About
Washington island is around 35 square miles and located roughly 270 miles from Chicago.
Even though this island is relativity small it is recommend to bring transportation on the ferry as points of interest are spread out around the island via the roughly 100 paved roads.
The port on the island was named after President Washington but those who moved to the area in the 1850s started to refer to the island as Washington Island and it became official record.
How to get there (via death’s door)?
Take the Washington Island ferry from Door County off the north point pier accessed via highway 42.
It’s a rough crossing of the narrow passage way known as Deaths Door between Green Bay and Lake Michigan due to the extremely turbulent waters.
Before modern day boating equipment this passage was very dangerous and literally hundreds of boats floundered in this 6 mile passage.
Things to DO:
Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm and Shop
They have an awesome gift shop with the most amazing macaroons. They also sell sandwiches, salads, lavender goodies, and drinks. It’s a great lunch or snack stop!
There is an entry fee into the lavender farm during the peak season. If the weather is right then May is early peak season but the full bloom is best in July and August. We were there in September and while the farm tours were over the garden area was still very beautiful and provided us with some wonderful photo ops of the kids.
There is also a distillery where you can purchase wine or craft beer and look over the lavender fields. We will definitely go back. Check out their website here.
School House Beach
- This unique pebble beach is one of only five like in the world. Officially it is part of the Niagara escarpment. It is a great place for a swim or a picnic
Sand dune Park
Has a sandy beach and good for a picnic
Stavkirker (Stave Church)
This Norwegian/Viking medieval style church was build in the 1990s. It has so many beautiful wood cravings. My kids thought Elsa and Anna (characters from the popular Frozen Movie) would appear at any moment. It is also a wonderful location for photos.
Field Wood Farm
This was on my list to get to but we only had a day on the island so we didn’t get there. This farm has rare hypoallergenic Icelandic horses which are available to book rides, mini lessons, or grooming and feeding sessions. I heard that the Field Wood Farm horses are descents of the horses they immigrated with to Washington Island.
Things to EAT:
The people on the Island are on “Island Time” so restaurants close at strange times. Make sure to get food early in the day or to bring your own. We opted to go to Gills harbor for dinner instead so we didn’t eat on the island but I saved all the restaurants that I looked up for when we get back there. Here is my list of what’s on the island for food options.
- Albatross Drive-In – famous Burgers
- Jackson Harbor Soup
- Fiddler’s Green
- The Koyen Collection: K.K. Fiske Resturant, Granary Saloon & Coop hangout
- The Point Grille
- Ships Wheel Resturant
Places to STAY:
There are several locations to spend the night on the island. They have cabins, houses, and campsites. You can read all about them on their tourism website here.
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