I was going to write a list of 10 things not to miss in Door County Wisconsin but I couldn’t narrow my list down. Here are the best experiences were have had in Door County.
1.) Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek
My number one favorite place in Door County is Peninsula State Park. There is so much to due there you could spend a week just camping, hiking, biking, swimming, boating, and just exploring this park! There is also a golf course here if that’s your thing. I wrote a blog post about this park as it’s one of my favorite state parks! You can read it here.
This is the link to the DNR website for the park to find out more or even better book a site!
2.) Go for Breakfast at White Gull Inn for cherry stuffed French toast
The cherry stuffed French toast at the White Gull Inn was featured on Good Morning America and for good reason! It was delicious and we also had their coffee cake which was equally amazing. It’s the prefect way to start out your day.
https://www.whitegullinn.com/dining
3.) Fish Creek Boat Tour
Take a tour with Fish Creek Boat Tour. We did the Peninsula Park Caves & Ephraim North Cruise tour which took about 1.5 hours. They explain about the park’s history, Niagara Escarpment, Eagle Bluff light house, Ephraim, and Horseshoe Island. It was every interesting to see the Peninsula from the water as you get a different perspective and have a much better understanding of the landscape and history. We enjoyed this tour. https://fishcreekscenicboattours.com
4.) Not Licked Yet Frozen Custard in Fish Creek
Another stop in Door County which is great for specialty frozen custard. They have a playground for the kiddos and the famous little Fish Creek that the town is named after runs right past the shop! Our kids had the snowman custard which was so adorable.
5.) Door County Trolley tour in Egg Harbor
We really love the Door County Trolley tours and have gone on both the Family Ride which is 30 minutes long and is great for little ones! When our kids were younger they loved the trolley just like Daniel Tiger *Ding Ding*. We actually done the ghost tour twice now. Our kids LOVE a good ghost tour (this one does have an age limit on it and it is much longer at just over 2 hours). The tour takes you to some very creepy places so I wouldn’t take this on this one unless they enjoy this type of entertainment.
https://doorcountytrolley.com/trolley-tours/
6.) Wilson’s for ice cream in Ephraim
You can’t miss their red and white awning which stands out against Ephraims all white buildings. Wilsons has typical dinner style food and so many delicious ice cream choices! If you are luck enough to get a table outside you’ll have a wonderful view of the harbor. Our kids ask to go back here every year to get the Cookie Monster or Clown Ice cream. https://wilsonsicecream.com
7.) Breakfast or Lunch at Al Johnson’s for food & goats in sister bay
Personally I prefer to sit outside at Al Johnson’s to see the goats grazing on the sod roof. The goats aren’t up on the roof all the time – just during the day and only if the weather is nice (from around May to October). The gift shop here is full of all sorts of cute Swedish items if that’s what our interested in. You can get your lingonberries and Swedish meatball fix here. https://aljohnsons.com
8.) Take a Drive down the Curvy road
This is highway 42 in Door County that you take down to the ferry to get to Washington island. It is very pretty and no one knows for sure how they ended up with a road like this but there are a few theories. The most popular one is that Jens Jensen designed it so that everyone slowed down and enjoyed nature. Click here for more information on the Curvy Road Highway 42
9.) Ferry to Washington Island
We wrote up a whole blog post on traveling through deaths door to Washington’s Island. The ferry ride was very excited. It’s a little pricey so if you want to budget it then riding bikes would make it cheaper. https://wanderlustjustgo.com/entering-washington-island-via-deaths-door/
10.) Dinner at Shoreline in Gills rock
Our favorite restaurant in Door County is the Shoreline in Gills Rock. It’s on the far northern tip of door county and close to the curvy road as well as the Ferry to Washington Island. The view at sunset here is spectacular. We like to have dinner here before heading over to Newport State Park for dark sky viewing that we don’t have at home. http://www.theshorelinerestaurant.com
11.) Dark sky park at Newport State Park
Honestly we have never been to this park during the day. We keep ending up in Door County on full moon nights but the park is a certified dark sky park. You get to sit on the beach and look at the stars its so romantic! It really is an amazing view. We love to come here with dessert carried out from Shoreline restaurant in Gills Rock. Click here for more details.
12.) Cana Island
We took a tractor to Cana Island to see the Cana Island Lighthouse. The water levels vary so sometimes its possible to walk across and others it’s not safe to cross. We were able to tour inside the light house last time we were here but this last year it was closed inside due to restorations so I’d look on their website for details before going. There is also a short hike you can do around the island which is gorgeous in the summertime. Click here for more information.
13.) Cave point County Park & Whitefish Dunes State Park
We took a mile long walk along Cave Point County park which oddly is contained inside Whitefish Dunes State Park. This park as numerous caves that have been carved out by the waves crashing against the cliffs off the shore of Lake Michigan. You can take kayak tours to the caves as well but we haven’t been that adventurous with our kids yet. It’s free to park at Cave Point County Park and there is a fee for parking at Whitefish Dunes but would be better for large vehicles or those wanting to just go to the beach and save the mile walk along the caves. The visitor center at Whitefish dunes has a reproduction Indian village for kids to explore.
Click here for more information on Cave Point County Park.
Click here for more information on Whitefish Dunes State Park.
14.) Go Candle Dipping!
The Door County Candle Company as a great activity for kids to dip their own candles. Our girls were so excited with this process they asked to go again the next day. The candles smell amazing and their company supported the Ukraine with a special candle line and donations. A place you can feel good about supporting! https://doorcountycandle.com
15.) Koepsels for food drinks snacks candy
One our favorite places to pick up snacks and drinks to bring home is Koepsels. They have an amazing selection sometimes we make two stops one when we first arrive for snacks in the campground and the second right before we go home. The cherry donuts and pies are wonderful as is the smoked fish and cherry salsa! https://koepsels.com
16.) The Farm in Sturgeon Bay
The Farm in Door County is an amazing stop for kiddos – just check out our photos below! The girls enjoyed holding baby kittens, feeding goats bottles, milking goats, feeding cows and sheep, petting piglets, watching chicks hatch, saw a peacock dance, and spent ours exploring this farm!
https://www.thefarmindoorcounty.com
Nice blog. You four do so many fun things.
Thanks Sandy! We feel lucky to get to explore.
Great Blog! I always learn something new when I see your travel photos and descriptions. Thanks for Sharing. &:)
Thank you that’s very kind of you!