Door County, Wis., burst to national prominence in 1969 in a cover story in National Geographic that described the area, a peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan like a crooked finger, as “Cape Cod on an inland sea.” It is no longer the sleepy artists’ colony it was then, but much of what drew locals and visitors there in the first place still remains. Cherry orchards dot the countryside, dramatic limestone cliffs and beaches define the shoreline, and the handful of tiny, walkable towns on the mostly rural peninsula are replete with boutiques, independent coffee shops and art galleries. A new wave of restaurant openings this year shows Door County maturing into an even more compelling Upper Midwest destination, with an eclectic dining scene that has evolved dramatically in a generation.
Recommendations
Key stops
- Eagle Tower is a former fire lookout tower that is now a popular stop for visitors, who climb it to take in sweeping views of the peninsula.
- Daughters and Co., in a restored vintage building in Egg Harbor, offers art, unusual home goods, children’s wear and a thoughtful selection of wines and liquors.
- The Peninsula Players Theater stages plays by writers like Neil Simon and Agatha Christie, as well as musical adaptations.
- The Ephraim Preserve at Anderson Pond is a secluded spot for hiking amid a protected wetland.
Attractions and outdoor activities
- Cave Point County Park offers views of limestone cliffs and crashing waves on Lake Michigan.
- The Baileys Harbor Farmers Market showcases the area’s agricultural and artistic bounty.
- The Farm, just north of Sturgeon Bay, gives visitors a history lesson of Door County and an up-close look at farm life.
- South Shore Pier rents pontoon boats, the leisure watercraft of choice in Wisconsin.
Restaurants and bars
- Thyme is a sophisticated restaurant with Midwestern influences in an airy, meadow-like setting in Sister Bay.
- Sway serves pastries, breakfast burritos and locally roasted coffee in Baileys Harbor, on the “quiet side” (the Lake Michigan side) of the peninsula.
- Pearl Wine Cottage has a charming patio on which to enjoy sustainable European wines.
- Cultured sells sourdough bagels, focaccia and fermented goods.
- Door County Creamery makes gelato and cheeses using milk from its own goats, raised on a farm nearby.
Shopping
- Jackalope Trading Company offers a selection of clothing, gifts and perfumes, many from local producers.
- House of Crain sells pillows, bedding and other home goods made from repurposed textiles, both vintage and modern.
- Maxwell’s House, in a former grocery store, is a favorite shop for home goods.
- Wish, in Egg Harbor, sells clothing, gifts and Door County-inspired merchandise.
Where to stay
- The Dörr Hotel is an upscale newcomer in bustling Sister Bay, with a name inspired by the Scandinavian heritage of Door County. The interiors are simple and modern, and if you want to stay in the center of the town, surrounded by restaurants, shops and the beach, the location cannot be beat. Rooms start at around $210 in the fall.
- The Shoreline Resort is off the usual tourist path in Gills Rock, a town near the northern tip of the peninsula. All rooms have either a balcony or a patio, and some are dog-friendly. Rooms start at about $159 in the fall.
- Lodgings at Pioneer Lane is a small inn just off the main street in the postcard-perfect town of Ephraim. There are few amenities — you won’t find a gym, or even a 24-hour front desk — but the owners are quick to respond, and the rooms are beautifully decorated. (If you’re traveling with children, choose the adjoining Helen’s Suite and Bill’s Room.) Rooms start at about $105 in the fall.
- Short-term rentals are plentiful in Door County, though during the popular summer and fall seasons, they can fill up a year in advance. Search early.
Getting around
- All of Door County’s towns are walkable, but to get around the peninsula and truly explore, you’ll need a car. Rentals are available at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport. Public transportation is extremely limited, and ride-hailing services like Uber are hard to find, so try Door County Courier to book a taxi.
