Door County adds new restaurants, hotel to classic attractions for travelers this summer

One of the enchanting things about Door County is the mix of familiar and new. Wisconsin’s popular peninsula is not a stagnant destination.

What stays the same? Three-hundred miles of shoreline, 11 lighthouses, five state parks, oodles of cherry-centric choices in food and beverage.

We go to Door County to disconnect and reconnect. We discover — then crave, from one year to the next — boat rides with mellow music, fat sundaes from century-old Wilson’s, sunset shots at Anderson Dock’s graffiti-rich barn.

Cherries, nature preserves and tall ships

We pick the tart Montmorency by the bucket in summer, the Cortland and Honeycrisp by the bushel in autumn. Or we simply stock up by the fritter, pie, quart, jug.

During repeat visits, a part of the game is figuring out what’s new vs. what’s new to you. A billboard or structure en route tests the memory. Did that restaurant change its name? Was this wind turbine here last year? When did The Door gain enough wineries for a day (or two) of touring?

Cherries, nature preserves and tall ships

We pick the tart Montmorency by the bucket in summer, the Cortland and Honeycrisp by the bushel in autumn. Or we simply stock up by the fritter, pie, quart, jug.

During repeat visits, a part of the game is figuring out what’s new vs. what’s new to you. A billboard or structure en route tests the memory. Did that restaurant change its name? Was this wind turbine here last year? When did The Door gain enough wineries for a day (or two) of touring?

We visited a Door County Land Trust preserve and expected a pleasant walk, but not a private guide (four-footed, playful and looking a lot like an Irish setter). She lives near the entrance and led the way along a shady trail, then demanded a vigorous game of fetch. A new hiker eventually picked up where we left off.

We splurged on a two-hour ride aboard tall ship Edith M. Becker, which sailed with four passengers instead of the max of 22. A bonus for early-season, weekday visiting.

Both were new to us, but maybe not to you.

New Eagle Tower, National Scenic Byway

Much of the wider chatter about what’s new takes us to new heights because of the debut of 10-story Door County Maritime Museum Lighthouse Tower in Sturgeon Bay and the newly rebuilt Eagle Tower that looms 230 feet above water in Peninsula State Park near Fish Creek.

Scenic views? You bet, but ground-level perspectives are pretty special too. The 66-mile loop of state highways 57 and 42 (between Sturgeon Bay and Gills Rock) was designated a National Scenic Byway this year. Dedication of the route, also known as the Door County Scenic Byway, happens June 17 at Lakeside Park in Jacksonport.

Only 184 byways in 48 states are National Scenic Byways or All-American Roads. (Wisconsin’s 250 miles of Great River Road, along the Mississippi, and 70 miles of Highway 13, along Lake Superior, make the elite cut too.)

End of story? Hardly.

Food and lodging

Sister Bay, in particular, is primping itself beyond fresh coats of paint. Among the headliners:

The new Dörr Hotel (thedorrhotel.com) has 47 guest rooms (most with a private balcony) and showcases uncluttered, modern, Scandinavian design. Don’t look for a conventional lobby: The person working a cozy hotel bar also registers overnight guests. Rates include a small breakfast (example: fresh fruits with a dollop of Key lime yogurt, cherry-cardamom-poppyseed coffeecake). Next to the bar is a lounge with a large fireplace, large windows and collection of games to play on a rainy day.

Construction of Thyme Restaurant and Catering and the adjacent Twelve Eleven Wine Bar and open-air event space (thymedoorcounty.com) was expected to finish before June ends. Thyme, previously at Maxwelton Braes Golf Resort in Baileys Harbor, is posting a dinner menu of classic and gourmet fare (fried cheese curds, Thai chili cauliflower bites), nibbles and full entrees (cheeseburger sliders, pecan-crusted salmon). Whitefish renditions are plentiful, too.

Al Johnson’s (aljohnsons.com) has added Skal, a freestanding retail store with Scandinavian merchandise more contemporary than the traditional fare sold in the Swedish restaurant’s Butik. Between the two, shop for lingonberries and limpa bread, Swedish linens and Danish shoes, felted trivets and felted purses, goat-themed hats and fika (coffee break) recipe books.

