9 a.m. Eat a breakfast sandwich, then browse the shops
The line might be out the door, but the sourdough bagels are worth the wait at Cultured, a bakery in Sister Bay, one of the peninsula’s northernmost towns. Grab a bagel with local smoked whitefish, herb-and-garlic cream cheese, tomato, cucumber and pickled red onion ($14), or for something on the sweet side, one topped with cream cheese, lemon curd and blueberries ($9). Then check out the abundant shops and art galleries in Egg Harbor, a town about 15 minutes south. Don’t miss the newly restored Cupola House building, from 1871, which houses Daughters and Co., a serene space selling home goods and children’s clothing. Leave with a bundle of dried flowers, a set of brass candlesticks or a framed oil painting depicting a Door County landscape.
12 p.m. Spy on some rooftop goats
Recharge with a classic Door County must-do: a peek at the goats grazing on a grass roof at Al Johnson’s, a Swedish restaurant in Sister Bay and a favorite of visitors, who gather on the sidewalk hoping to spot the animals above. (Skal next door sells playful jewelry, vases and other Scandinavian-themed souvenirs.) Walk across the street for a salad or a sandwich at Door County Creamery, like the BLT ($15) or the hot-honey and chèvre cheese, produced from the creamery’s own goats, on bâtard bread ($16). Children who need to blow off steam after lunch will delight in the nearby playground at Sister Bay Beach, a nod to the peninsula’s nautical past and present.
2 p.m. Explore the peninsula from its waters
Rent a pontoon boat at South Shore Pier in Ephraim, and head out on the crystal-clear waters of Green Bay. (A 22-foot boat that holds eight passengers rents for $195 for up to two hours, plus fuel.) That gives you plenty of time to cruise along the shoreline, checking out the towns of Fish Creek and Sister Bay, and Nicolet Bay Beach, where archaeologists have found Native American artifacts dating back to about 400 B.C. Get an up-close view of curvy Horseshoe Island, uninhabited but popular with kayakers and hikers, as well as the Sister Islands and Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, a brick structure built in 1868 that still helps boats navigate through the narrow Strawberry Channel. The water in Green Bay is warm, by Great Lakes standards — before you head back to the dock, drop anchor and take an invigorating swim.
5 p.m. Take a hike to see herons and endangered dragonflies
The peninsula has a long history of fierce preservationists who fought overdevelopment and forest destruction to keep Door County’s rural character and raw beauty intact. Two of the county’s most prominent conservation groups, the Door County Land Trust and the Ridges Sanctuary, have continued the tradition by protecting woodlands, coastal wetlands and marshes that are habitats for birds, plants and endangered dragonflies. Immerse in one of the land trust’s most magical, nearly hidden spaces, the Ephraim Preserve at Anderson Pond: The 26-acre preserve has a gentle, one-mile hike with views of great blue herons and the remnants of the Anderson family farmstead. To explore other preserves, download the Door County Land Trust app, a handy guide with maps to more than a dozen hikes.
7 p.m. Sample modern Midwestern cooking
Traditional Wisconsin supper clubs, serving brandy old-fashioneds, prime rib and perch, still thrive in Door County, but newcomers have rounded out the culinary possibilities. Thyme in Sister Bay offers a modern update with local flavors: Expect Great Lakes whitefish, Wisconsin cheese curds in Spotted Cow beer batter and salmon with a Dijon-lingonberry sauce, a nod to the area’s Scandinavian heritage. (Dinner for two, without drinks, about $80.) Then head to Baileys Harbor, a fishing town about 10 minutes away that overlooks Lake Michigan. It does not attract hordes of tourists (and locals prefer it that way), but Saturday nights pick up at the Door County Brewing Co. Try the Vacationland, an I.P.A. with a map of the peninsula on its can ($7 for a pint), before taking a nighttime stroll along the lake.