Itinerary
Friday
Eagle Tower
4 p.m. Climb to a high perch
Look at the grand shoreline, tiny islands and rugged rocky ledge known as the Niagara Escarpment from the best spot possible: the top of the Eagle Tower, a wooden structure that offers panoramic views 250 feet above the waters of Green Bay, an inlet of Lake Michigan. The tower, in Peninsula State Park, has stood in some form for more than a century; it was originally a spot to watch for wildfires, but was later opened up to visitors. Rebuilt in 2021, it now offers an invigorating 100-step climb to the summit — and it is newly accessible to visitors with disabilities, who can ascend to the top on an 850-foot-long zigzagging ramp. The name of the tower is no accident: Keep an eye out for bald eagles.
The Hardy Gallery
5 p.m. Relax with wine and art
Drive about 10 minutes up the coastal Highway 42 to one of the peninsula’s most lovely and picturesque towns, Ephraim (pronounced EE-frum), known for its bay views and historic white clapboard houses and churches. Founded as a Moravian religious community in 1853, the village was the last dry municipality in Wisconsin until 2016, when residents passed a referendum allowing the sale of wine and beer. A happy result is Pearl Wine Cottage, which focuses on sustainable and biodynamic European wines, along with delicious snacks. Sit under a striped umbrella on the patio and try the cheese and charcuterie plate ($28) and a glass of rosé ($14). Stroll along the waterfront afterward to look at fine art in the Hardy Gallery, inside a warehouse covered in (welcomed) graffiti at the end of a dock.
Peninsula Players Theater
6 p.m. Catch a show in the woods
Head a few miles southwest down the peninsula to Fish Creek, once a village for 19th-century settlers traveling by boat to pick up timber on their way to the city of Green Bay. Hill Street, a casual restaurant that opened in 2022, faces the bay and offers burgers, salads and sandwiches with Vietnamese influences, like a bánh mì-style hoagie with candy pork, cilantro, mayo and lime ($16). Follow dinner with a beloved Door County tradition: a play at the Peninsula Players Theater, which is tucked in a pristine wooded area and one of the country’s oldest regional summer theaters. Visitors can gather around a bonfire during intermission. Wear sensible shoes and a sweater; Door County is chilly at night, even in summer. (Tickets from $47 to $56; students are half-price.)
The Boynton Chapel, completed in 1947 in Baileys Harbor, is built in the style of a 12th-century Norwegian stave church.
Saturday
Cultured
9 a.m. Eat a breakfast sandwich, then browse the shops
The line might be out the door, but the sourdough bagels are worth the wait at Cultured, a bakery in Sister Bay, one of the peninsula’s northernmost towns. Grab a bagel with local smoked whitefish, herb-and-garlic cream cheese, tomato, cucumber and pickled red onion ($14), or for something on the sweet side, one topped with cream cheese, lemon curd and blueberries ($9). Then check out the abundant shops and art galleries in Egg Harbor, a town about 15 minutes south. Don’t miss the newly restored Cupola House building, from 1871, which houses Daughters and Co., a serene space selling home goods and children’s clothing. Leave with a bundle of dried flowers, a set of brass candlesticks or a framed oil painting depicting a Door County landscape.
12 p.m. Spy on some rooftop goats
Recharge with a classic Door County must-do: a peek at the goats grazing on a grass roof at Al Johnson’s, a Swedish restaurant in Sister Bay and a favorite of visitors, who gather on the sidewalk hoping to spot the animals above. (Skal next door sells playful jewelry, vases and other Scandinavian-themed souvenirs.) Walk across the street for a salad or a sandwich at Door County Creamery, like the BLT ($15) or the hot-honey and chèvre cheese, produced from the creamery’s own goats, on bâtard bread ($16). Children who need to blow off steam after lunch will delight in the nearby playground at Sister Bay Beach, a nod to the peninsula’s nautical past and present.
A South Shore Pier boat
2 p.m. Explore the peninsula from its waters
Rent a pontoon boat at South Shore Pier in Ephraim, and head out on the crystal-clear waters of Green Bay. (A 22-foot boat that holds eight passengers rents for $195 for up to two hours, plus fuel.) That gives you plenty of time to cruise along the shoreline, checking out the towns of Fish Creek and Sister Bay, and Nicolet Bay Beach, where archaeologists have found Native American artifacts dating back to about 400 B.C. Get an up-close view of curvy Horseshoe Island, uninhabited but popular with kayakers and hikers, as well as the Sister Islands and Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, a brick structure built in 1868 that still helps boats navigate through the narrow Strawberry Channel. The water in Green Bay is warm, by Great Lakes standards — before you head back to the dock, drop anchor and take an invigorating swim.
