Looking for beach views in the Midwest? This little county parked on Lake Michigan has a lot to offer RVers.
By Neala McCarten
September 2022
The intimate towns of Wisconsin’s Door County unfold along 300 miles of Green Bay shoreline. Although it is sometimes called the “Cape Cod of the Midwest,” this picturesque peninsula stands proudly on its own, delighting residents and visitors alike with natural beauty, history, and artful locations. It also boasts fish boils and some of the finest cheese in the United States.
Sturgeon Bay
Sturgeon Bay, one of the more southern towns of Door County, is a great place to start your trip. Located at the intersection of the two main north-south roads, state trunk highways 42 and 57, it offers jumping-off points to explore both coasts. The spacious town also offers good-size parking lots.
The John Purves tugboat is moored at the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay.
On the edge of this maritime and shipping powerhouse, Renard’s sells its delicious Wisconsin cheese. This family-owned cheese-making business offers intriguing artisan blends, but if you like sharp cheese, sample their five-year-old white cheddar. Intense and crumbly, it sets a high standard that supermarket cheese cannot match. Cheese-themed sandwiches, creamy fudge, and ice cream are featured, along with balsamic vinegars, olive oils, jars and fillings, gift boxes, and more.
In the center of town, on the canal that changed the way goods were shipped from and through the Great Lakes, the Door County Maritime Museum is a highlight of the area. Always an excellent place to visit, the museum’s recent expansion has added the Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower with 10 floors of exhibits and the outdoor rooftop Baumgartner Observation Deck.
The tower tells the story of Door County, and each floor represents a different chapter. Visitors watch a film before riding the elevator to the 10th floor and either walk or take the elevator back down one floor at a time. The interactive exhibits on the observation deck are keyed to the panoramic views, so you can explore the past while experiencing the present. The canal allows direct access from Lake Michigan to Green Bay, avoiding the dangerous Porte des Morts strait and saving several days of shipping time. Just how bad could shipwrecks be? On the second floor, visitors get an idea as they try to navigate through a deadly route. Other floors explore the natural history and geology of the peninsula, the people who lived there, and varied aspects of the maritime life.
Back in the original part of the museum, thoughtful exhibits fill gallery after gallery. The John Purves, a lovingly restored 1919 Great Lakes tugboat, is moored on the dock outside and is open for tours.
Egg Harbor features art galleries, artisan cheeses, beverage makers, and more.
Sturgeon Bay is also the home of Jeremy Popelka and Stephanie Trenchard, who create beautiful glass art. Trenchard combined her fine-art background with her love of glass to forge innovative glass art pieces. Both artists display their work in their studio gallery (with demonstrations) and in their new Somi Gallery.
Egg Harbor
As one heads north on Highway 42, the village of Egg Harbor is about 17 miles away and filled with galleries, cafes, artisan cheese makers, distilleries, and a brewery. Parking in the heart of the town is limited.
Fish Creek
A scant eight miles farther north just off Highway 42, the Edgewood Orchard Galleries blooms — not with the cherry trees that once graced the land, but with whimsical art that delights all ages. The outdoor sculpture showplace plants art along paths, peeking out from trees, and hanging from branches. Let loose your engineering and creative sides at stations set up throughout the grounds, which invite folks of all ages to turn the random array of rocks into sculptural towers. Inside, its renowned gallery contains exhibits featuring art in a wide range of media.
Lautenbach’s Orchard Country winery and market has been producing fruit products since 1955.
Down the road a bit closer to town, stop by Lautenbach’s Orchard Country winery and market to pick up some cherries at the counter. Then head to the spitting grounds for their famous “cherry pit spit” — the winery’s signature competitive event; the lane is open for anyone to come and test their skills. Adults can indulge in tasting the wines and ciders, and everyone is invited to explore the orchards.
Just on the other side of Fish Creek, Peninsula State Park has two particularly noteworthy attractions: the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse and the Eagle Tower. Door County has lighthouses that gain their height from being on bluffs and are therefore reachable by land.
Eagle Bluff Light Station was home to several keepers and their families over time, including the Duclons. William Duclon officially took charge of the lighthouse in 1883 and lived and worked there for 35 years, along with his wife, Julia, and their seven sons. The Door County Historical Society conducts insightful tours from mid-May through mid-October.
Eagle Tower, which closed in 2016 because of structural issues, reopened in May 2021. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an elevated walkway has been added. Visitors can choose to climb several flights of stairs or take a stroll through the treetops on the 850-foot boardwalk. Both lead to an observation platform that offers a panoramic view of the coast, including the village of Ephraim; Eagle Harbor; and, on a clear day, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Door County is full of good eats, especially the traditional fish boils at the Old Post Office Restaurant in Ephraim.
