Washington Island is your destination for adventure in Door County. It starts with a five-mile ferry ride across the once-treacherous waters of Death’s Door, where Green Bay and Lake Michigan meet. Once ashore, embark on a tour of one-of-a-kind shopping and eating hosted by the 600 one-of-a-kind residents who call the island home. Here you’ll find Schoolhouse Beach, which could make a strong case as the most beautiful stone beach in Door County. Music and theater performances, quirky traditions, and lavender farms are all part of the experience. Those looking for another step removed can take their journey to remote Rock Island State Park.
Offering daily narrated tours around Fish Creek, Sister Bay, Ephraim and the many islands, bluffs and beaches surrounding Door County.
Cave Point County Park is perhaps the most iconic natural landscape of Door County. Revered by divers, photographers and all who visit, the beautifully carved rock faces lining the blue waters of Lake Michigan are quintessentially Door County. While not a state or national park, that doesn’t mean it is short on majesty. Local county officials preserve the park, offering free admission to the picnic areas, trails and spectacular views just up the beach from Whitefish Dunes State Park.
Newport State Park, northeast of Ellison Bay, is Wisconsin's only formally-designated wilderness park. With 2,373 acres and 11 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, the park offers quiet alternatives to bustling Door County. Explore 30 miles of hiking trails with hike-in campsites. There are evergreen and hardwood forests, wetlands and upland meadows
Considered Wisconsin's most complete park, Peninsula offers 468 campsites, three group camps, a summer theater, an 18-hole golf course, sand beach, bike trails, a lighthouse and eight miles of Door County shoreline. The rollicking waves that skip towards Peninsula's sky high bluffs are part of the Niagara Escarpment.
Explore Door County’s most iconic lighthouse, celebrating 150 years of standing watch on the shore of Lake Michigan in 2019. Ride a haywagon over the causeway to explore the island, including the 89-foot-tall tower, the original home of the lighthouse keeper and his family, and the oil house where fuel for the light was stored. The highlight of any Cana Island visit is climbing the 97 steps of the tower’s spiral staircase to reach the gallery deck. The outside deck delivers a sweeping view of Lake Michigan and the Door County peninsula. While the ascent is fun for visitors, imagine the lighthouse keeper’s job as he trudged up and down the steps each night, carrying heated lard to keep the light burning!
Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm is the largest single-site lavender grower in the Midwest. While we own other fields as well, our main farm on the corners of Airport and Townline Roads on Washington Island will become home to approximately 30,000 lavender plants when planting is completed in the next three years. Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm grows 14 different varieties of lavender; we’re proud of our demonstration gardens that educate visitors about lavender and create a better understanding of the many uses and benefits of this unique herb.
Al Johnson’s is an authentic Swedish family owned restaurant where you can find goats grazing the sod roof. It's quite a sight, and it's made this place one of the most famous restaurants in Door County. Inside the casual, carpeted dining room, young ladies in Scandinavian garb dish out limpa bread and Swedish meatballs. The menu consists of a variety of Swedish fare, from pancakes with lingonberries to Swedish meatballs, whitefish, sandwiches, salads, and a variety of hot and cold plates.
The fish fry is AMAZING!