Door County: A Family Tradition

Door County has been a family destination since the very beginning.  Many families set aside time every summer to come up and reconnect on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. Why not start a new tradition and join us for a summer getaway!

With over 300 miles of shoreline, this picturesque peninsula offers water activities of all kinds. Door County is home to many excellent beaches.  Kids and adults of all ages will enjoy splashing in the warm waters of Lake Michigan or the Bay of Green Bay. Lazy summer afternoons spent building sand castles, lounging on a raft or jumping off the pier at Sister Bay Beach are sure to give you and your family everlasting memories.

For those looking for a more exciting or physically exciting getaway, Door County offers tons of water sports rentals. Ephraim’s South Shore Pier, Sister Bay’s Waterfront Park and Peninsula Park’s Nicolet Bay have rental shops offering boats, kayaks and everything in between.

If you are not a fan of being on the water, the county has five state parks and eleven lighthouses to explore.  The State Parks in Door County are one of its greatest treasures. Come explore thousands of acres of undisturbed natural beauty. If you don’t have a Wisconsin State Park sticker, there are one-day or weekend passes available at the park offices. Campsites are available which offer an inexpensive way to take a vacation when you’re on a tighter budget.  Although not all eleven lighthouses are accessible year round, there are four on the mainland that are open to the public. All of the lighthouses are open to the public during the Lighthouse Walk in early June.

Door County’s Art Community is internationally known. A thriving music scene provides live music by local musicians at multiple locations just about any night of the week.  Galleries galore provide hours of shopping and browsing pleasure for those looking for that perfect painting or classic Door County souvenir.

No one can leave Door County without having a traditional Fish Boil! A meal of whitefish, potatoes and onions may not sound like such a big deal but ask anyone up here, it’s part of the Door County tradition. Growing up here, our church had one every year.  Every fundraiser event up here probably consists of a whitefish boil and cherry pie.  It is part of our heritage and now thousands of people come up here to taste that very same tradition. Many local restaurants offer the famous fish boil.

Door County has many possibilities for fun, so many in fact you can’t possibly see everything in one trip. Returning the following year is always better!  The first year, you try to cram as much in as possible and you end up missing some of the best things. When returning, everyone has made lists of things you didn’t get to see last time, such as certain places you want to eat, that little shop you didn’t stop in or the trail you opted not to walk because you didn’t have enough time. Every trip turns into the best one yet because you start making friends with other return visitors and locals and you can check off every activity that the family wants to explore.  Door County is waiting, start your family tradition this year!