Door County, Wisconsin
Trips with Kids!
Trips with Kids!
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| Oh, the places you'll go! |
Breathtaking. Literally. I tried to pace myself
climbing the 75-foot Eagle Observation Tower, but
there’s a lot of steps. Perched atop a 180-foot
limestone bluff, the tower provided awesome views
of the forest beneath us, the rocky Michigan
shoreline, the Green Bay Islands, and beyond.
Frequently considered the Midwest’s best vacation
destination, Door County, Wisconsin, offers
particularly spectacular fall colors from land and
water. Families can take a self-guided tour by
downloading the map at http://www.doorcounty.
com/do/fall or take a guided tour by trolley or boat.
The Door County Trolley took us through state parks
and other attractions, allowed us to hop off and snap
pictures of beautiful vistas, and entertained us with
local lore and amusing schtick.
We heard more stories, but fewer puns, aboard the
Shoreline Scenic Cruise. We boarded a 33-foot
Navy vessel and skimmed by the coasts’ beautiful
trees, lighthouses and luxurious homes. The cruise
took us by fantastic limestone cliffs and caves, a trio
of islands, and the sites of several shipwrecks.
Door County’s rocky shoreline and outlying islands
account for the over 200 shipwrecks in the area.
Lighthouses worked to prevent additional tragedies
and now allow visitors to take a peek into maritime
history. Lush gardens surround the Cana Island
Lighthouse, built in 1869, and still shining a 500-
watt light into the darkness. I felt adventurous
climbing its 102 cast iron steps to the observation
deck, but felt some fear inching back down the
narrow spiral staircase.
Fewer steps led to the top of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse,
but its view is less amazing. Still, I loved the
restored keeper’s living quarters and its story. For
35 years, from 1883 until 1918, William Duclon, his
wife Julia and their seven sons lived and worked
there. The boys shared rooms, entertained friends
and each other in the music room, and had to lug
the family’s water in buckets up the bluff from the
bay.
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse is located in Peninsula State
Park, one of several Door County parks that offer
camping, kayaking, boating, hiking, fishing, and
educational activities for adults and children.
Whitefish Dunes State Park brought us to a sandy
beach where families played and built sandcastles.
And I loved sightseeing at Cave Point County Park
with its underwater caves and limestone cliffs.
Families can recreate nature’s beauty, or something
entirely original, at the Hands on Art Studio. Weld
metal, craft jewelry, cut glass, paint pottery, or do
almost anything artistic. I chose to make a mosaic
of my house numbers. A staff member gave me a
bit of instruction and within minutes I was on my
own. Not too long after that, I had completed the
project amid toddlers, teenagers, parents and
grandparents creating their own masterpieces.
The hard work made me hungry and Door County
satisfies cravings with a variety of fun family
restaurants. I enjoyed a patty melt, fries, and a thick,
delicious strawberry malt at Wilson’s Restaurant
and Ice Cream Parlor.
Fred and Fuzzy’s Waterfront Grill offers tropical
atmosphere and great bar food, including a
Wisconsin staple, fried cheese curds. Cheese
curds are a by-product of the cheese manufacturing
process and lose their texture and flavor with
refrigeration and time, so they’re simply not
available in Cincinnati. But in Wisconsin, factories
make curds daily to meet the demand of cheese
curd lovers.
The authentic fish boil is another Wisconsin
specialty, exclusively available in Door County.
Michigan whitefish, potatoes and onions boil in
salted water over a wood fire. And then—the boil
master throws kerosene on the fire. Kerosene. On
the fire. The water and fish oil spill out, douse the
fire, and it’s time to eat. I found the food tasty, but its
preparation deliciously spectacular.
climbing the 75-foot Eagle Observation Tower, but
there’s a lot of steps. Perched atop a 180-foot
limestone bluff, the tower provided awesome views
of the forest beneath us, the rocky Michigan
shoreline, the Green Bay Islands, and beyond.
Frequently considered the Midwest’s best vacation
destination, Door County, Wisconsin, offers
particularly spectacular fall colors from land and
water. Families can take a self-guided tour by
downloading the map at http://www.doorcounty.
com/do/fall or take a guided tour by trolley or boat.
The Door County Trolley took us through state parks
and other attractions, allowed us to hop off and snap
pictures of beautiful vistas, and entertained us with
local lore and amusing schtick.
We heard more stories, but fewer puns, aboard the
Shoreline Scenic Cruise. We boarded a 33-foot
Navy vessel and skimmed by the coasts’ beautiful
trees, lighthouses and luxurious homes. The cruise
took us by fantastic limestone cliffs and caves, a trio
of islands, and the sites of several shipwrecks.
Door County’s rocky shoreline and outlying islands
account for the over 200 shipwrecks in the area.
Lighthouses worked to prevent additional tragedies
and now allow visitors to take a peek into maritime
history. Lush gardens surround the Cana Island
Lighthouse, built in 1869, and still shining a 500-
watt light into the darkness. I felt adventurous
climbing its 102 cast iron steps to the observation
deck, but felt some fear inching back down the
narrow spiral staircase.
Fewer steps led to the top of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse,
but its view is less amazing. Still, I loved the
restored keeper’s living quarters and its story. For
35 years, from 1883 until 1918, William Duclon, his
wife Julia and their seven sons lived and worked
there. The boys shared rooms, entertained friends
and each other in the music room, and had to lug
the family’s water in buckets up the bluff from the
bay.
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse is located in Peninsula State
Park, one of several Door County parks that offer
camping, kayaking, boating, hiking, fishing, and
educational activities for adults and children.
Whitefish Dunes State Park brought us to a sandy
beach where families played and built sandcastles.
And I loved sightseeing at Cave Point County Park
with its underwater caves and limestone cliffs.
Families can recreate nature’s beauty, or something
entirely original, at the Hands on Art Studio. Weld
metal, craft jewelry, cut glass, paint pottery, or do
almost anything artistic. I chose to make a mosaic
of my house numbers. A staff member gave me a
bit of instruction and within minutes I was on my
own. Not too long after that, I had completed the
project amid toddlers, teenagers, parents and
grandparents creating their own masterpieces.
The hard work made me hungry and Door County
satisfies cravings with a variety of fun family
restaurants. I enjoyed a patty melt, fries, and a thick,
delicious strawberry malt at Wilson’s Restaurant
and Ice Cream Parlor.
Fred and Fuzzy’s Waterfront Grill offers tropical
atmosphere and great bar food, including a
Wisconsin staple, fried cheese curds. Cheese
curds are a by-product of the cheese manufacturing
process and lose their texture and flavor with
refrigeration and time, so they’re simply not
available in Cincinnati. But in Wisconsin, factories
make curds daily to meet the demand of cheese
curd lovers.
The authentic fish boil is another Wisconsin
specialty, exclusively available in Door County.
Michigan whitefish, potatoes and onions boil in
salted water over a wood fire. And then—the boil
master throws kerosene on the fire. Kerosene. On
the fire. The water and fish oil spill out, douse the
fire, and it’s time to eat. I found the food tasty, but its
preparation deliciously spectacular.
| photos on this page courtesy Door County Visitor Bureau 1015 Green Bay Rd · PO Box 406 Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235-0406 info@doorcounty.com 1-800-52-RELAX or (920) 743-4456 www.doorcounty.com |