Ephraim
Door County’s unique fish boil is offered throughout the area. The Old Post Office Restaurant is one of the most popular places to partake in this iconic meal of fresh-caught Lake Michigan whitefish, with Door County cherry pie for dessert. A boil master provides a running commentary of the process. At the end, when the fish are just about ready, the boil master creates a fiery finale by throwing kerosene onto the fire. The impressive flame-fueled boil pushes out the fish oils and debris. It’s delicious fun.
Sometimes called the “Graffiti Barn,” the warehouse that is home to the Hardy Gallery is certainly eye-catching. Norwegian brothers Aslag and Halvor Anderson built the deep-water Anderson Dock in the late 1850s, which enabled ships sailing the shores of Green Bay to dock in Ephraim’s waters. Covered with graffiti and open seasonally, the building makes a fun stop. The graffiti started years ago with boaters who would paint their respective vessel’s name on the warehouse’s clapboard siding. One puzzle remains, however. At the bottom right by the sliding barn door entrance is a tiny little door — no one knows when or how it got there.
At Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay, you might even see goats on the roof.
Ephraim has a plethora of cafes and diners, but Wilson’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor is a great place for an ice cream break. They also have root beer floats and old-fashioned juke box stations at each table if you want to grab a casual lunch.
Sister Bay
Another short drive north, Sister Bay gained additional fame from the popular attraction of the goats on the roof of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik. They usually are transported from their home at a nearby farm to the restaurant’s sod roof during the day from late May through mid-October.
Ellison Bay
Continuing north to the town of Ellison Bay, one finds that cider making is a popular local industry. Island Orchard Cider does it a bit differently, however. Bob and Yannique Purman specialize in producing distinctive ciders in the French Normandy tradition: sparkling dry and fermented from variations of French apples. They transport the fruit from their orchard, just a ferry ride away on Washington Island. In their store in Ellison Bay, they sell dozens of varieties, with tastings and flights available.
The Ridges Sanctuary nature preserve in Baileys Harbor features a fully accessible boardwalk that can be visited year-round.
For art lovers, a highlight at Turtle Ridge Gallery is Mary Ellen Sisulak’s leather art. She started with leather purses but now creates paintings on leather, incorporating natural objects as part of the design. Her workshop is upstairs and she’s always happy to take visitors for an informal tour.
Baileys Harbor
Located on the other side of the peninsula off Highway 57 is Baileys Harbor, home to The Ridges Sanctuary. This natural area is named for its distinctive topography – a series of alternating higher dry ridges and lower water-filled swales formed by the periodic surging and receding movement of Lake Michigan. The park provides some of the state’s most diverse ecosystems, with trails on boardwalks, through forests, and along Lake Michigan on the beach. Families can explore the Family Discovery Trail, open May through October.
A view of the Lower Range Light at Baileys Harbor.
History and lighthouse buffs can explore a pair of unusual lighthouses. Rather than warning vessels away from dangerous waters, the Baileys Harbor Range Lights line up to guide pilots to the safety of the harbor. The Upper Range Light and its companion Lower Range Light are the only lighthouses of this design that are still on range and functional as navigational aids.
The best way to explore the preserve and tour the lighthouses is through naturalist-guided hikes, suitable for all ages. For bird-watchers, the best time to visit is early morning during the spring and fall migration. (Note: This is a nature preserve and mosquitos can be a problem. Bringing repellent is advised.)
The Upper Range Light.
RV Parks
Two state parks offer camping in the area. Peninsula State Park, mentioned earlier, has five family campgrounds with a variety of facilities and amenities: numerous beaches, volleyball courts, playgrounds, camp stores, boat launch sites, and more.
Potawatomi State Park is just outside of Sturgeon Bay. Daisy Field campground has 123 campsites, 40 with electricity. Two group sites also are available for towable RVs and motorhomes.
More Camping
Interested in privately owned RV camping facilities? Door County has many from which to choose.
Egg Harbor Campground & RV Resort
8164 Highway 42
Egg Harbor, WI 54209
(920) 868-3278
www.eggharborcampground.com
Frontier Wilderness Campground
4375 Hillside Road
Egg Harbor, WI 54209
(920) 868-3349
www.frontierwildernesscampground.com
Wagon Trail Campground
1190 County Road ZZ
Ellison Bay, WI 54210
(920) 854-4818
www.wagontrailcampground.com
Aqualand Campground
2445 County Road Q
Sister Bay, WI 54234
(920) 854-4573
www.aqualandcampground.com
Dovetail Acres Campground
10282 State Highway 57
Sister Bay, WI 54234
(920) 421-4032
www.dovetailacrescampground.com
Harbour Village Campground and Water Park
5840 State Highway 42 N.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
(920) 743-0274
www.harbourvillageresort.net
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park of Door County
3677 May Road
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
(920) 743-9001
www.doorcountyjellystone.com
More Info
Destination Door County
(800) 527-3529
(920) 743-4456
www.doorcounty.com