Activities & Outdoors in Sturgeon Bay

8 places, each with a quick take from us — kept current as hours and seasons change.

• Bay Shore Outfitters

  Rentals include paddle, PFD, and roof-rack pads. Single kayaks run around $20/hour or $60/day; delivery available for an added fee.

  The rental workhorse of the county: three locations, county-wide delivery, and straightforward hourly-to-weekly pricing if you want a kayak for the afternoon rather than a fully guided tour.

• Cherry Hills Golf & Lodge

  Open daily in season, roughly 7am–9pm.

  A full-day golf stop outside Sturgeon Bay: 18 holes of par 72 over rolling terrain, plus a driving range, pro shop, and a bar and grill for after. There's a lodge on site if you want to stay and play.

• Crossroads at Big Creek

  Trails open daily, dawn–dusk; learning center weekdays.

  A 200-acre preserve on the edge of Sturgeon Bay, free and open dawn to dusk, with easy trails for walking, birding, and winter skiing, plus a learning center and observatory programs. The most accessible bit of nature right in town.

• Door County Adventure Center

  Open daily in season, ~10am–4pm.

  The county's adrenaline stop: the only aerial adventure park around, plus zip lines, guided kayak tours, and off-road Segway trips, with satellite launch points at a few parks and beaches. The zip line has landed on national top-10 lists. Bring the older kids.

• Idlewild Golf Club

  Open ~April–October.

  One of the county's better-regarded public tracks — 18 holes of par 72 south of Sturgeon Bay, built in 1978, with water in play across a lake-studded layout and an island green at the ninth. Golf Digest has given it four stars.

• Potawatomi State Park

  Open year-round; vehicle admission sticker required. Ski trails are groomed in winter when snow allows.

  About 1,200 acres on the shore of Sturgeon Bay, and the eastern end of the 1,000-mile Ice Age Trail. Climb the observation tower, restored and reopened in 2025, for the view over Sawyer Harbor, then walk the Hemlock Trail along the shore.

• Sherwood Point Lighthouse

  An active Coast Guard light; the grounds are closed to the public except on Door County Lighthouse Festival weekends in spring and fall. Otherwise, view it from the water.

  A genuinely interesting piece of Great Lakes history, best seen from the water or a distance rather than visited up close.

• Sunset Park

  Open daily, 6am-11pm. Free parking; dogs allowed on-leash, not on the beach.

  The city's own parks page puts it plainly: benches face the bay and the oncoming sunset. It's a working park too (beach, disc golf, tennis and pickleball, a boat launch), so there's something to do before the sky changes.