Things to do in Door County
Beaches and trails, golf and boat tours, museums, theater, and the odd drive-in or mini-golf course — filter by town and type to find your afternoon, then drop to our ranked picks when you'd rather we just choose. Kept current as seasons open and close.
Browse everything to do
63 things to do
Alpine Resort & Golf
Resort golf on the bluff above Egg Harbor, recently reworked into a nine-hole layout the resort calls Alpine Legacy. The…
Anclam Park & Beach
The town beach at the south edge of Baileys Harbor: a sandy, shallow stretch that's easy for little kids, with a playgro…
Anderson Dock
Widely considered one of the most-photographed sunset spots in the county. The view runs west across Eagle Harbor toward…
Bay Shore Outfitters
The rental workhorse of the county: three locations, county-wide delivery, and straightforward hourly-to-weekly pricing…
Birch Creek Music Performance Center
A summer music academy where advanced students study by day and perform nearly every night with faculty and guest artist…
Björklunden (Boynton Chapel)
A hand-built stave-style chapel on a Lawrence University lakeshore estate — modeled on a Norwegian stavkirke, with 41 ha…
Cana Island Lighthouse
A lighthouse that earns the detour. Depending on water levels you may ride a hay wagon across the causeway, which is hal…
Cave Point County Park
One of the county's most striking shorelines, and it's free. Go at sunrise when the light hits the caves and you'll have…
Cherry Hills Golf & Lodge
A full-day golf stop outside Sturgeon Bay: 18 holes of par 72 over rolling terrain, plus a driving range, pro shop, and…
Choice Orchards
Pick your own tart cherries here in July on ground that was part of the world's largest cherry producer a century ago; t…
Crossroads at Big Creek
A 200-acre preserve on the edge of Sturgeon Bay, free and open dawn to dusk, with easy trails for walking, birding, and…
Door Community Auditorium
Door County's big room: a year-round performing-arts center in Fish Creek that brings in touring music and theater you w…
Door County Adventure Center
The county's adrenaline stop: the only aerial adventure park around, plus zip lines, guided kayak tours, and off-road Se…
Door County Brewing Co. & Music Hall
The best room in the county for live music, and the Polka King Porter holds its own anywhere.
Door County Historical Museum
The county's local-history museum, free and easy to spend an hour in — vintage firefighting gear, a recreated old-time s…
Door County Kayak
The Death's Door Bluff tour visits the highest point in Door County and the Schooner Fleetwing shipwreck; the Mud Lake N…
Door County Kayak Tours
The Cave Point tour through the limestone sea caves is the obvious draw given the shop's location a few miles from the p…
Door County Maritime Museum
Climb the tower first: the working-shipyard view explains Sturgeon Bay better than any exhibit. Then do the tug tour.
Door County Trolley
Narrated tours by old-fashioned trolley, themed however you like your sightseeing — a morning lighthouse run out to Eagl…
Door Shakespeare
Professional classical theater performed outdoors in the Björklunden garden in Baileys Harbor — a summer season of Shake…
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse
The easy add-on if you're already at Peninsula State Park for the beach or the bike trail: fold in the lighthouse tour r…
Edge of Park Bike & Moped Rentals
Bikes and mopeds a few steps from a Peninsula State Park trailhead in Fish Creek — the easy way onto the park's trails w…
Ellison Bluff County Park
The county's easiest big view: a short drive, a short walk, and Green Bay wide open below you. Best at sunset.
Ephraim Historical Foundation
The keeper of historic Ephraim, running several original 19th-century buildings you can walk through — the Anderson Stor…
Fish Creek Scenic Boat Tours
Narrated sightseeing cruises off the Fish Creek town dock on a 69-passenger boat, gliding past Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, t…
Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm
A working lavender farm with a shop and cafe. Worth a stop if your visit lines up with the midsummer bloom.
Harbor View Park
A genuine bluff-top view over the marina, with walking paths and benches built for exactly this. The village didn't unde…
Holiday Music Motel
A restored 1952 motel in downtown Sturgeon Bay that doubles as a working music hub — home of Steel Bridge Songfest and a…
Horseshoe Bay Golf Club
The county's only private club — 18 holes stretching past 7,000 yards from the tips, near Egg Harbor. Play is for member…
Husby's Food & Spirits
Emma Husby opened this Sister Bay tavern in 1929, and it still stays open later than most of the peninsula. Out back, th…
Hyline Orchard
The old-school U-pick: rows of Montmorency trees, pails, a scale, and not much else. Picking, undiluted.
Idlewild Golf Club
One of the county's better-regarded public tracks — 18 holes of par 72 south of Sturgeon Bay, built in 1978, with water…
Lakeshore Adventures
The clear-bottom Shipwreck Tour is the one to book: paddling directly over 1800s wooden schooner wrecks in under 15 feet…
Lakeside Park
Wide, sandy, and rarely crowded. One of the calmest beach days on the quiet Lake Michigan side. Bring a picnic.
