Door County activities: A busy weekend on the Peninsula
When it comes to a weekend getaway in Door County, there are a couple things I highly recommend. Actually, there are quite a few things I recommend, but here are a few of my family’s favorite Door County activities.
I’ll walk you through our last trip to the Door – what we did, where we went, what we liked and what went wrong.
Let’s start with what went wrong, since that’s a short list.
The only negative to our last trip was that it was in the middle of a global pandemic. Having spent months shut in, we needed some time away. So, in September, we decided to head up for a long weekend. The trip was still great, but trying to vacation while staying socially distant was just a little difficult. Possible, but difficult.
We drive up from Chicago, usually after a partial day of work. So, when we arrive in the evening, we check in and just unwind. This time around, we stayed in Sister Bay, so we picked up a pizza from Wild Tomato and just hung out in our unit. Wild Tomato has locations in Fish Creek and Sister Bay, so it’s a quick, easy, and delicious option for eating in. We grabbed our pie from the Sister Bay location, and it was outstanding.
The next morning, after coffee and pastries from Brew Coffee House in Ellison Bay, we went over to the Peninsula State Park short course in Fish Creek. We all like to golf, but we’re not great – and we don’t always have the patience for 18 holes – so, six par-3 holes is perfect. This is part of Peninsula State Park, so it’s also fairly inexpensive.
My wife, sons and I always make it competitive, so we make a bet that winner picks where we go for lunch. I won’t say who won, but we ended up at Summer Kitchen for lunch. It’s my wife’s favorite, so it’s a bit of a staple for us. Their homemade soups draw us back every time.
After lunch, we took a walk on the trails of Peninsula State Park to burn off a few calories – the colors in September and October are breathtaking.
We then went back to the hotel so my younger son could spend some time in the pool. I splashed around with him while my wife and other son took a nap back in the room.
Then it was time for a little shopping. You’d think after decades of visiting the same place, we’d know everything there is to see, try on and buy, but none-the-less, we still like to visit the shops. This day, we walked around the shops that line downtown Fish Creek.
Once hunger started to settle back in, we headed down to Egg Harbor for another staple – Mojo Rosa’s. After a couple margaritas and a burrito, it was time to let my wife drive back to the hotel, but not before a quick stop at the Door County Ice Cream Factory & Sandwich Shoppe in Sister Bay. They have some of the best ice cream on the peninsula. I like the Door County Cherry or Mint Chip in a waffle cone.
Back at the hotel, we broke out some board games. Door County is a great place to bond with some board games or a deck of cards. So ditch the electronics, internet, email, texts and television and enjoy each other’s company.
The next morning, we slept in a bit. When we woke up, my wife and 17-year-old son tried something new. They rented Segway’s from Segway the Door Tours. They rode them around the state park and had a blast.
I didn’t go because my other 13-year-old wanted to play wiffleball, so we grabbed some gear, and found a ballfield in Sister Bay. We played for a couple hours and when we were done, walked down to Stabbur Beer Garden – Al Johnson’s new outdoor hangout. We had a couple drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) before the rest of the family showed up. In non-Covid times, Stabbur has cornhole games that the boys love, but for now, the bags have been put away.
Next up, a little more shopping in Egg Harbor, before catching the sunset at Sunset Beach Park in Fish Creek. This is a special place for us; in 1999, this is where I proposed to my wife. The sunsets are remarkable everywhere on the peninsula, but here it’s magical.
After sunset, it was off to dinner at Husby’s Food and Spirits in Sister Bay. This is the perfect place for a burger and a beer. They have great fish dinners and wraps too. Regardless of what you get, it’s always a good meal.
I don’t know if you’re sensing a theme here, but our Door County trips often revolve around food. A couple meals a day – all at different spots. Obviously, the more you eat out, the pricier the trip. If you want to save a few dollars, stop at Walmart in Sturgeon Bay, or Piggly Wiggly in Sister Bay and stock up on food you can eat at your hotel, or along the lake. We do this often, and it doesn’t diminish the experience at all.
The next morning – our last day – we played a little mini-golf at Red Putter Mini Golf in Ephraim. There are a few mini golf courses on the peninsula, but this is our favorite. It just seems the most small-townish to us, and we like that.
We decided to stop at Wilson’s in Ephraim for lunch on the way out. If you want a restaurant that feels like it’s been around for a hundred years, you need to stop at Wilson’s because, well, it has been around a 100 years. Picture a 100-year-old ice cream parlor and that’s what Wilson’s is, but they have great sandwiches too. Always worth a stop.
As we were leaving, we decided to try something that we’ve never done before. We stopped off for a game of footgolf at Stonehedge Golf Course in Egg Harbor. If you’ve never heard of footgolf, you should check it out. It’s played on a regular golf course, at the same time as regular golfers. But the point is to kick a soccer ball from hole to hole. Not sure if it’ll be a fixture of our getaways, but it sure was fun to find something new and different to try.
You can see we pack a lot into just a couple days. And we do this almost every time we visit. Timing, activities, and restaurants vary from trip-to-trip, but it’s always quite a similar experience.
It’s what we like to call non-stop relaxation.