Ephraim Preserve at Anderson Pond
5 p.m. Take a hike to see herons and endangered dragonflies
The peninsula has a long history of fierce preservationists who fought overdevelopment and forest destruction to keep Door County’s rural character and raw beauty intact. Two of the county’s most prominent conservation groups, the Door County Land Trust and the Ridges Sanctuary, have continued the tradition by protecting woodlands, coastal wetlands and marshes that are habitats for birds, plants and endangered dragonflies. Immerse in one of the land trust’s most magical, nearly hidden spaces, the Ephraim Preserve at Anderson Pond: The 26-acre preserve has a gentle, one-mile hike with views of great blue herons and the remnants of the Anderson family farmstead. To explore other preserves, download the Door County Land Trust app, a handy guide with maps to more than a dozen hikes.
Thyme
7 p.m. Sample modern Midwestern cooking
Traditional Wisconsin supper clubs, serving brandy old-fashioneds, prime rib and perch, still thrive in Door County, but newcomers have rounded out the culinary possibilities. Thyme in Sister Bay offers a modern update with local flavors: Expect Great Lakes whitefish, Wisconsin cheese curds in Spotted Cow beer batter and salmon with a Dijon-lingonberry sauce, a nod to the area’s Scandinavian heritage. (Dinner for two, without drinks, about $80.) Then head to Baileys Harbor, a fishing town about 10 minutes away that overlooks Lake Michigan. It does not attract hordes of tourists (and locals prefer it that way), but Saturday nights pick up at the Door County Brewing Co. Try the Vacationland, an I.P.A. with a map of the peninsula on its can ($7 for a pint), before taking a nighttime stroll along the lake.
Sunrise on the causeway at Cana Island in Baileys Harbor.
Sunday
Sway
9 a.m. Walk on the quiet side
Keep the respite from bayside crowds going. Start the day at Sway, on a tranquil side street in Baileys Harbor, known for its granola bowls ($10), breakfast burritos ($10) and housemade pastries, some with locally grown cherries. Then duck into the nearby Jackalope Trading Company, a purveyor of leather goods, jewelry and décor, with an emphasis on local artists, and House of Crain, whose owner creates pillows and bedding from vintage and modern fabrics. Baileys Harbor has a thriving Sunday farmers’ market, on the lawn of the Town Hall, with live music, produce and artwork. One highlight is a booth offering sweaters and gloves made with wool from alpacas that live on a ranch nearby — the alpacas can usually be spotted in an enclosure at the market, greeting shoppers.
Cave Point County Park
11 a.m. See Lake Michigan in action
First-time visitors to the Great Lakes often have the same reaction: Is this really just a lake? While the waters are relatively placid on the peninsula’s western, or bay, side, the eastern shore is where you can see the vast, ocean-like quality of Lake Michigan, with its rolling waves on full display. One of the prime spots is Cave Point County Park, south of the town of Jacksonport. Take one of the short hiking trails (you’ll see the trailheads from the parking lot) that guide visitors along a ridge at the lake’s edge, with dramatic limestone cliffs and stunning rock formations visible below. Note that the trail is uneven in places and the drop-off is steep, so take extra care if your group includes children or people with mobility challenges.
12 p.m. Feed a baby goat
Explore Door County’s agricultural heritage at the Farm just north of Sturgeon Bay, a “living museum of rural America” that has been around since 1965 (and has barely changed in decades). Children will enjoy feeding tiny goats milk from bottles, carrying small bags of corn around the farm for cows and horses, or milking a goat themselves. Stroll past horses, ducks, cows and vegetable gardens, while reading about their connection to the peninsula’s farming history. (If you’re especially lucky, you might happen to witness a calf, foal or baby goat being born.) Log buildings house vintage farming equipment, historical exhibits and even a bunny hutch. Admission for teenagers and adults is $9.50; children 3 to 12 are $6.