While camping is my number one reason for heading to Door County each year, there are other reasons why I enjoy spending time there. Here’s a few of the places I’ve been to and recommend checking out.

Door Peninsula Winery - it’s a great rainy day destination. They have free wine tasting of as many of their wines as you would like (doesn’t that say it all?).
It’s north of Sturgeon Bay on Hwy 42 in an old schoolhouse. Take the tour ($2) to see how the wine is made.
Because they make over 50 different wines (many under $10 a bottle) it’s difficult deciding which ones to try but start with the dryest and end with the sweetest to best enjoy the flavors of each one.
My picks: the ice wine - a sweet dessert wine that is made from grapes harvested right after a hard frost; and the blackberry merlot which is one of their top-sellers.
Also, head to the refrigerated case and pick up a couple containers of the wine cheese spread. It’s really good. Then head back to the campground and enjoy some wine around the campfire in the evening (if it’s not raining).

Orchard Country Winery - (yes, I like to go to wineries) The wine tasting is free but limited to trying 6 different wines. Blackberry Blend is their top-seller but my favorite is the Honeycrisp Apple.
Their apple cider and fruit pies are tasty too.
While you’re there, take a trolley tour; or if it’s winter a sleigh ride.

Noble House - take a step back in time by touring Fish Creek’s oldest frame house which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It gives you a look into how life was lived in Door County over a 100 years ago.

Pirate’s Cove Mini Golf is fun for the whole family. Mini golf is an activity we started doing with our kids when they were small. Now, even though they’re grown, it’s still something they love to do which is why this is on our list of things to do every year when we go camping in Door County. The course is well maintained (my favorite part is the waterfalls) and it’s reasonably priced.
Pirate’s Cove is located in Sister Bay which is about 20 minutes north of Peninsula State Park.

The Shipwrecked Inn in Egg Harbor (about 15 minutes south of Peninsula State Park) is a restaurant located in a building with an interesting history (overnight accomodations are also available).
Shipwrecked first opened for business in the late 1800’s when the lumber industry in the area was booming. It became a popular place for both lumberjacks and sailers.
In the 1920’s, it became one of Al Capone’s favorite places. In fact, Door County in general was a favorite area for him because all the “nooks and crannies” in the area made it hard for law enforcement to track him down.
There are still tunnels under the building Shipwrecked is in that lead to various places around Egg Harbor that Al Capone used when he needed to make a quick getaway, although folklore says the tunnels were originally created for Chief Tecumseh of the Ottawa Indian tribe for his use in quick getaways from other tribes.
Local folklore also says that in the early 1930’s a couple of IRS officials came looking for Capone at Shipwrecked but were never seen again because they somehow became “lost” in the tunnels.
Shipwrecked brews their own beer. I recommend the Door County Cherry Wheat. Enjoy it with the fried perch and Hawaiian coleslaw. And, if dessert is “calling your name” try the cherry berry crisp a la mode. It’s served warm with whipped cream and a scoop of ice cream. Yum! It was so good I would have picked up the bowl and licked it clean if I would have been at home.

The Inn at Kristofer’s is the place to go for a wonderful dining experience when you want to treat yourself to a great meal. It’s located in Sister Bay and the dining room has a great view of the water. When I dined there immediately after being seated I was served a cool glass of water with a wedge of lime and a basket of fresh warm multi-grain rolls with basil flavored butter rosettes.
There were three people in my dining party and we all loved our entrees which included grilled quail, Angus filet mignon, and roast duck with orange Grand Marnier sauce. To say all the entrees were delicious doesn’t do them justice. The food is some of the best I’ve ever had anywhere.
Reservations are recommended, especially during the summer, but when we dined there we showed up early in the evening in the first part of October without reservations and were seated immediately.

P C Junction is one of those places that you may never stop at if it wasn’t recommended to you because it’s not located on one of the main roads in Door County and isn’t a fancy new building. But if you don’t go there while in Door Couny you would be missing out on the most fun dining experience in Door County - especially for kids.
It has a train and train tracks that run from the kitchen all the way around the bar. It delivers food and drinks right to where you’re sitting. The kitchen staff loads the food on the train, sends it around the tracks to where you’re sitting, stops the train, and then you take your food. Plus, the kitchen cook dresses like a train engineer and periodically sings little train related ditties. It’s great.
The food is good too. Try the burgers. Go there for lunch for get there early so you and the kids get a seat at the bar (which is made out of old wooden doors - doorknobs still attached).
It’s located at 7898 County A, Peninsula Center, WI.

Kurtz Corral is a great place to go for a horseback ride. I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of riding horses but my kids talked me into it during one of our trips there and I did have a good time.
They have several options for riding; an arena ride for kids who want to ride a horse but aren’t ready for a trail ride; a wooded walk ride (our family took this one) which is a 1 hour leisurely paced trail ride that includes an instructional video; a faster paced wooded walk trot ride; and an advanced trail ride for experienced horse riders that includes an optional winery stop.

Door County Bakery has an amazing bread called the corsica loaf that has a really tasty crust with olive oil and sesame seeds. They have free samples.
If you’re like me and think the crust is the best part of the bread, buy a Corsica breadstick instead of a hunk of the bread. Only buy what you can eat that day though. Because it’s an artisan bread it doesn’t keep well.
The cherry cream cheese coffee cake is really good too.

Edge of the Park is exactly where it’s name says it is. It’s located right at the entrance to Peninsula State Park and is where you can rent 21 speed bikes, 7 speed bikes, tandem bikes, recumbent bikes, kid’s bikes, jogging strollers, and mopeds.
Since we always take our own bikes camping, we like to rent the mopeds for an afternoon and go cruising around the park roads although they can be ridden on any paved road in the area. They’re a lot of fun.

Wilson’s is the place to go in Door County for old fashioned ambience and tasty ice cream. They’ve been around for a little over 100 years. The butter pecan and Mackinaw Island fudge ice creams are my favorites. If you have time to sit down and enjoy a burger ask for a booth with one of the mini-jukeboxes in it so you can listen to “oldies but goodies” while enjoying your meal.

For a “trip down memory lane” and just a fun thing to do if you’re not old enough to remember these, go to Skyway Drive-In Theatre for a double feature movie and some popcorn. When I was younger there was still a drive-in theater near where I lived and almost every weekend in summer a carload of me and my friends would head to the theater to watch movies and hang out. Kids young and old enjoy going to the Skyway in Door County, but for different reasons. For the older generation it brings back memories. For kids it’s a new experience.
It’s located on Hwy 42 between Fish Creek and Ephraim and is one of the few remaining drive-in movie theaters in Wisconsin.

These are just a few of the things I’ve seen, experienced and enjoyed while visiting Door County but I wanted to mention them because they are my favorite places. Check them out, they might become your favorites too.

For more information on what to do and see in Door County, click here.