SISTER BAY, WI. – Since creating a website focusing on golf travel in 2009 most of the destinations we visited focused on, well….golf.
In more recent years we decided that wasn’t enough. So did the our followers, be they travelers or the folks who wanted to get those travelers to their destinations. We mixed in visits to more tourist-type destinations with our stops at golf resorts and well-known courses around the country.
That was well and good but didn’t satisfy everybody – including ourselves. Gradually the non-golf attractions became as – or more – enticing to both ourselves and the golf crowd that followed where we were going.
And then we stopped at Door County.
Most people know it’s in East Central Wisconsin. Stretching across 2,000 square miles, Door County consists of 300 miles of scenic shoreline, 11 lighthouses, five state parks and 19 communities stretching from South Door to Washington Island.
You could go there for golf. We did once, at least 10 years ago. Door County has a great golf facility at Peninsula State Park. We enjoyed it then, but our stay was brief and we didn’t return until our three-week swing through the Midwest this year. Two things brought us back. One of my former sports-writing buddies and golf partners decided to settle there. So did my partner-photographer Joy’s son and daughter-in-law.
They all settled in Sister Bay and have grown to love the area, and now we can see why.
We made a stop at the Peninsula course after being told it was better than ever. We didn’t doubt that, but didn’t play it 18 holes or short course this time. There were way too many other things to do.
Now we have a problem. How can we possibly paint a complete picture of this place in which small town charm abounds?
There are concerts in the park in Bailey’s Harbor, Egg Harbor, Ephraim, Fish Creek, Surgeon Bay and Sister Bay. Most every night there’s good music almost everywhere, but the Peninsula Music Festival, coming August 4-22 at the Door Community Auditorium in Fish Creek is the highlight of the season. This will be the 74th year of the Festival.
There’s plenty of performing arts events year-around. Every community seems to have art galleries and boat tours. The Door County Museum & Archives began operation in 1939 and has only grown ever since.
We gave a try to late-night bowling, which was good for lots of laughs. Sports participants have a wide variety of options but, for those who enjoy being spectators, the Door County League offers a season of spirited baseball throughout the Island.
Supper clubs and fish boils are part of the Door County tradition and, as for a variety of restaurants, well…don’t get me started.
There’s year-around attractions in Door County and lots of available lodging. The White Gull Inn, in Fish Creek, is intriguing. It’s been open for 130 years, though not always with that name.
We witnessed lots of people of all ages having lots of fun doing a lot of different things. Watching it unfold was fun, but the breathtaking vistas underscored the natural beauty of the area.
So, where do you begin enjoying Door County? The logical place is the Door County Welcome Center, 1015 Green Bay Road, on the south side of Sturgeon Bay.
You can get to Door County via car (it’s 2 ½ hours from Milwaukee, 4 ½ hours from Chicago or Minneapolis). You can get there via airplane (airports are in Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay). You can get there via ferry (from Ludington, MI., to Manitowoc, WI.) and also via boat.
