I recently spent a wonderful four days in Door County Wisconsin. Two friends and I based ourselves in Sturgeon Bay, with little or no expectations whatsoever. But we were so impressed. It was a perfect little get-away and I think you would like it too. Here are my Red White and Blue suggestions to Visit Door County Wisconsin.

I met up in Chicago with two of my friends who joined from separate parts of the country. It was my friend Winnie who suggested I do this blog post with a red, white and blue theme. It was a perfect suggestion…a way to look at colorful Door County and Sturgeon Bay through the colors of summer and the lens of my iPhone. If you visit Door County Wisconsin you can complete the rainbow with your own beautiful photos and colorful experiences.

Red

Cherries

We learned on arrival that Door County is one of the largest cherry growing regions in the USA. And much to our delight, we arrived at the peak of the picking season. We did not pick but we ate and bought lots of cherry products to take home!

Sit and Sip

Our sweet little Airbnb in Sturgeon Bay offered a perfect place for me to enjoy my daily morning ritual with the traveling mug!

Great Lakes Maritime

Sturgeon Bay is home to the Door County Maritime Museum where we enjoyed the spectacular view and learned a lot about the Great Lakes Maritime industry. We also explored the lighthouses of Door County, and enjoyed the ones we saw. However if you want to see lighthouses you should visit during the Door County Lighthouse Festival in both June and September.

Farms and Barns

My friend Cathy was our navigator and her research skills found us a fun little farm to visit called Waseda Farms. We purchased organic bread, cheese and vegetables and also met the goats and cows.

Red and Delicious

You won’t go hungry in Sturgeon Bay and we enjoyed great food and drinks, including this Cherry and Vodka cocktail and this warm cherry pie with ice cream. Both are from the Inn at Cedar Crossing where we ate twice because we liked it so much!

White

Unexpected Foods

White is for unexpected foods including the Wisconsin version of “Torte” my friend Winnie is displaying in this photo. It was nothing like the torte I’ve had before – more like a custard pie with whipped cream. We also experienced fried cheese curds, very Wisconsin.

Natures Painting

Although the weather was nearly perfect during our visit we enjoyed a wide variety of beautiful clouds drifting through as well as lovely, long, white sandy beaches.

Geology

Well you CAN teach some old dogs some new tricks and we learned a new geology word on our visit to Door County. Escarpment. The photo on the right is the Niagara Escarpment which Google describes as

“…a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over which the Niagara River plunges at Niagara Falls, for which it is named.” I had no idea.

The photo on the left is a beach we discovered near the Cana Lighthouse and these beautiful wind battered limestones are eroded to large rounded rocks. Pretty.

Cheese and Wine

Well, duh. We knew about Wisconsin cheese but who knew they also made good wine? One of our favorite stops on our Door County visit was at Wisconsin Cheese Masters facility in Egg Harbor. We chose to visit this cheese co-op because we could taste many of the award winning cheeses of Wisconsin all in one place. Did you know Wisconsin is home to every Master Cheese Maker in the United States? Wow!

And lucky for us, there is a winery right next door.

Let’s Get Cultured

Now we aren’t talking about cheese culture here…arts and history are abundant. We were so glad we chose to see a live play in Sturgeon Bay at the Third Avenue Playworks (TAP) Theater. The play called The Book Club Play was hilarious, well acted and perfect for me and my friends who all are in book clubs.

There are several history museums, and we enjoyed the interesting history display at the Bailey Harbor Visitor Center, housed in a historic home. So much to learn about the immigrants who settled in this beautiful region.

Historic Buildings

I love a good ole pioneer building, whether falling down or restored, and we saw all kinds in Door County. Here are a couple of photos I thought I could squeeze into the White category. The Blue Ox on the left is a restaurant in Baileys Harbor and the 5 & J on the Right is a coffee and scones shop in Sturgeon Bay. Both super cute.

Blue

Nothing But Blue Sky From Now On

Blue sky…it’s everywhere in Door County in July. Picture on the left is taken through a lovely stained glass artwork at the Door County Maritime Museum. Picture on the right is my friend Cathy enjoying a cherry tree grove.

The Blue Waters of Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is huge and for me being a Puget Sound girl I had to keep reminding myself this was fresh water. So big! There are lots of sandy beaches, as well as rocky ones too. But these two photos both taken in the smaller Sturgeon Bay area on my early morning run.

Favorite Spots

We had some really fun experiences including eating at the famous Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay. This family-owned restaurant has been serving Swedish favorites since 1949. And if you are lucky you’ll see the goats grazing on the sod roof of the restaurant.

We also enjoyed a surprisingly good, and free, outdoor concert in Sturgeon Bay. Every Wednesday Destination Sturgeon Bay presents Harmony by the Bay in the park.

Shopping Options

We didn’t do a lot of shopping but we enjoyed strolling in and out of the many unique shops in Sturgeon Bay (left photo) where the shopkeepers were all welcoming and informative. My friend Cathy who is an amazing knitter enjoyed visiting Knit Whit Yarn Shop in Baileys Harbor. I look forward to seeing the finished product.

Got the Blues

I couldn’t end this blog without sharing these two beautiful blues. I love this old truck with the Ukraine peace symbol and this gorgeous historic home turned bed and breakfast located in the historic Sturgeon Bay neighborhood of Louisiana and Seventh Street.

Visit Door County Wisconsin

We really enjoyed Sturgeon Bay and we recommend that you Visit Door County Wisconsin. It was beautiful, sunny, delicious, interesting, friendly, inexpensive and colorful! I would definitely go back. Learn more at https://www.doorcounty.comDestination Door County here.

More USA posts coming! Summer in the USA continues.

See last week’s post Day Hikes in the Pacific Northwest.

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