Door County

Understand

Considered the Cape Cod of the Midwest, Door County sits on a peninsula on Lake Michigan and is a very popular destination for vacations. The peninsula offers a unique mix of leisure, recreation, and natural beauty. The culture has a rich history of the arts, with more than 80 cultural establishments within the county, including galleries, museums, and theatres. Many offer courses to enjoy while vacationing there. For the nature lovers, Door County offers five state parks, over 300 miles of shoreline, and more than a dozen conservation areas. The ten lighthouses on the peninsula are popular attractions to history and nautical buffs.

Cities

• Sturgeon Bay — the county seat and largest city in Door County (pop. 9,600 in 2020) serves as a gateway to the peninsula, and has many hotels, restaurants and popular tourist attractions.
• Baileys Harbor — a village of about 330 people along Lake Michigan.
• Egg Harbor — a small village of about 350 people on the bay of Green Bay.
• Ellison Bay — small village north of Sister Bay nearby Bluffs and Newport State Park.
• Ephraim — a small village on the Bay known for its local architecture.
• Fish Creek — a town borders Peninsula State Park, a main attraction of Door County, and feels much like a New England seaside resort or town.
• Gills Rock — small village near the tip of the Peninsula and a gateway for passenger only ferry services to Washington Island.
• Sister Bay — large village north of Sturgeon Bay with 1,000 people and contains many tourist attractions.
• Washington Island — Largest island in Door County that is mainly surrounded by Michigan waters and other Door County islands.

Other destinations

• Algoma — largest city in nearby Kewaunee County (pop. 3200 in 2020) that is associated with Door County.
• Jacksonport — unincorporated community along the Lake Michigan shoreline served by WIS 57 between Sturgeon Bay and Baileys Harbor.
• Little Sturgeon — small unincorporated area west of Sturgeon Bay and north of County Road C.
• Kangaroo Lake — Located almost in the center of the peninsula, between the two shores, close to Baileys Harbor.
• Northport — unincorporated community that is located at the end of WIS 42 and at the car ferry for Washington Island.

Get in

By plane

• Green Bay-Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) in Green Bay has direct flights across the county on American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and United Express. The airport is a 45-minute drive from the county seat (Sturgeon Bay).
• Three general aviation airports are located in the county: Door County Cherryland Airport (SUE) in Sturgeon Bay, Ephraim-Gibraltar Airport () in Ephraim, and Washington Island Airport () on Washington Island.

By boat

S.S Badger is a car ferry that travels from nearby Manitowoc (75-minute drive from Sturgeon Bay) to Ludington, Michigan.

By bus

While there is no direct bus service to Door County, there is bus service to the nearby city of Green Bay.

• Indian Trails stops in Green Bay, coming from Milwaukee from the south and going north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
• Megabus stops in Green Bay, coming from Milwaukee from the south and going west to Minneapolis.
• Coach USA terminates in Green Bay, coming from Madison from the south.
• Amtrak Thruway terminates in Green Bay, coming from Milwaukee from the southeast. Connections can be made in Milwaukee to the Empire Builder and Hiawatha train routes.

By road

The two main highways into Door County are WIS 42 and WIS 57. WIS 57 is an expressway that runs from Green Bay, leading to other freeways and expressways that connect to the Fox Cities, Marinette, WI/Menominee, MI, Milwaukee, and Wausau. WIS 42 on the other hand is a generic highway that runs along the scenic Lake Michigan shoreline from Manitowoc to Sturgeon Bay. In addition, there are several county highways that run from Kewaunee County into Door County.

Get around

Car is probably the only real practical way of getting around, but biking is great in the state parks and on Washington Island. WIS 42 connects Sturgeon Bay with the bayside villages while WIS 57 runs along Lake Michigan until ending at WIS 42 in Sister Bay; north of Sister Bay, WIS 42 ends at the car ferry docks in Northport. Door County also has several county highways (designated by letters) that provide more connections between villages, and sometimes as the main routes to other communities in Southern Door County.

Stay safe

Door County is generally very safe, though you should look out for wildlife (especially deer) on the rural roads. When biking, it is safer to bike away from WIS 42 and WIS 57, and onto more quiet roads away from the highways. In terms of driving, some roads can be narrow to the point that driving at the statutory speed limit (55 mph or 89 km/h) may feel uncomfortable depending on how well the roads are maintained, though this is generally the case on township roads and not county highways.

Boating & Weather

Before hitting the waters, monitor the latest forecasts for Lake Michigan, Green Bay, and Porte de Morts/Death's Door Passage; the National Weather Service (NWS) in Green Bay issues weather related alerts for Door County, as with most of Northeast Wisconsin, though the NWS in Marquette issues weather related alerts for surrounding Delta (Escanaba is the county seat) and Menominee counties, Michigan. Otherwise, it should be basic prep work for any boating activity; inspections, ensuring everyone has a life jacket, and sharing itineraries.

While in the waters, be mindful of the shipping lanes of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, other traffic including boaters and swimmers, and other geographical hazards. However, if you want to be in a calmer and more controlled environment, try starting out in lakes like Kangaroo Lake (see Other Destinations) to minimize the risk of an accident.

Go next

• The city of Green Bay has numerous sightseeing options, like the National Railway Museum and Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
• The Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan is similar to Door County, though it has a different historical background, but with several scenic sightseeing options too.