Door County trip ?
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Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 909
Likes: 29
From: Indiana
Door County trip ?
It is a cold night but I am thinking about summer. I am considering a ride to Door County, WI. I have never been there. Any advise on rider friendly places to stay, things to do?
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 387
Likes: 173
From: Big Lake in the Middle
I live not far from and do the loop up there all the time.
Basically the ride itself is great. I go up the bay side, come down the lake side. Egg Harbor and Sister Bay are my favorite towns to stop in. Casey's BBQ in Egg Harbor is an easy choice, ice cream from the Chocolate Chicken and then watch the boats at the marina.
There's a million and 10 places to stay - mostly B&B types as they don't allow chains past Sturgeon Bay. Speaking of which - Kitty O'Reiley's in Sturgeon Bay has killer food too and a great atmosphere.
Just go, go slow and enjoy the ride - lots of wineries and shops all along the road to stop and poke around.
Basically the ride itself is great. I go up the bay side, come down the lake side. Egg Harbor and Sister Bay are my favorite towns to stop in. Casey's BBQ in Egg Harbor is an easy choice, ice cream from the Chocolate Chicken and then watch the boats at the marina.
There's a million and 10 places to stay - mostly B&B types as they don't allow chains past Sturgeon Bay. Speaking of which - Kitty O'Reiley's in Sturgeon Bay has killer food too and a great atmosphere.
Just go, go slow and enjoy the ride - lots of wineries and shops all along the road to stop and poke around.
Retired Admin
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 21,865
Likes: 9,047
From: Wisconsin
Yes, but it's a big time tourist area in the summer, so plan/reserve ahead. Our group is 70 miles south of there and we do the loop every year making a picnic lunch at the top. It's a good 10+ hour trip from here. The scenery is fantastic.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 878
Likes: 2,185
From: Wisconsin
When we go, we always take B out of Sturgeon Bay to Egg Harbor which is an excellent scenic ride. Shipwrecked Pub on the main drag right in the center of Egg Harbor was a popular place for eats and drinks until it burned down last summer. But they were gonna rebuild and maybe it will be open again for 2018.
I would base in Fish Creek which has tons of little shops, several good restaurants and lots of motels. But they fill up quickly..you're probably not gonna pull into town and get a room without a reservation..and that's during the week :-)
From there you can ride up to Ephraim, Sister Bay, Ellison Bay and then to Gills Rock where the ferry departs for Washington Island. One thing I wouldn't do is base in any of the towns on the lake side. If the wind is coming off the lake you'll be looking at temps 15-20 degrees cooler..just enough to quiver your liver.
I would base in Fish Creek which has tons of little shops, several good restaurants and lots of motels. But they fill up quickly..you're probably not gonna pull into town and get a room without a reservation..and that's during the week :-)
From there you can ride up to Ephraim, Sister Bay, Ellison Bay and then to Gills Rock where the ferry departs for Washington Island. One thing I wouldn't do is base in any of the towns on the lake side. If the wind is coming off the lake you'll be looking at temps 15-20 degrees cooler..just enough to quiver your liver.
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 572
Likes: 115
From: Chicagoland
I would base in Fish Creek which has tons of little shops, several good restaurants and lots of motels. But they fill up quickly..you're probably not gonna pull into town and get a room without a reservation..and that's during the week :-)
I didn't plan our trip there so I don't remember the particulars, but I can tell you Fish Creek was really nice.
From there you can ride up to Ephraim, Sister Bay, Ellison Bay and then to Gills Rock where the ferry departs for Washington Island.
I didn't plan our trip there so I don't remember the particulars, but I can tell you Fish Creek was really nice.
From there you can ride up to Ephraim, Sister Bay, Ellison Bay and then to Gills Rock where the ferry departs for Washington Island.
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Tourer
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 403
Likes: 201
From: Menominee, MI
I ride this once a summer and would suggest you base in Green Bay, WI; GB is larger and has way more hotels available without reservation, is right there at the bottom of the bay, and you have to go through it to get to the peninsula. As well as there are a ton of things to do in GB also. The peninsula is a great ride and as already said, lots of shops, restaurants, and scenery to take in. But do keep track of you fuel and most of all enjoy yourself.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 28,842
Likes: 16,583
From: Wisconsin, USA
Door County is beautiful. It’s very congested in the summer. It’s a tourist trap like a glorified Wisconsin Dells, full of FIBS. I used to go there when I lived in Green Bay. You can have a great time, but I avoid it due to the congestion, and high prices, and difficulties with getting a reservation. I prefer the UP or Bayfield or Minoqua area.
Definitely get your reservations done early if you go. Not a good place to wing it.
Definitely get your reservations done early if you go. Not a good place to wing it.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 44,904
Likes: 29,884
From: PNW
We like Door County especially in the Fall when the tourist season has tapered off some. But it's fun in the summer too. Just try to avoid holiday weekends.
We have stayed at the Homestead Suites in Fish Creek. It's a good place to base your stay vs other areas because there is sufficient variety of things to do. And Homestead Suites is right at the entrance to Peninsula state park, which is a must. You can walk around and find shops, coffee, bars, and restaurants. Some other towns don't have enough of that to make an evening on foot enjoyable.
We have stayed at the Homestead Suites in Fish Creek. It's a good place to base your stay vs other areas because there is sufficient variety of things to do. And Homestead Suites is right at the entrance to Peninsula state park, which is a must. You can walk around and find shops, coffee, bars, and restaurants. Some other towns don't have enough of that to make an evening on foot enjoyable.