Door County

Sunrise as viewed from our room at Gordon Lodge in Bailey's Harbor

I've been going to Door County since childhood. We used to visit family friends in Sister Bay and nothing was more fun (and still is) than to see the goats grazing on the grass-thatched roof of Al Johnson's restaurant and to eat some Swedish crepes with lingonberries inside. I took my husband to Door County this past Spring for his first time, and this Fall as we made our way back up, the first thing he mentioned was the goats. See! They (the goats) captivate both the young and the old.

It takes exactly four hours to get to Renard's Cheese which feels like the gateway to the Door County Peninsula and all its bays and charming small towns. Renard's just built a new store next to their old one which includes a cheese tasting (yum!) and little cafe. Let's talk cheese! I cannot contain my joy for REAL string cheese. I detest that so-called string cheese in stores that doesn't really "string" so you eat it in chunks...bleh. This stuff is sweet, salty and strings! They also have cheese curds which is another of my cheese favorites. They are fresh when they make a squeaky noise as they rub against your teeth as you eat them. If you ever find them refrigerated, let them get to room temperature and this will wake them up to squeaky status. And then any proper Wisconsinite knows that you leave cheese curds out on the counter for a couple days. Yes, I mean no refrigeration.

The next stop was Schartner's. This is a farm stand that sells an array of farm fresh vegetables and fruit, canned jams & fruit fillings, and my weakness - homemade pies.

We couldn't pass up this "pee wee" apple pie. It was the perfect snack size and so irresistible that the moment we got into the car, we eagerly dug in with our plastic fork and a knife.

Egg Harbor was our next major stop after passing Sturgeon Bay. It is home to a plethora of shops. A decade ago, I used to frequent The Patricia Shoppe every time I was in Door County. I admired the shop owner who was in her mid-twenties, at the time, and making her dream come true. I also enjoyed her youthful, tasteful point of view. So many shops in Door County are kitschy and slightly skewed toward an older demographic, but here was a boutique that catered to me. A decade later, it is still charming and full of jewelry, accessories, handbags and now clothing. It was the end of the season, the last weekend in October, so I happily came away with a cute new pair of discounted boots and continued to live up to my husband's observed theory that for women, there seems to be a boot for every occasion :)

*Patricia Shoppe has a sister shop in Whitefish Bay, a suburb directly just north of Milwaukee. I recently discovered it is owned and operated by a former high school classmate of mine! :)

My dessert life is really not complete without some Wisconsin frozen custard. For those who know me, it makes me positively giddy! If you've never had it, frozen custard is smoother in texture than ice cream, hence less ice; thicker and creamier than soft-serve;  tastier than its counterparts; divine. Not Licked Yet in Fish Creek makes a beyond delicious, premium frozen custard in my opinion. In the picture above, that is a single cone! It intrigued me to see how'd they get a double on that same cone - that curiosity to be sated next visit. (In Chicago, I get my frozen custard fix at Scooter's Frozen Custard on Belmont and Paulina. It's open seasonally so get your fix before November 30, 2012 otherwise you'll have to wait until March 2013.)  

You've probably had cider beer before, but have you ever tried hard cider? Island Orchard Cider in Ellison Bay was such a treat. All their apples are grown and sourced locally from Washington Island or on the peninsula. The tasting is comprised of 4-5 versions of hard cider; a few have extra flavor profiles such as cherry and peach. This hard cider is likened to champagne - dry, bright and slightly effervescent. Very good and different - I think it would be even better paired with food. We came away with one bottle for $12. Additionally, you can re-use the bottle as a water bottle, as it has an old-fashioned pop-off top which I love.

Walking along Gordon Lodge's waterfront

We ended our wonderful one-night trip at  Gordon Lodge in Bailey's Harbor which is on the east side of the peninsula. It's less-populated over here and so calm, serene, and idyllic. There is a main lodge, along with many cottages for bigger families. They have a pool, tennis courts, trails, and bikes; at no charge, they provide rackets and bikes. We had a nice dinner at their restaurant Top Deck which had a lovely view of the lake as the sun set. While the true sunset is on the other side of the peninsula, the sky still changes colors and is a beautiful sight. And did you see the lovely sunrise that greeted me the next morning? (Check out the picture at the top of this post). Ordinarily I'm not an oceanview, lakeview, scenic room view kind of traveler, but on this occasion, I kind of yearned for it, got it and thoroughly enjoyed it! I literally watched the sky change for an entire hour from my bed. And there's more! Breakfast, included in the price of our stay, was delightful and featured a regular buffet in addition to made-to-order blueberry pancakes and eggs/omelettes. This made my husband - a true buffet hater - very content. We stayed here at the recommendation of some friends (thanks VanWagners!) who equated it to a modern-day version of the Dirty Dancing lodge. Minus Patrick Swayze, so true! We didn't really want to leave - a sign of a great place.

While the season is ending (many places were shuttering down this last weekend in October), I hope I have enticed you to make the 4+ hour drive (from Chicago) to this great weekend getaway next spring/summer/fall :) There is something for everyone - singles, couples, families, and retirees. You will not be disappointed.