From
Sturgeon Bay
, 140 miles north of Milwaukee,
Door County
sticks into Lake Michigan like a gradually tapering candle for 42 miles. With thirteen lighthouses and a dozen fishing villages, its coastline smacks more of New England than the midwest. The name derives from "Porte des Morts" or "
Door of the Dead
," French for the treacherous eight-mile strait that severs Washington Island at its tip. Despite drawing a million-plus warm-weather tourists, the peninsula (actually an island split off from Wisconsin by a canal) is not an extended theme park. Prices can get a little steep, but you get what you pay for - a small sliver of America devoid, for the most part, of crude billboards, sloppy diners, bland chain motels and tacky amusements. Activities include browsing around galleries and attending arts festivals, as well as hiking, fishing and boating. Renting a
bicycle
(Fish Creek's Nor-Door Cyclery has the best models; tel 920/868-2275,
) gives you the chance to follow an excellent
cycle trail
. Winter is considerably quieter with ice fishing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling being the predominant outdoor activities.
Pick up road and trail maps at the visitor center at 1015 Green Bay Rd in Sturgeon Bay (tel 920/743-4456 or 1-800/52-RELAX,
), where you can also phone local lodgings for free.
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