What do visitors and residents like best about Door County?

Your average pollster may find living in Door County to his or her liking, but they couldn't make a living determining its appeal.

When it comes to attracting visitors, Door County's magic took thousands of years to develop and it hasn't changed for nearly that long. This is a theme park carved by nature, herself.

Every once in a while, the people running the annual Door County Lighthouse Walk are asked if there's something new to see. Considering the newest lighthouse is over a century old, the caller can't really expect a new beacon anytime soon. Still, people find their way through a tangled web of back roads to locate Cana Island each year. (More...)

History

Native American tribes found the Door Peninsula nearly as attractive as today's visitors. Abundant water, game and a relatively temperate climate that served to extend the growing season were attractive features.

The French were first to fly their flag over the Peninsula. Their legacy remains in the naming of the county. Early French explorers named the straight separating mainland Door County from Washington Island "Porte des Morts," or Door of Death. The less ominous part of the name stuck and the county has opened its door to visitors ever since. (More...)

Galleries and Museums

STURGEON BAY

At the Door County Historical Museum you will find the story of the indigenous peoples, the loggers, the farmers, the fishermen, the resorts. The ever-changing face of Door County is carefully chronicled in fascinating displays. 18 N. Fourth Ave. (920) 743-5809 Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from May 1–Oct. 31. Donations accepted.

The Door County Maritime Museum pays tribute to those who built the ships, fished the waters and transported the raw materials. New this year, at Sturgeon Bay's 20,000-square-foot waterfront museum, is the exhibit "Freshwater Fury." (More...)

The Stage

Just as Door County offers a diverse assortment of natural beauty, often reflected in its visual art, the performing arts often blend and accentuate that same natural appeal.

No one has done it longer than Peninsula Players Theatre now in its 73rd season, situated on a spectacular piece of waterfront property on Peninsula Players Road between Fish Creek and Egg Harbor. A new stunning stage house was completed in 2006 in keeping with the theater's open-air pavilion feel. The season extends into October and consists of five plays. For more information, call 920-868-3287 or visit www.peninsulaplayers.com. (More...)

Fish Boil

The roots of Door County's famous fish boil can be traced to the area’s early Scandinavian settlers.

Early loggers and fishermen enjoyed a form of the meal. When commercial fishing was in its heyday, the crews of the fish tugs would haul miles of gill nets to retrieve their catch. Then they’d fire up a potbellied stove aboard, throw some potatoes and choice cuts of fish in the kettle and feast as they made their way back to port. (More...)

Cherryland

Cherry pickin' may be Door County's grandest tradition. Grabbing a pail and taking to the orchard each July has become a family ritual for many.

The fruit has long been associated with the Peninsula.

By the late 1800's, the great forests of Door County had been lumbered out, leaving many settlers facing a frightening future. While the alkaline soil and shallow limestone deposits made it difficult for farming, trees – particularly fruit trees – thrived on these conditions. (More...)

Nature

Preservation of Door County's pristine beauty is the principle mission of a number of organizations on the Peninsula. There are two places, in particular, in the county where visitors can see that work firsthand and learn about the Peninsula's delicate ecosystem. They are The Ridges Sanctuary near Baileys Harbor and the Ephraim Wetland Preserve.

The Ridges has been actively preserving ecologically important lands, and the thousands of living things which depend on them, since it was founded in 1937. These protected lands include a large area of beach ridges which have formed on the northern end of Baileys Harbor. Over time, the changing water levels of Lake Michigan have created a series of low sandy ridges, with wetlands called swales stretching between them. This ridge-swale habitat is well-preserved at the sanctuary and provides a home for over 400 species of plants and hundreds of other birds, animals and insects. More than 25 species of native orchids, and over a dozen plants listed on the Wisconsin Threatened and Endangered Species List, grow there. (More...)

State Parks

Few places on the Door Peninsula are as treasured, visited or admired as are its five state parks.

Rock Island State Park (920-847-2235) is the northernmost of a prized network of five state parks in Door County. Day-trippers enjoy a magnificent beach, miles of inland and shoreside hiking trails and there are 40 sites reserved for tent campers. Biking is not allowed on the island. A magnificent boathouse and the county's oldest lighthouse are its primary structures. (More...)

Lighthouses

Few structures are as identified with Door County than are the lighthouses. With 250 miles of shoreline, much of it difficult to navigate, they were essential to the ships that plied the waters off the Peninsula and continue to be useful landmarks today. Eleven of these structures remain, many still functioning as automated, unmanned beacons.

With its lighthouse and 89-foot tower, Cana Island may be the most striking and photographed of the collection.

Located near Baileys Harbor, the island is accessible by a rocky causeway. The island is now a county park. (More...)

Fishing

The Door Peninsula is one of the most diverse fishing holes you'll ever find. Bass and perch on Green Bay and salmon and trout on Lake Michigan are the mainstays, but more than a dozen cold and warmwater species are targeted by scores of fishermen from across the country.

State catch statistics provided by charter captains and creel census clerks show that Door and Kewaunee counties typically combine to produce more than 150,000 salmon and trout each summer, nearly one-third of the entire Wisconsin total. (More...)

Winter Recreation

Winter is certainly a quieter time of the year on the Door Peninsula, but many people find it an attractive time of the year for a number of reasons.

Cross-country skiing is a quiet way to connect to nature, and Door County's four mainland state parks and Crossroads at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay (near the intersection of County Highway TT and State Hwy. 42-57) offer miles of groomed trails. (More...)