ShareThisFISH CREEK, Wis. - Silence shrouds Green Bay. A path unfurls like a ribbon through the hardwood forest of Peninsula State Park and leads to the bay's rocky shore. The earthen trail then swerves along cliff edges and cuts through fern groves.
Peninsula State Park offers a rich tableau: hiking trails, bike paths, golf course, picnic areas, campsites and boat ramps. The 3,776-acre park is Wisconsin's largest. Spectacular scenery, such as the panoramic overlook of islands speckling the bay, is a primary reason to visit ever-popular Door County.
The Door Peninsula is a slab of dolomite limestone that thrusts into Lake Michigan. Seventy-five miles long and 13 miles wide, the peninsula is a leading vacation destination in the whole Great Lakes region. Natural beauty abounds in this part of Wisconsin, a state that gave us Aldo Leopold and John Muir, two of America's first and finest conservationists.
Ten lighthouses stud the peninsula's jagged, 300-mile shoreline. Together with maritime museums, these heritage attractions illuminate the importance of commercial shipping and recreational boat travel on Lake Michigan and Green Bay.
The Cana Island Lighthouse located just north of Baileys Harbor warned sailors of dangerous shoals since 1869. The red-roofed lighthouse is one of the most photographed on the Great Lakes. Displays in the attached dwelling depict the lifestyles of dedicated keepers and their families, referencing the harsh, stormy weather of northern Wisconsin.
Inland, fruit orchards edge the roadways. Family-operated farm markets and wineries sell fresh produce, condiments, baked goods and fine fruit wines. At Orchard Country Winery and Cider Mill in Fish Creek, tours crisscross Montmorency cherry orchards. "Each tree will have 7,000 cherries, enough for 28 pies," says tour leader Katie Brandt. In the market, people sip fruity wines, such as Cherry Blossom, and sample juice, dried fruits and fudge. Across the street at Sweetie Pies Bakery, Cathy Mazurek oversees a kitchen where fruit pies are baked each day. Customers enjoy pie slices with tea or coffee at patio tables under shade trees.
In agriculturally rich Door County, chefs take to heart a farm-to-table philosophy. Restaurants serve innovative, fresh, flavorful cuisine. Dining choices include Italian at Villaggios, authentic Oaxacan at Mojo Rosa's Cantina, both in Egg Harbor, and fresh lake perch at the Second Story, a restaurant overlooking Ephraim's Eagle Harbor.
Many vacationers participate in a traditional fish boil. Dinner guests encircle a cast-iron kettle over an open wood fire defying the adage that a "watched pot never boils." Boil master Earl Jones fills the large pot with water, and once it boils, he lowers wire baskets of onions, red potatoes and white fish from Lake Michigan into the boiling water. A bit of a showman, he deftly adds a small amount of kerosene to the fire. Flames dramatically envelop the pot, causing a sudden "boil over." The savory meal is ready for the table.
The picturesque landscape of Door County gives inspiration to artists. David and Jeanne Aurelius, owner of Clay Bay Pottery, established their enterprise in 1976. The galleries showcase hand-thrown pottery and tiles, plus jewelry, photography and woodcuts. At Edgewood Orchard Galleries in Fish Creek, sculpture, glass art, clay work, paintings and jewelry go beyond the quotidian. It features the work of more than 100 artists. Established in 1969, the art center is one of the most respected galleries in the Midwest.
Nearly 100 galleries and studios are sprinkled across Door Peninsula. They are interspersed with boutiques, bakeries, bike shops and bistros in small towns, creating a cultural atmosphere that is complemented by concerts and community-theater productions.
Ephraim, population 323, is a charming village with many pleasurable amenities for leisure travelers. White clapboard buildings, many listed on the National Register of Historic Places, line the coastal two-lane road. A waterfront promenade with wooden benches leads vacationers to Wilson's Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor. In business since 1906, the restaurant serves sundaes and home-brewed root beer while tunes drift from jukeboxes. With ice-cream cones in hand, patrons often stroll over to Anderson Dock. Boaters sign their names on the exterior walls of a warehouse now occupied by the Francis Hardy Gallery. The graffiti is itself a community work of art. "Graffiti is encouraged by the village," says Tad Dukehart, a volunteer with the Ephraim Historical Foundation.
A guided walking tour of Ephraim reveals its blended Norwegian and Moravian heritage. It was founded in 1853 as a Moravian religious community. The Door County Historical Museum and the Door County Maritime Museum, both in Sturgeon Bay, sponsor other history programs and activities.
Several of the peninsula's other towns offer guided excursions. Door County Trolley Tours weave through Fish Creek. A Trolley of the Doomed Tour entertains people with stories of mysterious happenings, shipwrecks and haunted lighthouses. An annual lighthouse walk features six mainland beacons. Lighthouse lovers can view sentinels on nearby islands by taking narrated boat cruises. The Shoreline, a 33-foot vessel, departs from the 100-slip Sister Bay Village Marina.
Sailing, charter fishing, kayaking and parasailing are popular watersports in Door County. The broad sand beach at Whitefish Dunes State Park in Jacksonport attracts a lively crowd, particularly for sand-sculpture competitions. The 867-acre park of forested sand dunes and beech-maple forest has 14 miles of hiking trails, plus biking trails. It boasts the highest sand dunes in Wisconsin, says natural-resource educator Carolyn Rock. At nearby Cave Point County Park, waves repeatedly crash against the bluffs, carving away the limestone.
At the tip of Door Peninsula, people venture across "Death's Door." Long ago, Native Americans faced wild currents, shoals, fog and shifting winds when they paddled canoes across the straits to Washington Island. French explorers kept the moniker, translating it to "Porte des Morte," and ultimately, the county took the name of the treacherous passage.
Vacationers aboard the sturdy Arni J. Richter don't have these worries. The icebreaker of the Washington Island Ferry Line navigates the six miles daily year-round from Northport Pier to Detroit Harbor on Washington Island.
The island's isolation requires people to unplug. They come here for a restful change of pace. They fish for trophy salmon and trout, ride horses, hike, pedal bikes, kayak to neighboring Rock Island, dive to shipwrecks and swim at Schoolhouse Beach.
Many accommodations are simply fish camps: rooms with few bells and whistles other than comfortable beds.
The exception is the Washington Hotel, a freshly restored lodging built a century ago by a schooner captain. Its fine-dining restaurant sponsors a culinary school. Equally pleasing, the Jackson Harbor Inn has tastefully decorated rooms with views of the water.
The island is home to the Sievers School of Fiber Arts, a learning center with a gallery and gift shop. The Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum and the Washington Island Farm Museum display artifacts from past eras.
The jewel of the island is the Stavkirke, a Norwegian-style chapel dedicated in 1995. Its architecture represents ancient Norse traditions, particularly those of Viking shipbuilding. Wooden arches, brackets and stavs, or masts, create a sanctuary. Visitors follow a path designed for contemplation through a quiet woodland before entering a clearing and the chapel.
For more information, contact the Door County Visitor Bureau at 800-52-RELAX(73529) or visit www.doorcounty.com.
(Linda Lange is a freelance travel and feature writer living in Knoxville, Tenn.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
