Travel Guide Door County

220 km north of Milwaukee and 350 km north of Chicago, Door County is a 110 km long peninsula surrounded by Lake Michigan waters. It is crossed by the 45 th parallel, which passes a little above Jacksonport.Door County is, with the archipelago of the Apostle Islands in the northern state, one of the most beautiful places in Wisconsin. This peninsula surrounded by 350 km of coastline welcomes more natural parks than any other state in the United States. It has been a country of agriculture for generations, before tourism becomes its main factor in economic growth. But, unlike Wisconsin Dells in the state centre, Door County has preserved its freshness and natural beauty. Even if two million people visit this little piece of land every year, this has no visible impact on the environment. People come here to rediscover calm, nature, a certain fullness of life, and are committed to preserving all these assets. Visit Door County for several reasons: The desire to relax after the stress of the city, the desire for cycling along small countryside roads, nature, bathing, boat outings on the clear waters of Lake Michigan, also wanting to discover the small villages attached to the banks… briefly, desire to rediscover a taste of authenticity in a preserved natural setting. Because of its situation on the peninsula, Door County benefits from a temperate climate by Lake Michigan. Winters are less cold and summers less hot than in the rest of the state, just like on the Grand Traverse Peninsula in Michigan state on the other shore of the lake. Spring ice freezes therefore do not affect the vegetation of Door County; its many orchards and vineyards produce excellent fruit that will then be transformed into wines or jams.The traditions of past generations are carefully maintained, such as the preparation of Fish rees, this Scandinavian dish of fish consumed in the th century by immigrants from Northern Europe. Every year, visitors make the trip just to taste this particular recipe again.Accommodation is mainly provided by Bed & Breakfast in old Victorian houses, all different and very charming. Otherwise, there is the possibility of taking a smaller room in the motels of Sturgeon Bay or sleeping on the soil of the peninsula's natural parks.At Door County, it is never far from a park, a beach or a museum. In a quarter of an hour, you can cross the east peninsula in the west and, in half an hour, you can climb from Sturgeon Bay to the north point.HistoryJean Nicolet is the first white man to have landed on the Door County peninsula. Sent by the Government of New France (Canada) to discover a maritime passage to India, he landed on the site of the current Ephraim in 1634. Thinking of discovering the Indies, he dressed dressed in oriental robes and went to visit the Indians who lived on the shores of the lake. It was only after three days of observation of these indigenous populations that he made his mistake. A statue was erected in his memory along Highway 57, 20 km from Sturgeon Bay. The Nicolet representation in Eastern clothing is very well known  ; you will surely see it during your stay.It was only two hundred years later, following numerous visits on the peninsula by the French who came here looking for the furs they bought to the Indians, that the first permanent resident, Increase Claflin, moved to Sturgeon Bay. Threatened by Indian populations, he had to move north of the territory to the current Fish Creek. Asa Thorp was also one of the region's first permanent inhabitants. He opened small stores at Fish Creek with the money his brother earned during the gold rush in California. Subsequently, Door County became a vast land of orchards and trade in timber, as well as a place of industrial fishing. In the 1900 s, after using natural resources and improving public transport by sea, Door County became a tourist destination. Even today the orchards have dozens of them, but they are no longer the base of the local economy. The previously cleared lands of the northern peninsula have returned to the state of forests and natural parks and offer countless possibilities for beautiful walks. The only city in Door County is Sturgeon Bay. Farther north, on the peninsula, nearly ten small towns nested on the shores of the lake, in the trough of the coves or along the beaches. We will not talk about the southern part of the peninsula, which has less interest, although it is very nice and rural. The peninsula is relatively small since only 60 km separates Sturgeon Bay from the north point.