Door County Vacation

We had been scheduled to take a cruise over the 4th this year, so when that was cancelled we started to talk about where else we could go.  With many museums and indoor attractions still not open we wanted something that we could spend the majority of the time outside, somewhere we could camp and we wanted to add at least one state to our visited totals, so we were definitely traveling west.  I came across a post from another blogger I follow from a few years ago in which they compared Door County Wisconsin to the Outer Banks in North Carolina and ran it by my husband.  Initially he couldn't imagine Wisconsin being like the Outer Banks but once we started to research he agreed.  

We were very late to the planning process but were able to get a site at Fish Creek Campground, which we estimated would be a nice central location on the Peninsula.  I am always nervous booking private campgrounds because some are very close together and you never know what to expect with the bathrooms (although I'm reminded that we stayed at a state park outside our state where I refused to shower because of the shower conditions).  Fish Creek was very affordable and a wonderful choice for us.  The sites were all well spaced but we had a corner site and the neighbors were permanent set ups that were unoccupied for most of our visit.  There was a bush next to our table for additional privacy, and the bathhouse was very clean and well maintained; we saw them cleaning multiple times a day.  

I love lighthouses so we spent a good bit of time visiting the lighthouses that are accessible, however there are several that are only visible from boats or only open to the public during lighthouse festivals so we are hoping to return for one of the festival weekends in the future.  

There are several state and county parks throughout the area that we spent time exploring as well.  Wisconsin charges admission for their state parks so we opted to get an annual pass, figuring we'd probably visit several over the course of the week and save by not having to pay each time.  We did visit Newport State Park and Peninsula State Park several time each, but didn't make it to two of the parks in Door County at all.

While traveling we try to eat and shop local as much as possible and in Door County that was very easy, since there aren't any chain stores/restaurants after you pass Sturgeon Bay.  One of the highlights in terms of meals was the Fish Boil at Pelletier's.  Fish Boils started as a fundraiser for the local fire companies and were so popular that a few restaurants started offering them year round. You watch them make the entire meal over a fire out back and the final step is to pour kerosene on the fire to cause a huge flame and boil the extra fat and water out of the pot.  We also had to try various cheese and cherry products from the various creameries and farmers markets throughout the area as well as local wineries and breweries.  

Many of the evenings we sat along the Green Bay for sunset,. we talked about going to the Lake Michigan side for sunrise, but neither of us is enough of a morning person for how early the sun rises in Eastern Wisconsin-we'd have had to get up around 4am.

Overall our trip was relaxing and we had a great time exploring.