Even though we live in IL, we LOVE Wisconsin. Or maybe I should say because we live in IL, we LOVE Wisconsin. But even with all the time we've spent in WI, we had yet to make our way to Door County. The area is known for it's lighthouses, beaches and state parks. So needless to say, it was about time for our adventuring family to "head up north" (as the Illinoisans like to say).
I did very little research and so our campsite was in Sturgeon Bay at Tranquil Timbers Resort. The campground was actually really nice, with big spaces. It had activities planned for the holiday weekend (like an outdoor movie) but a most exciting surprise was that it had 2 camping spots that it does not sell this weekend, which overlook the water and city fireworks display (more on this topic later). Anyway, the reason I said "...and so our campsite was in..." is because now after spending time in Door County I wish we had chosen one of the smaller towns further north, and perhaps stayed in a campground in one of the state or county parks.
On Saturday our first stop was Cana Island Lighthouse, known for it's unique location that you have to cross a causeway to explore the island. The water was low enough so that you could cross by foot, but as you may know, Lake Michigan is pretty cold and we did not have proper water shoes. So we did the next best thing, and took the tractor pulled hay wagon ride across!
After that we drove across to the west side to Peninsula State Park. We had a picnic lunch, then biked on the paved Sunset Bike Path. Someone really wanted to hit the beach (no, it wasn't me) so Alex & Liam dropped us off at Nicolet Beach while they checked out some of the MTB trails. After their ride we packed up and headed into the town of Fish Creek to figure out dinner. We decided on Wild Tomato and after a short wait, were rewarded with really yummy woodfire pizza. To build up our appetite for dessert, we climbed the new Eagle Tower viewpoint. Then it was back into town for Not Licked Yet frozen custard. Our timing was really on point this weekend because once we had our treats the line was super long!
The next day we checked out the Sturgeon Bay ship canal pierhead lighthouse, which is located at the Coast Guard station. It's interesting to take the designated public walk path to get back to the pier and on either side is coast guard property.
Afterwards we drove north to Whitefish Dunes State Park for the afternoon. The water was cold, but the day was warm. And even though it was the holiday, and there were a lot of people, it did not feel crowded. I guess that's why the Great Lakes are called inland oceans-they are SO big!
Everyone was excited for the evening's fireworks so we had our dinner and s'mores back at the campsite, then packed up the wagon with our chairs, bug spray and glow sticks and walked the 2 blocks to the reserved spots. Once the spaces filled up the party got started, as the campground staff handed out frozen ice pops and "parade" candy. Then a "DJ" started congo-ing thru the crowd carrying his boombox with America-themed tunes such as Firework by Katy Perry and Despacito by Luis Fonsi😂. The display was lengthy (more finale, less build-up please) but there was no sitting in traffic to exit, no ride home to fall asleep during, which were the best parts in my opinion. And so we walked back up to our campsite, and fell quickly asleep to the sound of residential fireworks going off in the distance. Happy Birthday America!
Since the 4th was on a weekend we had Monday to make our way home, stopping at Renard's Cheese Store, finally pulling into the driveway in the afternoon. Because no matter how many hours we have to drive in a day, it seems we always make the trip last all day! Final thoughts:
Door County gets 3 Thumbs Up
(that's a Triple V thing in case you didn't catch it)
