Updated July 2026
The Best Things to Do in Door County with Kids
Door County has a handful of things that work for almost any age of kid, and this list sticks to those: a beach calm enough for wading toddlers and confident enough for older kids to swim laps, a museum where "look, don't touch" isn't the rule, a boat ride that counts as the destination, and two custard stands built for a warm evening. None of it requires much planning, which is the point when you're traveling with kids.
A few things worth knowing before you head out:
- Bring water shoes and sun protection — the swimming spots here are real lake and bay beaches, with sun and rocky patches in places, not resort pools.
- The state park vehicle sticker (required at Peninsula and Whitefish Dunes) covers the whole day, so plan to bounce between the beach, the trails, and a picnic without buying in twice.
- The ferry and the custard stands run on a schedule or a season — check the current schedule before you build a day around either one, especially outside peak summer.
- Pace it. Two or three stops is a full day with young kids in the car.
Fish Creek · Open year-round; vehicle admission sticker required.
Peninsula State Park earns the top spot for one simple reason: Nicolet Beach. It's calm, bay-side water rather than open lake, so younger kids can wade in without a fight and older kids still get real swimming. The trade-off is that it's a big park — 3,700 acres — so you'll want a plan rather than just wandering in and hoping to find the beach.
Park at Nicolet Beach itself if you can, and rent bikes nearby for an easy family ride on the Sunset Bike Trail before or after swimming — it's flat enough for kids who are still building confidence. Rentals run in-season, so if you're visiting shoulder season, check they're up and running before you count on them. The vehicle sticker gets you in for the day, so there's no reason to rush; pack a lunch and let the afternoon stretch from beach to bikes and back.
Sturgeon Bay · $$ · Website
This is the one to save for a gray morning or a break from the sun, because it's built for climbing rather than looking. Kids can go through the actual tug John Purves — down ladders, through tight passages, out onto the deck — which is a different kind of museum experience than reading placards. The ten-story Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower adds a second climb with a payoff view over the Sturgeon Bay waterfront.
Budget an hour or two, and let kids set the pace rather than steering them through in order — the tug tour is the part they'll want to do twice. It's open year-round, which makes it a solid backup plan if a beach day gets rained out.
Gills Rock · $$ · Runs year-round; schedule varies by season. · Website
Some things to do with kids are really just an excuse to get them on a boat, and this is the best one on the peninsula. The half-hour crossing over Death's Door from Northport Pier feels like an adventure in itself — open water, following the ferry's wake, watching Washington Island appear ahead — before you've even decided what to do once you land.
Stand up on deck if the weather's decent; it's a better view and more fun than staying in the car. Schedules shift with the season, so check the current departure times before you go, especially if you're aiming for a specific crossing or planning to make it back the same day.
Jacksonport · Open year-round; vehicle admission sticker required.
For actual swimming — not just wading — this is the beach families come back to. It's the county's best swimming beach, with a longer, gentler stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline than most of the bay-side beaches offer. The lake water runs cold early in the season, so don't expect summer-warm water in June.
Beyond the swimming, the boardwalk trails up Old Baldy and through the dunes are their own reward for kids who like to climb — Wisconsin's tallest dunes are right here. Watch for posted rip-current warnings and treat them seriously; the vehicle sticker required at Peninsula also covers you here, so it's an easy pairing if you're doing both parks in one trip.
Ephraim · $ · Seasonal — typically closed late October through spring. · Website
A sundae at Wilson's is the kind of treat kids will ask for again the next night. The red-and-white striped parlor on the Ephraim waterfront has been serving here since 1906, and the setup couldn't be simpler for a family with tired kids: order at the counter, find a spot with a view of Eagle Harbor, and let them eat ice cream while the sun goes down.
Go in the early evening rather than midday if you can — that's when the harbor view does the most work. It's seasonal, typically closing by late October, so this is a warm-weather stop, not a year-round one.
Fish Creek · $ · Seasonal — closed in winter.
If Wilson's is the sunset-view treat, Not Licked Yet is the one for kids who want a whole meal, not just dessert — the burgers here mean you can make it a full meal instead of just a custard stop, with custard as the planned finale rather than an add-on. Grab a picnic table in the creekside garden and let the custard be the finale after burgers.
It's a seasonal stand by the Fish Creek harbor, and it draws a real line on warm July evenings — plan for a short wait rather than a quick in-and-out, and let the wait be part of the evening.
Tips for the day
Keep a bag of water shoes and sunscreen in the trunk all week — between the bay beaches, the dune boardwalks, and impromptu stops, you'll use it more than you expect. The state park vehicle sticker is good for the whole day, so it's worth treating Peninsula or Whitefish Dunes as a home base rather than a quick stop. And with young kids, two or three of these in one day is plenty — a beach morning, one activity, and a treat at the end beats trying to stack all six.
For the fuller, not-just-for-kids version of what to do around the peninsula, our things to do guide covers the rest of the list.
One more thing
The best Door County days with kids are the ones with nothing else scheduled around them — leave room for one more swim, one more scoop, one more loop of the tugboat.