Planning a getaway to Door County, Wisconsin? I’m sharing my weekend guide to Door County including the best places to eat, cocktail bars, things to see, and hikes to enjoy in the area!The weekend is almost here and it’s starting to really feel like spring outside! And thank goodness for that because I honestly thought for awhile that spring was never going to make its way to Chicago – but it finally did (but it only took ’till May….)

Last weekend, I was able to sneak away from Chicago for a long weekend with Tom to Door County, Wisconsin, which was the perfect little getaway from the city. Tom’s family is from Door County originally, so we try to go up at least a few times a year to visit some of our favorite places to eat, drink and explore. This time, we were there from Thursday – Sunday morning which gave us the perfect amount of time to see everything we wanted to see around the area without feeling like we were packing in too much in. Since we’ve been a few times now, I wanted to round-up a weekend guide to Door County with a few of my favorite places to explore, eat and discover if you want to take a mini-getaway to Door County too! It’s perfect for a long weekend, and there’s few places more beautiful to visit in the summer and fall.

Weekend Guide to Door County

Try some Local Brews and Listen to Live Music at Door County Brewing Co: 

Door County Breaking has been around for years, but they recently opened up the doors to their new taproom and music space in Bailey’s Harbor. It’s a beautiful space, and from chatting with the guys behind the bar, there’s a ton of awesome musical acts that come through town when hitting the Midwest circuit. The beer is also pretty solid (as I heard through my beer drinking boyfriend) and it’s noticeably gotten better over the past few years as the team has been refining their recipes and honing in on new varieties. If you’re looking for the perfect place to spend a weekend afternoon or night, check out the beer garden in the backyard on sunny days too!

Enjoy Cider at Island Orchard Cider House: 

I’m not a beer drinker (I’ve tried but I’m just not that into it!), but dry cider is totally my jam. I’ve been a big fan of Island Orchard since my first visit to Door County a few years back, and their cider has become a staple in the area (and beyond, too!). I love going to the tap-room and ordering a tasting of a few of their famous ciders – from Door County cherry, to lavender, to their classic brut, oak barrel aged, and more – they continue to innovate and come up with truly delicious ciders. I always make sure to come home with a few bottles too!

All of The Yummy Door County Restaurants: 

Door County has become a mecca for good food in the past few years, so every time we make the pilgrimage up there, we usually eat waaaaaaay too much delicious food stuffed into a 3 day weekend. No regrets though, because the food rivals some of the best restaurants in Chicago and is (usually) more affordable too! There are so many places that we love, but below is our highlights reel that we go back to again and again.

Date-Night Dinner Options:

Wickman House: No weekend guide to Door County is complete without a mention of Wickman House. We go there every trip, and we are big fans of Wickman Houses innovative food menu and delicious cocktails. The restaurant has been written up in the NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, Buzzfeed and Timeout – all for very good reason. We love chatting with Mike the co-owner (who often is behind the bar bartending) and trying out new dishes on the menu. Last time we had a delicious Halibut special, their deviled eggs, oysters, grain bowl and brownie dessert – all which were insanely good!

Trixies: Lovingly referred to as Wickman’s little sister restaurant – Trixies is developing quite the glowing reputation on its own. The restaurant focuses on sustainably sourced food, seasonal produce, and female wine makers from around the county. And the food is good – we had the salmon crudo (pictured above!), whitefish with calamari, and seasonal pasta. The menu changes regularly, so there’s always something new to look forward to every time you go!

The Best Lunch Spots:

Wild Tomato: THE spot for pizza in the area – the ‘za’s are delicious and they always have a seasonal specialty pizza that’s delicious. We usually split a pizza and salad and are happy to walk back with leftovers the next day 🙂

Beer Zot: Owned by the same people as Wild Tomato, Beer Zot serves up delicious German/American food and local brews. We had the tempura cauliflower, chicken schnitzel sandwich and salad and it was all so delicious.

Places for Breakfast/Brunch:

Al Johnson’s: Another restaurant that couldn’t not make my weekend guide to Door County, this restaurant is a classic open for over 65 years! It’s a Swedish restaurant (many original Door County natives were from Sweden originally), and they’re known for their Swedish Meatballs and pancakes with lingonberry jam.

Cloud 9 Juice: Another newcomer to the area, Cloud 9 is the perfect place to brunch or lunch after you’ve eaten waaaaay too many delicious but probably unhealthy foods (guilty…). We went on our way out-of-town and had a tasty scramble and smoothie that made us feel a little less guilty about the bottle of wine the night before.

Coffee Shops: We love, Leroy’s Coffee in Ephraim for an afternoon reading, Basecamp Coffee in Sister Bay for delicious lattes, the best granola (ever) and treats, and Bearded Heart Coffee in Bailey’s Harbor for a mid-day pick me up.

Other Favorites:

Husby’s: If you’re looking to drink a beer with the locals, Husby’s is the place to do it. We had quite a few Bucks games to watch during our last trip (let’s just say Tom was more excited about it than I was…) and this was the sports bar that was perfect for watching the game and drinking a few drinks.

 

Wilson’s: This place is another Door County classic – and their ice cream is pretty unbelievable. The food is decent American fare, but we always go for the malts or epic ice cream sundaes when we’re in town.

Explore, Hike and Bike around Door County: 

There are so many beautiful places to hike, explore and bike around Door County that you could spend a solid month exploring new places around the area. Our favorite places to go are Peninsula State Park for hiking or biking (you can rent a bike here and hop on the trails!). There’s a ton of trails depending on if you’re more advanced or a novice (and depending on how much time you want to spend exploring) and every time I’m there we find a new favorite trail.

Whitefish Dunes State Park is another great spot for hiking, and it’s where we stopped last time we went to Door County on our way out-of-town. It was a little chilly at the end of April, but there were some really pretty rock formations, beaches and views of the lake. I’m already excited to go back once it’s swimming weather in a few months!

Oh, and you can’t forget about Sister Bay Bowl! They have the cutest old school bowling alley and an iconic Wisconsin supper club. It’s the perfect place to transport you back in time, and you have to score the old-fashioned way on a pad of paper 🙂

Hopefully you’re inspired to take a long weekend to Door County too! If you do, let me know where you end up going and if you need any tips on where to stay or other places to go! xx