Road Trip Door County WI – Peninsula, Cherries & Fish Boil

Green Bay Gills Rock
120
km
2h
drive
All seasons
season

The Itinerary

Door County — the "Cape Cod of the Midwest" — is a 110 km peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Five state parks, eleven lighthouses, endless cherry orchards (5th-largest US producer) and 19 charming villages make it a favourite weekend destination for Wisconsin and Illinois travelers.

Highway 42 (bay side, livelier) and Highway 57 (Lake Michigan side, quieter) meet at the tip at Gills Rock. Sturgeon Bay, the hub town, holds three lighthouses and a historic canal. Fish Creek, Egg Harbor and Ephraim line up shops, galleries and white-clapboard inns. Sister Bay is famous for Al Johnson's restaurant — sod roof with grazing goats.

The "fish boil" is a signature culinary show: whitefish, potatoes and onions boiled in a cauldron outside with a final kerosene burst to make the oils overflow — guaranteed theatre. In October, cherry orchards blaze orange in a riot of fall colours. Cave Point County Park on Lake Michigan has the finest limestone cliffs.

Points of Interest

  • ✦
    Peninsula State Park
    Wisconsin's biggest state park, 9 km shore, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse.
  • ✦
    Cave Point County Park
    Limestone cliffs, sea caves, kayak.
  • ✦
    Al Johnson's (Sister Bay)
    Swedish restaurant, sod roof with grazing goats.
  • ✦
    Fish Boil
    Signature culinary spectacle, kerosene finale flare.
Practical info
  • Departure Green Bay
  • Destination Gills Rock
  • Distance 120 km
  • Duration 2h
  • Category Medium (100–250 km)
  • Best season All seasons
Themes
peninsula cherries gastronomy Lighthouse village Family wisconsin Fall

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