Sturgeon Bay
This city of 9,000, located in the geographical heart of the peninsula, is a port town straddling tiny Sturgeon Bay. Water activities here are plentiful, from kayaking and paddleboarding to fishing in Lake Michigan, and the Whitefish Dunes right outside town offer trails to explore. It’s easy to lose an afternoon wandering in and out of the galleries, restaurants, breweries, and the historical museum downtown.
Door County Coastal Byway
One of the loveliest scenic byways in the Midwest, this 66-mile loop starts in Sturgeon Bay and culminates in Gills Rock, hugging Lake Michigan along the east side of the peninsula and Green Bay on the west. And though you may only spend a few hours driving, you’ll want to allocate a day for the loop, making frequent stops to climb the Cana Island Lighthouse, fill your shoes with sand on the Jacksonport beaches, and admire the historic buildings in Gibraltar.
Washington Island
The biggest of the county’s islands, accessible via car ferry year round, this island hosts a small community of 700 permanent residents — as well as copious hiking and biking trails, soft-sand beaches, and golf courses. This island was home to one of America’s first Icelandic communities, and a pan-Scandinavian influence remains. Make sure to hunt down the peaked roofs and Nordic carvings of the Stavkirke, a modern recreation of a medieval Norwegian church. If the island doesn’t feel remote enough, take a passenger ferry to the car-free Rock Island state park (available Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day) for the day.