New last summer was Fat Belly (fatbellybowls.com) by Sam Lindsley and Luke Boss, who present a make-life-simple menu of bowls, burritos and beer. Pick a protein and add a style (Asado, Baja, Far East, Caprese) to address veggies, condiments and spices. Or order the chef’s daily special (the recent tuna poke was ahi, mango, cukes, pickled cabbage, spicy aioli and teriyaki over rice).

Elsewhere:

DC Chocolate Design (dcchocolatedesign.com) has a new nook at Top of the Hill Shops in Fish Creek. The truffles look like colorful jewels; candymaker Kara VanderLeest offers a coffee menu and free Internet access, too. Buy a chocolate square molded with a Door County peninsula design, and it will be carefully wrapped in a sheet of pretty tissue paper.

Henriksen Fisheries (facebook.com/henriksenfisheriesdoorcounty) is a longtime commercial fishing enterprise, but now the family is going beyond wholesale and restaurant sales. The new Henriksen Fish Shop near Ellison Bay has a commercial kitchen for making whitefish cakes and whitefish spreads (two choices: goat cheese and cream cheese). Hours are limited to Fridays and Saturdays for now, but Henriksen also is a vendor at Door County farmers markets.

At the new Sara’s Artisan Gelato (sarasartisangelato.com) in Fish Creek, Green Bay native Sara Santaga introduces her handcrafted, small-batch recipes. Flavors — including Amarena Cherry, using the dark and sour fruit grown in Italy — change frequently. The culinary arts grad learned to make gelato at Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy. Try two kinds when ordering the smallest size.

Wild Tomato, maker of wood-fired pizzas in Fish Creek and Sister Bay, has added Wild Pizza Works (wildpizzaworks.com) in Egg Harbor. The new piemaker pays homage to the way pizza was made 60 years ago in Rome: That means a slightly thicker crust made with dough that gains flavor through longer fermentation.
Fun and games (and music)

New at Sturgeon Bay’s waterfront is Graham Park (sturgeonbay.net/news/grahampark), a 1.2-acre playground for all ages because of permanent ping pong tables, cornhole boards, chess and checkers tabletops. (Swap an I.D. card for free equipment rental at The Spoon, a nearby frozen yogurt bar.) The former shipyard property is below First Avenue at Oregon Street, next to the bridge.

Washington Island presents Sól Grass (solgrassmusicfestival.com), a June 25-26 bluegrass festival with a mix of state-based and national-touring performers at Washington Island Campground. Headliners Chain Station and The Cody Sisters are from Colorado. Bring your own instrument for jamming around an after-hours campfire. General admission is $95 for the two days and includes field camping (reserved campsites and cabins are sold out). A day pass, $35, means leaving by 10:30 p.m.

Last: 2021 also is the year to notice all that endures.

Door County Distillery (doorcountydistillery.com) releases a limited-edition brandy on July 12, the distillery’s 10th anniversary; special cocktails will be served at the pavilion. The new brandy uses only Door County grapes, a first for the distillery, which began business by selling just vodka, then gin. Now there are 17 products, plus limited-release spirits. “We are proud to have been the first to bring back distilling to Door County,” said spokeswoman Beth Levendusky.

Washington Island presents Sól Grass (solgrassmusicfestival.com), a June 25-26 bluegrass festival with a mix of state-based and national-touring performers at Washington Island Campground. Headliners Chain Station and The Cody Sisters are from Colorado. Bring your own instrument for jamming around an after-hours campfire. General admission is $95 for the two days and includes field camping (reserved campsites and cabins are sold out). A day pass, $35, means leaving by 10:30 p.m.

Last: 2021 also is the year to notice all that endures.

Door County Distillery (doorcountydistillery.com) releases a limited-edition brandy on July 12, the distillery’s 10th anniversary; special cocktails will be served at the pavilion. The new brandy uses only Door County grapes, a first for the distillery, which began business by selling just vodka, then gin. Now there are 17 products, plus limited-release spirits. “We are proud to have been the first to bring back distilling to Door County,” said spokeswoman Beth Levendusky.

Source: JSOnline.com