Once you’ve been to Door County, Wisconsin, you start dreaming of when you can return. Surrounded with water, with one charming village after another, a rich past, and varied present, there’s just so much to do and take in. A return trip for me meant visiting old favorites (and enjoying them even more the second time around), while discovering new people, places, and things to do. Here’s my Editor’s Pick guide to the best places to go in Door County to help you really experience it. Don’t miss our video sneak peek, below.

Best Places in Door County to: Revel in cheese

Door Artisan Cheese enables you to see cheesemaking in action by master cheesemakers. Taste to your heart’s content and then stock up to have a tasty picnic. Learn more about Mike Brennenstuhl, the president, in the podcast interview we did with him. Note, he also owns one of the restaurants, below, where we had a wonderful dinner, Glacier Ledge.

Renard’s Cheese is family-owned and operated, going back to 1961. Enjoy unique, seasonal flavors such as Tuscan Rosemary or focus on their most popular items, cheese curds and string cheese. Grab a bite to eat from the deli while you’re there, including salads, pizza, sandwiches, and soup.

You can’t Wisconsin without cheese curds and Renard’s is known for theirs.

Best places in Door County to: Drink up, buttercup

Island Orchard Cider stood out in my mind from my first visit because of the lavender apple cider. Thankfully, they are still making it plus I got to sample their divine Ice cider during a tasting flight. That’s a great way to find out what you like, before you buy.

One Barrel Brewing is a true hangout. Grab some pizza inside and the beer of your choice (again, I recommend a flight to get an idea of all they are capable of). Have a seat inside in the airy, modern atmosphere, or head out onto the deck and yard and play some cornhole. It’s easy to while away the afternoon there.

Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery & Market  is a family farm purchased back in 1955. In the 80’s, it became a winery, orchard, and market. They grow grapes for their wine, tart cherries, and other fruits including apples and pears. Don’t miss the opportunity to challenge yourself, and others, to a cherry pit spitting contest out back. It’s a hoot. A local expert told us his trick is to curl the edges of his tongue toward the center to create a “chute” for the pit. It works!

Harbor Ridge Winery is a great place to sit a spell and enjoy their cleverly named wines such as Gimme One Good Riesling, Call Me a Cab and their top seller, a fruity Carmen’s Last Dance.

Bob Purman is the co-owner of Island Orchard Cider. He has visited Normandy, France, to hone his cider-making skills.

Best places to: Take in the local arts scene

Margaret Lockwood Gallery is the perfect place to go if art studios and galleries intimidate you. Lockwood and her husband, Allin Walker, run the place, live upstairs, create there, welcome the community for movies outside and experimental theater in the basement. Lockwood’s art is inspired by the essence of nature in Door County and is a wonderful way to connect with an artist while connecting with the destination.

Miller Art Museum is a real surprise. Located inside a charming library, there’s this high-caliber, perfectly-sized, two story gallery that features local artists from past and present. Simultaneously, you learn about the history of Door County, its people, and a sense of what matters to them.

Popelka Trenchard Glass Fine Art Gallery & Studio is an absolute treat for anyone who, like me, is fascinated with the magic, skill, and beauty of glass blowing. See the husband and wife team creating their very different glass art and discover new ways to appreciate the know-how behind it.

The Hardy Gallery has probably shown up in your Instagram feed at some time or another. Right on the water, the small but mighty gallery is a landmark because of the history of people writing their names on the side. It started out as a way for boaters to paint their vessel’s name on the clapboard walls. But that tradition has grown (a little too much) to be a place for people from all over the world to commemorate special dates and names, no matter how they arrive at The Hardy. There are four exhibits that run through the season of May-October.

Northern Sky Theater, like Peninsula Players Theatre, which we wrote about previously, has an outdoor theater element which makes for a unique arts experience. Northern Sky had just completed the construction of their theater building when I visited. I was lucky enough to take in the first production held there. With floor-to-ceiling window panels that bring the outside in, and a lovely walkway off of the terrace for pre- and post- theater enjoyment, it’s a great way to take in theater with the locals. The show we saw, about family and fanaticism about the Green Bay Packers gave me new appreciation for the team and its fans.

The Margaret Lockwood Gallery showcases Margaret’s work as well as some work of other local artists.

Best places to: Understand the history of Door County

Ephraim Historical Foundation makes history come alive with historical buildings you can spend time in, tours, interactive activities, and really interesting people who are passionate about the history of their region. Don’t miss the Anderson Store, steps away from The Hardy Gallery, filled with merchandise they found up in the attic. Purchase some penny candy on the way out.

Door County Maritime Museum glories in Door County’s long history with boats and lighthouses. It’s a great way to learn about the vessels that have been made, repaired, sailed (and sunk) there, in hands-on ways.

The Anderson Store is much as it was, thanks to the discovery of merchandise in the attack that the last owner saved “just in case” someone would come in and want to buy it.

Best place in Door County to: Learn from an expert

Savory Spoon Cooking School, led by owner Janice Thomas, lets you immerse yourself in a fun experience where you’ll learn some things (even if you’re an experienced home cook), feel creative, and end with a wonderful meal you helped make. It’s a great way to luxuriate away a few hours. The fact that your lesson and meal happen in a 150-year-old school house full of charm is an added bonus.