Lautenbach's Orchard Country Winery & Market
The most convenient real-deal cherry stop: tastings, a solid market, and U-pick rows in late July without driving to the…
Maxwelton Braes Golf Course
Golf has been played on these fairways since 1929, which makes Maxwelton Braes one of the older courses in the state — a…
Miller Art Museum
Door County's fine-art museum, free to visit, inside the Sturgeon Bay library. It holds the largest collection anywhere…
Newport State Park
The wildest of Door County's parks, and the only one that's truly quiet even in July: 30 miles of trail means the crowds…
Nor Door Sport & Cyclery
Right by the Fish Creek entrance to Peninsula State Park, which makes it the obvious place to grab a bike before riding…
Northern Sky Theater
Musicals under the pines: unashamedly wholesome, with writing sharp enough to win over the skeptics in your group.
Peninsula Kayak Company
First-come-first-served rentals if you want to go it alone, or book a guided tour to Eagle Bluff (a 200-foot rock face t…
Peninsula Players Theatre
Broadway-caliber casts, a pre-show garden stroll, and a bonfire at intermission. Book the late-June through October seas…
Peninsula State Park
The single best thing in Door County. If you do one outdoor thing, bike the Sunset Trail; if you do two, add Eagle Tower…
Peninsula State Park Golf Course
The county's iconic public golf: an 18-hole championship course (plus a 6-hole par-3) laid out inside Peninsula State Pa…
Pottawatomie Lighthouse
A real undertaking, not a casual stop. Go because you genuinely want to say you made it.
Red Putter Mini Golf
The classic Ephraim mini-golf course, family-run for 50-plus years right on Water Street — 18 holes, a few bucks to play…
Rogue Theater
Sturgeon Bay's scrappy community theater, now settled into a permanent home at the DC Arts Center — a six-show season ru…
Schoolhouse Beach
No sand, no problem. The water over white stones goes full Caribbean on a sunny day. Taking stones home is a fineable of…
Seaquist Orchards Farm Market
Cherries are the whole operation here. If you're only buying one pie in Door County, this is the place.
Sherwood Point Lighthouse
A genuinely interesting piece of Great Lakes history, best seen from the water or a distance rather than visited up clos…
Shoreline Scenic Cruises
The peninsula's oldest sightseeing cruise line, sailing out of Gills Rock near the tip: the signature run heads toward t…
Sister Bay Waterfront Park
Sand beach, a swim pier, a performance pavilion with free summer concerts, and a boardwalk right in the middle of downto…
Sister Bay Waterfront Park & Beach
The only town where the beach, the marina, and lunch are all a two-minute walk apart. Fall Fest takes it over each Octob…
Skyway Drive-In Theatre
A genuine 1950 drive-in still running nightly double features on Highway 42 between Fish Creek and Ephraim — pull in, tu…
Stavkirke
A hand-built replica of a Norwegian stave church, open to visitors: a quick, easy landmark stop.
Sunset Park
The city's own parks page puts it plainly: benches face the bay and the oncoming sunset. It's a working park too (beach,…
The Farm
A living museum of rural America north of Sturgeon Bay, and a reliable hit with little kids — bottle-feed goat kids and…
The Ridges Sanctuary
The quiet side at its best: flat boardwalk loops, rare wildflowers, and trails that stay peaceful even in the middle of…
Third Avenue PlayWorks
Door County's professional theater, in an intimate 124-seat house downtown. The company — many of them Equity actors — s…
Toft Point State Natural Area
The county's best-kept hiking secret, mostly because it doesn't have marked trails in the usual sense: you're walking ol…
Washington Island Farm Museum
An open-air heritage museum on Washington Island — nine buildings of farm tools and homestead life, a log cabin, a black…
Washington Island Ferry Line
The crossing is the attraction: 30 minutes through Death's Door, ice-breaking in winter. Take the car; the island is big…
Whitefish Dunes State Park
The best sand beach in Door County, full stop. Pair it with Cave Point next door: one parking lot, two landscapes.
Our ranked picks
All best-of lists →Cave Point County Park: What to Know Before You Go
Cave Point County Park is the place to see Lake Michigan carve limestone into caves and ledges right at your feet — and it's free, year-round, no vehicle sticker required. Go at sunrise for quieter trails and good light, and if you want to paddle into the caves themselves, book a guided kayak tour ahead of summer weekends. Pair the visit with neighboring Whitefish Dunes for swimming and Door County's tallest dunes.
Cherry Everything in Door County
Seaquist Orchards Farm Market north of Sister Bay is our top stop for cherry pie, salsa, and jam -- one of the Midwest's largest tart cherry growers. Lautenbach's Orchard Country adds cherry wine to the mix, Hyline Orchard is the old-school pick-your-own experience, and Country Ovens in Forestville is the dedicated stop for dried and chocolate-covered cherries.
