The name is as intriguing as the place.

Each year the readers of Door County Magazine are surveyed to identify some of their favorite locations, destinations and entertainment on the Peninsula.

It should come as no surprise that the state parks, especially Peninsula State Park, annually reap the most votes when it comes to scenery, camping and hiking. The county parks might be a tad bit overshadowed, but they also generate considerable support, especially when it comes to Cave Point and Cana Island.

The magazine readers have made it clear that the best thing they like about Door County is its beauty and how the county presents it. It could be a stunning Ellison Bluff view, the remarkable art in its many galleries and studios or even how it sets its performing arts in spectacular settings.(More...)

Galleries and Museums

STURGEON BAY

The Door County Maritime Museum pays tribute to those who built the ships, fished the waters and transported the raw materials. Returning for its second and final season at Sturgeon Bay’s 20,000-square-foot waterfront museum is “Ghosts: Haunted Lighthouses of the Great Lakes,” an exhibit dedicated to the rich legend of suspected paranormal activity at numerous lights, including some right here in Door County. Also, the museum’s impressive in-water exhibit, the 149-ft. tug John Purves, has now become one of Sturgeon Bay’s most endeared attractions. Daily docent-led tours detail the tug’s colorful history and remarkable five-year restoration.

Summer hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m., admission charged; 10-5 the remainder of the year. (920) 743-5958. On the West Side waterfront at the downtown bridge.(More...)

The Stage

No one has done it longer than Peninsula Players Theatre. Situated on a spectacular piece of waterfront property on Peninsula Players Road between Fish Creek and Egg Harbor, the Players are in its 76th season. A new stunning stage house is in keeping with the theater’s open-air pavilion feel for which it was known. The season begins in mid-June and extends into October and consists of five plays. For more information, call 920-868-3287 or visit www.peninsulaplayers.com. (More...)

Just who created the fish boil?

The Door County fish boil is not just a meal, it’s an event. Held in the open air over cedar-fed fires, massive cauldrons of bubbling salt water are filled to capacity with red-jacketed potatoes, luscious sweet pearl onions and freshly-caught fish from the local waters.

At the precise moment, the master boiler steps up and douses the cooking fire with diesel fuel. The erupting rush of engulfing flames sends the fish oils and cooking residue boiling up and over. Come and get it, everyone! (More...)

County Parks

When conditions are right, you’ll hear the pounding surf. Your eyes don’t really get involved until after you park the car and walk to the edge of the cliff. It’s only then that Cave Point County Park’s magic comes alive. All the senses come to life as the fresh misty air brings with it its own smell and taste. On those particularly gusty days, the clashing surf hits the cliff with such force that the vibration crawls right up your legs.

There are 19 county parks in Door County, but there is no doubt which one reigns over all the others. When it comes to those iconic treasures which truly identify Door County, only Cana Island, with its famed lighthouse, is of comparable stature to Cave Point, located adjacent to Whitefish Dunes State Park near Jacksonport.(More...)

Kayaking

To say that Door County is a kayaker’s haven is a profound understatement. The Door Peninsula boasts nearly 300 miles of scalloped coastline, with Lake Michigan to the east, Sturgeon Bay and the ship canal to the south, Green Bay to the west and Death’s Door, with its smattering of islands, to the north. The proximity of water in every direction is dazzling.

Especially convenient is the peninsula’s orientation. When the wind blows from the west, the Lake Michigan shoreline provides calm waters. If an easterly develops, Door County’s Green Bay coast is the place to be. Either way, myriad kayak destinations lie within easy reach for beginners, intermediates and experts.(More...)

State Parks

Wisconsin appears like a big mitten. The thumb - beautiful Door County - juts into the stunning waters of Lake Michigan.

There is shore up one side and back down the other; picturesque landscape within; fragile land features; and an abundance of flora and fauna, some of it quite rare. Thankfully, visionaries in history set aside parcels for future generations. Today, preserved and protected, there are five fabulous state parks and one state trail.(More...)

Lighthouses

Follow in David Corbin’s footsteps

No one symbol best represents Door County than does the lighthouse. With nearly 300 miles of shoreline, some of the Great Lakes’ most treacherous waters, and some 40 islands dotting the coast, Door County is both beautiful and treacherous to even the most seasoned sailor.

To protect those who made their living on the lakes, or simply sailed for enjoyment, Door County is home to eleven lighthouses, the second largest collection of any county in the country.(More...)