It's that time of year - the temperatures are getting warmer, the sun seems to shine brighter, and the last day of school is inching closer. Summer is just around the corner! And with summer, comes vacation.
Perhaps this year, a trip to Disney World is out of the question. Perhaps the idea of spending a couple hundred bucks for a night or two at a hotel is a tad too much. Perhaps you're struggling to put together a plan for your family this summer. Perhaps you want a romantic getaway with your sweetie.
A little bit off the beaten path is one of Door County's parks called Olde Stone Quarry County Park. It's located just south of Little Harbor on Bay Shore Drive (County B) in the Town of Sevastopol. It's within ten minutes of Sturgeon Bay. This little gem underwent a major renovation back in 2005, and it became a first class boat landing with amenities that make it a great place for a variety of seasonal activities.
For those of you that are repeat visitors to Ephraim, there are certain landmarks that you would insist newcomers have to see in order to state that they had been to this town. For most, these landmarks include the Anderson complex, which is composed of four main buildings. One such building is the Anderson Barn, which contains photographs, artwork, artifacts and stories of Ephraim's history. The Barn is also home to the wheel of the ship Ebenezer, which was the only schooner that was built in Ephraim.
One other must-see part of this complex is the Anderson Dock, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Anderson Dock is a working dock, with seasonal and transient slips available for rent, and is best known for the graffiti-covered dock warehouse.
Door County boasts five state parks (as well as eighteen county parks and countless local parks) filled with hiking/biking trails, lighthouses, wildlife, and many more things for your family to explore. You can picnic, fish, golf and swim. If you prefer to vacation during our winter months, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and snowmobiling are also available. With vehicle admission at $5 daily for Wisconsin residents and $10 daily for non-residents, the state parks are a very affordable form of entertainment and exercise. (To make this adventure even more affordable, you can park in downtown fish creek and walk in to Peninsula State Park.) For more information: Newport (920) 854-2500; Peninsula (920) 868-3258; Potawatomi (920) 746-2890; Rock Island (920) 847-2235; Whitefish Dunes (920) 823-2400.
Nick and his family lived here in the lighthouse for a whole week!
Hi, my name is Nick. My family and I stayed in the Potawatomie Lighthouse on Rock Island this summer. This is what it was like.
First we took the car ferry to Washington Island. One thing you should know about Washington Island is that everyone waves at you. Next we took another smaller ferry over to Rock Island. Once we got to the island we loaded our gear onto the DNR's four wheeler and rode to the lighthouse along a small dirt path. This was a highlight of the trip!