wonderful getaway!

[sybylla]

29. Glad to hear it went so well.

The weather was fabulous, wasn't it. I think it makes or breaks a weekend in Door County since almost all the activities have an outdoor focus.

I haven't been to Al Johnson's yet. I guess I'll have to put Swedish pancakes on my list of things to do next time I get to Door County.