Door County splits Green Bay from Lake Michigan into a 66-mile finger of harbor towns, cherry orchards, and limestone bluffs — one of the Midwest’s best long-weekend road trips. This loop starts at the peninsula’s base in Sturgeon Bay and works north up Highway 42, with sea caves, a lighthouse bike loop, a classic fish boil, and a ferry crossing to Washington Island — with real inns, outfitters, and 2026 prices to book before you go.
Day 1
Sturgeon Bay to Fish Creek: Sea Caves & a Door County Fish Boil
The drive starts at the base of the peninsula in Sturgeon Bay and heads north on Highway 42, with a stop at a limestone sea-cave shoreline before the first fish boil of the trip.
🚗 Self-Drive — Green Bay Airport to Sturgeon Bay
~50 minutes · rental car required for the peninsula
Green Bay’s Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) is the closest airport to the peninsula, about 45 minutes south of Sturgeon Bay on Highway 57 — a rental car is the only practical way to cover this itinerary, since the towns up the peninsula sit 10–20 minutes apart by car.
Avis — Austin Straubel Airport (GRB) · +19204963840 · www.avis.com/en/locations/nam/us/wi/green-bay/grb
📸 Cave Point County Park
~1 hour · Free
Wave-cut limestone bluffs form a run of sea caves and arches right at the Lake Michigan shoreline near Jacksonport — one of the most photographed stretches of coast in Wisconsin, with a flat clifftop trail running the length of the park.
🍽️ Door County Fish Boil — The White Gull Inn
~1.5 hours · Est. $36 USD / person
A century-old Door County tradition — whitefish, red potatoes, and onions boiled over an open wood fire in a cast-iron kettle, finished with a kerosene boil-over that sends the fish oils flaming into the air — then a slice of cherry pie to close it out.
The White Gull Inn · +19208683517 · www.whitegullinn.com
🛎️ Overnight — The Wilder Inn, Ephraim
From $259–329 USD / night, for 2 people
A boutique inn on Eagle Harbor in downtown Ephraim, a short drive from Fish Creek, with crisp modern rooms and a walk to the Green Bay shoreline — a quieter, design-forward alternative to the peninsula’s classic bed-and-breakfasts.
The Wilder Inn · +19208542515 · wilderinn.com
Day 2
Peninsula State Park to Sister Bay: Bluffs, Bikes & Goats on a Roof
The park at the heart of the peninsula and the harbor town at its shoulder — a lighthouse loop by bike, a paddle beneath the bluffs, and lunch under Al Johnson’s grass roof.
🚴 Bike Rental — Nicolet Beach, Peninsula State Park
~2–3 hours · $20 for 2 hours (+$8/additional hour)
Nicolet Beach’s rental shack rents adult bikes by the hour or day for the park’s signature ride — a rolling loop past Eagle Bluff Lighthouse and the Sven’s Bluff overlook, with Green Bay in view for most of it.
Nicolet Beach Rentals · +19208549220 · www.nicoletbeachrentals.com
🛶 Guided Kayak Tour — Door County Kayak
~2.5 hours · Est. $75 USD / person
A guided paddle beneath the limestone cliffs of Eagle Bluff, launching from the park’s shoreline with the lighthouse and Green Bay’s Strawberry Islands as the backdrop — no experience needed, all gear included.
Door County Kayak — Egg Harbor · +19204714820 · doorcountykayak.com
🍽️ Lunch — Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, Sister Bay
~1 hour · Est. $18–24 USD / person
Swedish pancakes with lingonberries under a roof of live grass grazed by a small herd of goats — Sister Bay’s best-known restaurant since 1949, and still the peninsula’s most photographed lunch stop.
Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant · +19208542626 · aljohnsons.com
🛎️ Overnight — The Wilder Inn, Ephraim
From $259–329 USD / night, for 2 people
Second night at the same inn.
The Wilder Inn · +19208542515 · wilderinn.com
Day 3
Washington Island Ferry & the Drive Home
A short ferry crossing to Door County’s outermost island before the drive back south, with a last stop for cherries and a farewell tasting flight.
⛴️ Washington Island Ferry Line
~30 min crossing · $16 USD / adult round trip, $30 / vehicle round trip
Wisconsin’s oldest continuously operating auto ferry crosses the open water of Death’s Door passage from Northport to Washington Island — walk on for the island’s shops and ice cream, or bring the car to loop past Schoolhouse Beach’s smooth white stones.
Washington Island Ferry Line · +18002232094 · wisferry.com
🍒 Seaquist Orchards Farm Market
~30–45 minutes · cherry pie, jams & cider priced by item
A fifth-generation family orchard on Highway 42 in Sister Bay, selling tart Montmorency cherries, cherry pie, and jams from the same trees visible from the parking lot — the classic last stop before leaving the peninsula.
Seaquist Orchards Farm Market · +18007328850 · seaquistorchards.com
🍷 Farewell Tasting — Simon Creek Vineyard & Winery
~45 minutes · Est. $12–15 USD tasting flight
A working vineyard just outside Sturgeon Bay on the way back to the highway, pouring dry reds and the cherry wines Door County is known for — a last tasting flight before the drive south.
Simon Creek Vineyard & Winery · +19207469307 · simoncreekvineyard.com
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