360 Magazine Culture Editor Tom Wilmer reports from Door County Wisconsin.
If you’re not familiar with Wisconsin, look at a map of the state and you’ll notice a jutting peninsula (locals fondly refer to the peninsula as Wisconsin’s thumb) on the eastern flank. That’s Door County; cradled on the western flank is Sturgeon Bay and legendary Green Bay.
Summertime is crazy-busy tourist time with vacationers from around the midwest who have a multi-generational fondness for the rural county.
It’s a rural paradise where cherry orchards remain king, but today family-owned wineries have also become part of the landscape, alongside the ever popular roadside farm stands.
Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery & Market in Fish Creek, Wisconsin–symbolizes Door County’s multi-generational family owned businesses. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
Summertime rocks with legendary lakeside fish boils and beachside barbecues with live music.
Legendary Fish Boil at Rowleys Bay Resort & Restaurant Ellison Bay, Wisconsin. Photo Credit Tom Wilmer
Innkeeper at Rowleys Bay Resort Ellison Bay, Wisconsin shows off the end result of the fish boil. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
Sundowner barbecue and live music on the bay at Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
Around back–at Al Johnsons Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. Actually they are legend for their goats who mow the restaurant’s sod-roof during the summer months–oh and they serve great food too! Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
If you’re based in a southern state or on the West Coast you might presume that come wintertime the locals in the Northern Tier states hunker down by the fireplace until the spring thaw.
Outdoor adventuring on Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in the heart of Door County. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
Come up for a visit in the midst of winter and you will see the locals just as busy playing and adventuring in the outdoors as they do in July or August.
Great fun to ride a vehicle across the bay to go ice fishing. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
Cross Country skiing, snow shoeing, hiking, ice skating–and ice fishing are super popular winter activities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crprEtOV-pI
Videographer Jason Lopez produced a 360 video featuring the Washington Island Ferry Service with Richard Purinton and Jon Jarosh from the Door County Visitor Bureau
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE KCBX/NPR One PODCAST about the Washington Island Ferry
The northern end of the Door County Peninsula exhibits a distinctive, intoxicating beauty. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
A cool mid-winter adventure takes place at the northern end of the Door Peninsula–that’s where you board the ice-breaker ferry for a ride across the straits—dubbed long ago by pioneer adventurers Deaths’ Door.
The roots of the name stem from the potentially brutal and sometimes deadly experience when early settles traveled by boat between the peninsula and ports around Lake Michigan.
Washington Island Ferry. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
Today the Washington Island Ferry transports locals and visitors every day of the year–shuttling passengers between the peninsula and nearby Washington Island.
The Washington Island Ferries are equipped with hardened ice-breaking bows that carve their way across the straits skirting the fringe of Green Bay and Lake Michigan.
Crossing the straits of Death’s Door on the fringe of Lake Michigan en route to Washington Island. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
Settled long ago by Norwegian and Icelandic pioneers, Washington Island remains populated by descendants of the first homesteaders (the island today claims a large population of Icelandic descendants)–of course along with a new generation of hardy souls, many attracted specifically because of its remoteness and unspoiled natural beauty.
Washington Island’s revered Norwegian Stavkirke (church of Staves) is based on drawings of a church in Borglund, Norway constructed in 1150 AD. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
A saving grace for the island’s pristine environment is that it has experienced minimal development and claims around 700 full-time residents, swelling to more than 1,500 during the summertime.
One of the big draws is a visit to one of the island lavender farms, and lunch at one of the local diners.
In addition to the natural beauty of Washington Island, and Door County, a precious attraction is the friendliness and welcoming attitude of the locals.
Innkeeper at White Gull Inn shows off his classy ride. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
A stop at a coffee shop is an integral part of life year round on the Door Peninsula. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
Fun with the locals at Rowleys Resort Ellison Bay, Wisconsin. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
Jon Jarosh with the Door County Visitor Bureau. Photo Credit: Tom Wilmer
