The charming Door County is located on the eastern side of Wisconsin and is a top vacation destination in Wisconsin. The Door County peninsula juts into Lake Michigan and is surrounded on three sides by this beautiful lake. With 300 miles of shoreline, you’ll see beautiful views around every turn. This top Wisconsin vacation destination is filled with beautifully unique beaches, remote islands, charming fruit orchards, local wineries, well groomed parks and more! Explore all of our favorite things to do in Door County and start planning your own Door County vacation today!
Door County is a beautiful place to visit year round. Wisconsinites will tell you that the best time to visit is in the fall when the trees are changing color. But this Wisconsin transplant will tell you that it is great destination to visit year round as there are so many things to do in Door County. However, there are lots of outdoor activities on our list. So we think that if you plan on checking all of these things off of your Door County bucket list, visiting in the summer will give you the best chance at having good weather so you can explore all of the amazing parks.
Potawatomi State Park
Just outside of Sturgeon Bay, you’ll find Potawatomi State Park. Here you’ll find beautiful views of Green Bay (the bay not the city). You’ll also find some interesting pieces of history about how the lake was used in the history of Door County. This state park is filled with some great bike trails and is a popular place for kayaking. You’ll also find a great tower to climb to get even better views of the Bay.
Cost: $8/vehicle
Door County Maritime Museum
The Door County Maritime Museum explores the maritime history of the county. Here you’ll learn about the lighthouses, ship building history, fishing culture and more. There are plenty of ships and boats for you to explore within the museum. You can even try your hand at steering a virtual ship through a storm, which we’re fairly confident is impossible. This is a great thing to do in Door County for the family as the museum has activities for all ages to enjoy.
Cost: $10/adult
Door County Wine Trail
Experience all of the Door County wineries as you travel along the Door County Wine trail. Door county boast some amazing cold weather varietals as well as some awesome fruit wines made with Door County cherries and apples.
Cost: varies
Try the Local Cuisine
Explore some of the unique tastes of Door County. Try hand picked cherries, wine, cheese, fish and more. Our favorites are cherry pie and the great excuse to eat ice cream after every meal.
Cost: varies
Lay on the Beach
Soak up the sun on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. While Door County boasts many beaches, some of them are rocky, filled with cliffs or tree lined. So if you’re looking for the traditional sandy beach, try Waterfront Park in Sister Bay or the Nicolet swimming beach in Peninsula State Park. From either of these beaches, you can take a swim in the greatest of Lakes (in our opinion), Lake Michigan. Enjoy the endless water, all without the stickiness of salt or the danger of sharks.
Cost: FREE – $10/vehicle
Orchards
Door County is filled with apple and cherry orchards. You’ll see them along pretty much every road. Consider stopping at one of the you-pick orchards and filling a pail with fruit. This fun activity is great for the kiddos and you’ll even get to take the fruits of your labor home with you to eat. We love Lautenbach’s Orchard because they also have a winery 😉
Cost: varies
Peninsula State Park
This is one of our favorite state parks in Wisconsin. Peninsula State Park offers a variety of things to do for the visitor. You could easily spend your entire Door County vacation within the park. At the park, you’ll find a golf course, beaches, hiking/skiing trails, the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, an outdoor theater, a nature center, plenty of bike paths and a climbable viewing tower. A visit to Peninsula State Park is one of the best things to do in Door County as is a must-see.
Cost: $10/vehicle
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse
With one of the highest concentration of lighthouses in a county, it’s no wonder that several lighthouses make the list of top things to do in Door County. Eagle Bluff lighthouse is located in Peninsula State park. You can explore the small museum inside or take a guided tour of the lighthouse provided by the Door County historical society.
Cost: $5
Northern Sky Theater
If you’re visiting Door County in the summer, make sure to catch a performance put on by the Northern Sky Theater. The company produces and performs their shows under the open sky at the Peninsula State Park Amphitheater. You can also catch shows performed indoors the rest of the year, but we thing the fun part is enjoying the show outside.
Cost: varies
Wander the Towns
Spend time wandering the streets of some of the most charming towns in Wisconsin. We love visiting Fish Creek or Egg Harbor. These small towns have such tiny downtowns that walking the streets are easy to do. Explore some shops to grab a Wisconsin souvenir, local art or gourmet foods.
Cost: FREE
Washington Island
Take the Washington Island ferry as it crosses Death’s Door from the Door County peninsula to Washington Island. Once on the island, you’ll find so many other things to do in Door County like Schoolhouse Beach, the lavender farms, Rock Island and more. Take a bike or a car with you so that you can drive around Washington Island and see all the sights.