Behind these doors, a culinary education (and delicious meal) await!

Best places to: Grab a cup of coffee and a bite to eat

NutMeg Spice is owned by Megan Jutrzonka, someone so nice and talented, you just want to root for her and her relatively new business. Serving coffee drinks and skillfully-made, completely scratch-made, picture-perfect pastries and other sweets, it’s the kind of place to grab a bite and a drink and nestle in with your laptop or a good book. I guess we looked like newbies to the place because an older gentleman, a regular, came over to tell us how wonderful the place is, and told us what his favorite drink is. When the locals love a place and want to share the love, that’s a good sign.

Skip Stone Coffee Roasters has beach-side-chic, nautical flare with loft seating that overlooks the water. It’s named after the owner’s fond childhood memories skipping stones off of nearby Washington island. They have their own coffee blend created for them by a local roaster. Don’t miss their breakfast sandwiches and scones.

Croissants at NutMeg Spice take more than a day to make due to scratch ingredients and layer upon layer, upon layer of dough.

Best places to: Get sweets

Sweetie Pies is a slightly hidden away treat that you might not know about if it weren’t for this article – or guidance from a local. Tucked away in the cutest little house is a world of pie goodness. Beautiful pies, that look like real people made them (definitely not factory-perfect), but that taste so much better, come out of the kitchen throughout the day. You can buy whole pies but it’s more fun to get slices of a few different flavors, forks and a bunch of napkins. Then sit out on the patio and rotate around bites. Make sure the Cherry Pie is one of them.

Door County Candy is a place to revert back to childhood or to spoil yourself. A little childhood wonder and doing something sweet for yourself or someone else is a good thing. The business has been open more than two decades and is now family owned and operated, headed by Terry Ullman. See treats being made, sample away, and stock up on retro candies. They even have themed, AirBnB lodging options called Sweet Suites, upstairs.

Terry Ullman is the owner of Door County Candy. His cheerfulness is contagious.

Best places to: Have a unique meal
Rowleys Bay Fish Boil is, perhaps, the quintessential fish boil event in Door County. While you’ll see the tell-tale black plume of smoke from other fish boils around the county, Rowleys is the only one that offers the meal in a buffet with a large variety of veggies, soup, salad, entrees and desserts. Make sure you do partake of some of the fixins from the fish boil – just watch for thin bones as you eat it. Learn more about the Fish Boil experience in our previous article.

Tom, who makes the Fish Bowl at Rowleys Bay, shows the group the potatoes that are about to be cooked.

Crate Restaurant is just down the way from Door County Candy. Dark, edgy, and delicious, Crate is as good a place to stop for a bite alone, with friends or on a date – we saw it all there. Known for being Door County’s only sushi restaurant (plus plenty of other options), don’t miss their sake cocktails.  The Cherry Blossom featuring Door County Tart Cherry Juice is a delicious way to drink local!

Glacier Ledge is the restaurant that is part of Door Artisan Cheese Company. The seasonal menu has an elegant flare but is far from fussy. The flavors are so good, our chatty group feel happily silent when our food was presented. They make everything from scratch, including the sorbet.

Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant is a staple in Door County, mostly because of the real, live goats, roaming and nibbling on the sod roof. But there’s also the authentic Swedish cuisine, where it’s not the slightest bit unusual to start your day with Swedish Pancakes, a couple of eggs, a side of Swedish Meatballs, and a glass of lingonberry juice. Be sure to try the pickled herring appetizer – it’s surprisingly good. As they say, when in Rome… (and Sweden, and Door County)…

Yup, the goats are real on the roof of Al Johnson’s.

Best places to: See what grows there
Seaquist Orchards is another family-run business with a history that goes back 150 years in farming in Door County. Seventy products are created in and sold from the country store, including jellies, jams, and sauces. But be sure to come in for fudge, fritters, their famous pies (look for the heart over each piece), as well as lots of fresh produce.

Shop for a variety of products in Seaquist Orchard’s store including a bunch of products they make on-site.

Best place to: Stay and take in the vibe
Rowleys Bay Resort and Restaurant lets you go back in time to the 50’s and 60’s with a retro charm that extends to the rooms, pub, and café. Don’t miss baked goods and other recipes handed down over generations. It’s a toss-up for me between the pecan role and the bagel as to which is my favorite treat there. When you visit, you’re very likely to meet Jewel Ouradnik, the kind and welcoming owner, a member of the family that has carried on the resort’s history.

Nestle in at Rowleys Bay Resort, a throwback to the days of family vacations by the lake.

Don’t rush your way through Door County. Stay a while, visit the various villages, meander the tree-lined roads, talk to the people, and take in as much of the arts, culture, history, and food scene as you can. Live like a local. To know Door County, Wisconsin is to love it – and to want to return soon.

To learn more about Door County, visit their website, here.

— Story and photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough

Hungry for more? Read about the first time we went to Door County, Wisconsin. Listen to a podcast interview with one of Door County’s cheesemakers, learning why he changed careers in order to start making cheese. Plus, get a glimpse of what’s in store for you in Door County, in our YouTube video, below.

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