I have to state a disclaimer first. I’m a playwright and I write musicals for a wonderful theatre named “American Folklore Theatre” in Door County.
That said, every time I visit Door County, I appreciate it more and more. Door County has a long history as a tourist destination. If you look at the map, Door County is the peninsula that forms the ‘thumb’ off of Wisconsin to form Green Bay. For years and years and years, the primary mode of transportation to get to “The Door” was by boat. So, there were these little tiny harbor towns that were often isolated due to rain and muddy roads, etc. Those towns still exist with their quaint names like Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Sister Bay, etc. The automobile did eventually find its way to Door County, and the Peninsula is fairly easy to drive around (though not necessarily at great speeds). What I like about Door County is it has nearly everything you could want in a fairly small space. For the arts, you can’t go wrong. Hardly a week goes by where there isn’t some sort of music or art festival somewhere in Door County. Fish Creek has two live theatres, American Folklore Theatre in Peninsula State Park, where the company performs in an outdoor ampitheatre among the pines (and provides free bug spray), and Peninsula Players which is one of the oldest summer stock companies in the states. Restaurants range from regular old burger joints to old-fashioned supper clubs to high-end American fare. Some of my favorites are: Fish Creek – Julie’s by the Park, Not Licked Yet frozen Custard; Ephraim – Wilson’s Ice Cream. You can find a fish fry every friday almost everywhere and Door County is famous for its Fish Boils, which are just as much about spectacle as they are about food.
Even though things are fairly close together, it is easy to do a LOT of driving in Door County. On your first trip up, I recommend focussing on one town a day (and its surroundings). Otherwise, you can spend far too much time driving around from one destination to the other. Activities really do run the gamut from hiking trails to horseback riding to go-karts.
Fishing. Dock and shore fishing in Door County isn’t too rewarding. You’ll find plenty of pan fish for the kids, but not much beyond that. Lake Michigan is full of fish, however, and you can either rent a boat (on a calm day), or hire a charter (best split among several people to make it cost-effective.)
Golf. Golf runs the gamut from fairly inexpensive public links to upscale daily fee courses. Door County generally gets a fair share of rain, so you’ll rarely be disappointed with course conditions.
Lodging. There are several public and private campgrounds in Door County. Peninsula State Park has around a thousand spots, but book your site in January – really. It sells out almost as fast as Packer games. Hotels run the gamut, but if you plan on staying there for a week or more, consider a house rental. Especially with larger families or groups of friends it is often the best and most cost-effective route.
In terms of getting there – it is a LONG way. Making the turn at Green Bay or Algoma is only the beginning, and you have another hour from there. Unless you are coming from the area, plan on spending at least three days there to make it worth the journey.
Looking back over the words above, the one thing I haven’t captured is the magic of Door County. There’s just something ‘more’ there, where the sum adds up to more than all of the parts put together. It is one of the most wonderful places I’ve ever been to.
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