Cost of ferry: $14/person; $27/vehicle
Schoolhouse Beach
Visiting Schoolhouse Beach is one of our favorite things to do in Door County. This unique limestone beach is one of the few limestone beaches in the world and the waters are crystal clear. While lying on the beach isn’t very comfortable, seeing this beach is a real treat. But make sure not to take a limestone rock souvenir – it’s punishable by a pricy fine.
Cost: FREE
Lavender Farms
Visit the lavender farms of Washington Island while you explore the island. If you visit while the lavender is in bloom, this is a fun experience. For a small fee, you can wander the farms, enjoy the smells, watch the bees and watch them harvest the lavender. We really enjoyed seeing this process in action. You’ll, as always, exit through the gift shop and be able to purchase local lavender products. We preferred visiting the Fragrant Isle Lavender farm as the landscaping was beautiful but Island Lavender did not charge admission into the farm.
Cost: varies
Stavkirke Church
This is a recently built church that is modeled after historic European architecture. To visit it, you stop at a tiny roadside parking area, hike through a little forest and then sight the beautiful church among a great flower garden. There honestly isn’t much to do here, but it is a great photo opportunity.
Cost: FREE
Rock Island
Visit Rock Island to see some of the most untouched nature in Door County. This is a journey to get to. You must cross Death’s Door to get to Washington Island and then take an additional ferry to get to Rock Island. This island is uninhabited and is almost entirely owned by the Wisconsin DNR which operates Rock Island State Park. Rock Island is a great place for hiking. You can hike the 5-mile trail around the island.
Cost for the ferry: $11/person
Rock Island Lighthouse
The Pottawatomie Lighthouse, known as the Rock Island Lighthouse, is another fun lighthouse to visit during your Door County vacation. This island is located on Rock Island and is accessible after taking two ferry rides and walking just over a mile. It’s open to tour during the summer.
Cost: FREE, donations are accepted
Newport State Park
Newport State Park is one of the more undeveloped state parks in Door County. Here you’ll find miles of hiking trails and some great backcountry camping sites. This is a very rustic park that is a great place to visit for the nature lover. It’s also a much quieter park that others in Door County. While the park may not be able to boast flushing toilets, they proudly wear the badge of a designated Dark Sky Park. This means the conditions here are perfect for stargazing. So if you stay up late, or wake up early, considering visiting this park to see the stars. Check with the park before you visit as they often have nighttime programming for visitors.
Cost: $8/vehicle
Cana Island Lighthouse
This is our favorite lighthouse to visit and one of the best things to do in Door County! You can tour the lighthouse and ask questions of the very knowledgeable staff. You can also walk to the top of the lighthouse during certain times. However, the best part of visiting this lighthouse is that it is on an island sometimes. When the water in Lake Michigan is high, this peninsula becomes and island. You may have to walk through the water to get here. However, when the water is high enough you get to ride in wagon pulled behind a tractor as it pulls you across the water. Once you’re on the peninsula/island you can wander around the shore. Here you’ll find some really cool rocky beaches that are fun to explore.
Cost: $10/adult
The Ridges Sanctuary
The Ridges Sanctuary is a natural preserve set to protect the unique ecosystem along the shores of Lake Michigan. When visiting the Ridges, you can explore the ecosystem as you walk along the boardwalk. This unique wetland ecosystem allows you to spot some really cool plant life and lots of bugs. Check to see if there are any programs being offered in the sanctuary as there are often guided walks.
Cost: $5/person
Cave Point County Park
Cave Point County park is along the shores of Lake Michigan. However, rather than sandy beaches, you’ll find beautiful cliffs and underwater sea (lake?) caves. Here you’ll find people jumping off of the cliffs into the water below. If you plan to do this, expect to wait in a line on a nice day. You’ll also see people sun bathing on the flat rocks just above the water line. Plan to hike some of the trails here to take in all of the shoreline views. If you’re visiting in winter, you’ll also find that the cliffs run into impressive ice caves that you can explore.
Cost: FREE
Whitefish Dunes State Park
Whitefish Dunes State Park is a great place in Door County to visit for exploring sand dunes. The kids will love walking along the sand dunes. You’ll find plenty of hiking trails here as well.
Cost: $8/vehicle
As you can see, there are so many fun things to do in Door County. We hope this list has helped you to plan your own Door County vacation. If you need help fitting this all into a long weekend, check out our favorite itinerary here. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below and we’ll be happy to help you.
There’s also the Fish Boil at the Viking Grill. It’s not a dinner without pyrotechics.
Thanks Randy! We’ll have to try that next time we’re there. We do love a good fish boil fire 🙂