Cherry Picking in Door County: When to Go and Where to Pick
Cherry picking in Door County runs roughly mid-July through mid-August, when the Montmorency tart cherries come in. The easiest all-in-one stop is Lautenbach's Orchard Country south of Fish Creek; if you just want trees and a pail, Hyline Orchard up the road keeps it wonderfully simple. Exact opening dates shift with the weather every year — check the orchard's site or call the morning you go.
Door County Lighthouses: Which Ones to Visit
Start with Cana Island for the classic seasonal climb, then pick the rest by effort: Eagle Bluff pairs easily with a Peninsula State Park day, Sherwood Point is a distant-view-only stop, and Pottawatomie on Rock Island is a genuine two-ferry expedition. Pick based on effort, not just how close one is to your route.
Door County with Kids
For families, The Farm north of Sturgeon Bay is the top pick — feed goat kids and lambs, watch chicks hatch, and roam pioneer buildings. Older kids gravitate to the zip lines and aerial park at Door County Adventure Center, Red Putter mini golf and the Skyway Drive-In are north-end classics, and Anclam Park's shallow beach is easy for little ones. Cap the day with a sundae at Wilson's.
Peninsula State Park: The Complete Guide
Peninsula State Park is a 3,700-acre park between Fish Creek and Ephraim, and the way to understand it is the one-way loop road that strings together Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Nicolet Beach, Eagle Tower, and miles of shoreline trail. Budget a couple of hours for a quick loop, a full day to hit three or four stops, or an overnight if you're camping — one vehicle sticker covers everything regardless. It's open (and worth visiting) year-round, including for winter trail use.
The Best Beaches in Door County
Whitefish Dunes State Park near Jacksonport has the best beach in Door County — a wide sweep of real sand backed by Wisconsin's tallest dunes, with Cave Point right next door. You'll need a state park vehicle sticker to get in. If you want calmer, warmer water and lunch a short walk away, Sister Bay's downtown waterfront beach is the easy pick.
The Best Boat & Water Tours in Door County
The Washington Island Ferry is the essential ride — 30 minutes across the Death's Door strait to a quieter island. For a narrated cruise, Fish Creek Scenic Boat Tours passes lighthouses and Millionaire's Row; Lakeshore Adventures paddles clear-bottom kayaks over 1800s shipwrecks; and Door County Kayak Tours threads the Cave Point sea caves. Most run late spring through fall.
The Best Golf Courses in Door County
Peninsula State Park Golf Course in Ephraim is our top pick — 18 holes of public championship golf with Green Bay views right inside the state park. Idlewild near Sturgeon Bay is the stiffest test, Cherry Hills is the best stay-and-play, and Maxwelton Braes in Baileys Harbor has been playing since 1929. Most run roughly April through October, so book ahead in peak summer.
The Best Hiking Trails in Door County
Peninsula State Park has Door County's most complete trail network and Eagle Tower's view to match, but the county's best hiking spreads well beyond it. Cave Point and Whitefish Dunes pair a limestone shoreline with the state's best swimming beach, Toft Point is a quiet, mostly-empty walk through old-growth boreal forest, Newport State Park is 30 miles of trail at the wild northern tip, and The Ridges Sanctuary is flat boardwalk through rare wildflower habitat.
The Best Kayaking & Paddling Spots in Door County
Bay Shore Outfitters is the pick if you just want a kayak for the afternoon, with locations in Sturgeon Bay, Sister Bay, and Ephraim. For a guided tour, Lakeshore Adventures' clear-bottom Shipwreck Tour in Baileys Harbor paddles you directly over 1800s schooner wrecks, and Peninsula Kayak Company, Door County Kayak, and Door County Kayak Tours cover Eagle Bluff, Death's Door Bluff, and Cave Point from the water.
The Best Live Music in Door County
Door County Brewing's Music Hall in Baileys Harbor is the best dedicated room for live music, and the Door Community Auditorium in Fish Creek brings in the big touring names. Birch Creek's barn near Egg Harbor runs nightly student-and-faculty concerts all summer, Holiday Music Motel is the songwriters' hub, and Husby's Garage Bar in Sister Bay has bands most summer weekends. Most music is summer-heavy, so check calendars.
The Best Museums & History in Door County
The Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay is our top pick — climb its lighthouse tower for the best view of the working shipyard, then tour a retired tugboat. The Miller Art Museum (free) holds the county's fine-art collection, The Farm is the best stop with kids, and Björklunden's hand-painted stave chapel in Baileys Harbor is the most unexpected. Several are free, and hours run seasonal, so check before you go.
The Best Theater in Door County
Peninsula Players near Fish Creek is our top pick — America's oldest professional resident summer theater, with Broadway-caliber casts, a garden stroll, and a bonfire at intermission. Northern Sky stages original musicals outdoors in Peninsula State Park, Third Avenue PlayWorks runs professional plays year-round in Sturgeon Bay, and Door Shakespeare performs in the Björklunden garden. Most run summer, a couple year-round.