If You're Ever in Door County...

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…You must do the following things:

1. You must either tour a winery, taste test some wine, or at the very least peer out the window at all the orchards, wineries and specialty wine shops that you pass by. Wine is kind of a big thing in Door County. I did not hesitate to partake in this little tourism draw. I bought the lightest, sweetest moscato (my pick of poison) ever and Hubster actually found a wine that he enjoyed. Mind you, Hubster has never drank a glass of wine in his life. He’s a beer-only guy. The fact that he actually found a wine he liked was jaw-dropping.

My super yummy moscato

Hubster liked the cranberry cherry wine. We’re also gonna

give a new beer and caramel apple sauce a shot.

All from Fat Louie’s

In addition to every olive oil ever, you can also sample vinegars,

jams, salsas, and other specialty items at Fat Louie’s

Just check out this shelf of preserved goodies

2. Participate in some kind of cookout: The fish boils in Fish Creek are a form of entertainment in themselves and have been going on for decades. Campground fires and freshly grilled fare abound in the summer, so there’s no reason to eat “indoor food.” My special birthday request for my mommy was healthy chicken and veggie skewers with honey mustard sauce. It was soooo good. Thanks mom! And thanks dad for manning the grill.

Fish Creek fish boil

Fish boil in action

3. Climb or at least admire the bluffs and shoreline. There are a lot of public swimming beaches and nature pathways to enjoy in Door County. We didn’t have enough time to explore more, but we did take walks out onto the docks and took time to admire the beauty around us.

4. Visit a few specialty shops. Almost every little town in Door County is littered with the cutest specialty shop you could ask for. You’ll find a collection of bookstores, clothing shops, cooking stores, art shops, and so much more at every corner. You will find nary a Walmart or McDonald’s in the “thumb” of Wisconsin. We did quite a bit of shopping while we were up there, even nabbing Hubster a pair of deerskin summer riding gloves.

Artist at work painting mural

Only in Wisconsin are the flamingos still wearing winter boots.

Even the hardware shops are charming.

5. Try the ice cream and coffee. Likewise, ice cream parlors and coffee shops abound. Not only was Fat Louie’s a specialty wine and olive oil shop, it also had the cutest ice cream parlor connected to it. Yes, we had ice cream for lunch. Don’t judge. It was my birthday weekend after all.

We also stopped in the Linger Coffeehouse for a little pre-dinner snack. We all ended up full on their fresh bagels and cheese and fruit platter. You should see how they brew their coffee. Talk about fresh-brewed. I don’t even know what this process is called, but they put the coffee in these specialty filtering cones, poured hot water over the top, and let the coffee drip directly into the coffee cup. Cool!

A corner of the Linger coffee shop holds a guitar signed by

Keith Urban!!! It said “play me.” I thought, don’t mind if I do!

Fresh bagels and pastries

Our generous cheese and fruit plate that filled us up.

6. Go to an outdoor movie: Outdoor movie theaters are getting pretty rare these days, as would be expected. However, one totally retro one is still in operation in Fish Creek: The Skyway Drive-In. Although this was in our itinerary to do, it downpoured on Saturday night, keeping us indoors for the evening. I have been to this theater in the past as a kid though, so I know what a great old-school experience it is.

For our overnight trip, we stayed at one of the cabins at Beantown Campground in Bailey’s Harbor. Beer fest was happening in Bailey’s Harbor, which we happily lingered through. Watch out for those sea gulls though. Bird poop in the hair is not fun. Just sayin’. Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellies were playing when we were there. They are the cutest, most folksy bluegrass band I’ve ever heard at a local festival (well, with the exception of The Pegs). I’ve been listening to them on Spotify ever since. Look them up!

I bought Peanut a mini guitar. Ok, I admit, I’m harboring four guitars in his large closet already because I don’t know where else to store them. However, I’m super protective of them because Peanut, well, he’s 4. He’s not as gentle with them as I would desire. Now he’s got one that fits him just right and he can do what 4-year-olds do to it.

He just adores his brand new guitar, and I couldn’t be any more delighted. He played around the campfire for us and even played outside of some of the shops while grandma browsed. My little street singer even got claps from passers-by. Adorable!