Day Trippin' in Door County

To me, there's nothing better than a spontaneous day trip to explore somewhere new. I had never been to Door County before, and it's a little over a 3 hour drive from where I live, so Paul and I decided to tack some more miles onto my car and make a day of it! We drove up the Lake Michigan shore, ferried to Washington Island and back, and made our way back down the Bay side. Since Paul's family is from Sturgeon Bay, he was more familiar with the area than I. Together we took on the tip of the peninsula and I have to say, one day is definitely not enough! Our first stop was White Fish Dunes State Park, and despite the swarms of mosquitos, we had perfect timing! We arrived to a nearly empty beach and got to wade in the waves and bask in the sun in near solitude. I have to say, that was a rough first stop because it was so hard to leave! The views were enticing me to stay a while longer, but I knew that there was so much more in store for our day. We stopped for lunch in Sister Bay and much to my delight, got a table on a second level outdoor patio with a waterfront view. There's nothing better than watching yachts and sailboats while you eat a perch fish fry and have a drink. I also tried alligator tail for the first time, and was impressed! Dipped in a little cajun sauce, it was just the fuel we needed to take us to our main event of the day! And, you bet we saw the goats on the roof at Al Johnson's on our way out...

There are so many places to see and excursions to experience in Door County, but on this day, I had my sights set on the Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm. Fields of lavender plants for me to frolick and pick? I couldn't wait to take in the scents and the sights! This meant that we had to take the ferry to Washington Island, and it was the first time I got to take my car on a ferry! So many new experiences this day, and we lucked out with some prime weather. Next time we go, we decided that if we do the ferry again we will leave our car and take advantage of one of the moped rentals that they had available! I used to have one growing up and I love the idea of riding around the island side by side on matching scooters!!

Fragrant Isle has such a charming set up, the fields really are a sight to behold. I was so impressed by the inventory that their storefront held. They had EVERYTHING. Lavender ice cream, lavender baked goods like macarons, CBD, skincare, jewelry, items for your pets - everything! If it's lavender, they've got it. They also had the pick your own bunch option, which I definitely opted in for. They equip you with some shears and a bunch sizing ring and send you out to the designated picking area and let you go to town. I was a little intimidated at first - all you can hear is the steady hum of likely hundreds of honeybees having a literal field day in these flowers. I'm a chicken when it comes to bees (I've never been stung, who knows if I'm allergic...), but these guys were just as happy to bee here (had to) as I was so we harmoniously took advantage of all that the fields had to offer.

Again, we were blessed with perfect timing. As we first walked out into the fields, we were greeted by the first strums of an acoustic set by Pat Davidson and the mood was set for a perfect afternoon of field strollin'. The scent of these fields was absolutely heavenly. I could've laid down in the fields and napped right there. Lavender is a naturally relaxing scent, so these fields really have a way of lulling you into a state of calm. You can't not be happy here! Just inhale, and enjoy.

I'm so glad that we made the bold move to drive up to Door County for the day. I made a million mental notes about where we will be going on our next trip up! This time, we will have to do a couple days so I can squeeze it all in. Summer is such a beautiful time in Wisconsin, and I'm thrilled to have seen it from a different corner than I have before. Who knew there were so many special gems in this state to explore! Where will you go next?

Go!