Known as the Cape Cod of the Midwest, Wisconsin’s Door County is a great place to expose the kids to arts, culture, and nature at its best.
Why It’s Awesome: With its pretty coastal towns, cute shops, thriving arts scene and local food and drink, Wisconsin’s Door County offers spectacular scenery and year-round outdoor adventures.
What to Do: The area around Sturgeon Bay is packed with art galleries, shopping, restaurants with local seafood, pubs and cute coffee shops.
The arts community is thriving and one of best places to take it all in is at the Popelka Trenchard Glass Fine Art Glass Studio & Gallery, where nationally known glass artists and husband-and-wife team, Jeremy Popelka and Stephanie Trenchard, demonstrate the techniques of glassblowing and sell their art.
The Miller Art Museum has a range of exhibits including art by kids with special needs and an emotional exhibit that focuses on caregiving. The Door County Maritime Museum spans the nautical history of the county from early Native American canoes to post-World War II bulk carriers.
If you love DIY, spend an afternoon at Hands on Art Studio, an amazing 8,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor with a bunch of “art houses,” where you can choose the medium you want to work in, from ceramics, fused glass and jewelry to mosaics and painting. We made mosaic glass mirrors on our visit using a collection of stunning blues.
The 34-acre Open Door Bird Sanctuary provides homes for injured birds of prey or those that can’t be released. Take a 2.5-mile hike at Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve, which hugs the shores of Green Bay between Egg Harbor and Sturgeon Bay.
Where to Eat: The food here is among the best in the Midwest! Breakfast is a must at Door County Coffee, not only for the gourmet options and coffee flights but because there’s a “coffee college” which teaches you all about their small batch coffee production.
Have lunch at family-owned Renard’s Artisan Cheese, known for their “cherry cheddar,” a unique treat, along with their fried cheese curds. Or have lunch at Sip, a bright and colorful restaurant where the atmosphere and home gift shop are as amazing as the food.
Fish boils are wildly popular here and we recommend going to one at The White Gull Inn, which dates back to 1896. You’ll get to try fresh Lake Michigan whitefish cooked on an open fire. Supper clubs are also a big deal here and you can experience a classic Wisconsin dinner at Sister Bay Bowl (get the fried lake perch and, yup, cheese curds).
Where to Stay: The Landmark Resort in Egg Harbor has 294 suites (many with full kitchens and blaconies), heated pools and on-site dining. It also has tennis courts, and walking trails.
The Inn at Little Sister Hill has suites with kitchens, a heated outdoor pool, grills, a children’s play area, grills and picnic spots.
For an artsy vibe in Sturgeon Bay, book adjoining rooms at the Holiday Music Motel, a throwback gem decorated with original 1950s furniture and the cutest communal breakfast nook/diner. A stay here also helps support the motel’s mission to inspire creativity among artists in the area.
Get a sampling of things to do in Door County via our Instagram page.
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