Experience international flavor in Door County
By Donna Marie Pocius
Special to DoorCountyNavigator.com
Forget your worries about an expired passport and foreign currency exchange rates. Come to Door County, where you can easily experience resorts, shops, restaurants and sites with an international flair.
Honoring the Door Peninsula’s Scandinavian heritage is Little Sweden Resort, 8984 Hwy. 42, Fish Creek. Here, building exteriors are painted in bright colors like those in a Swedish village. Log villas (with pretty blue and yellow Swedish colors inside) are also nestled into the property.
Norwegian rosemaling, natural woodwork and a “valkommem” sign greet guests in the recreation center.
Outdoors there are three miles of groomed hiking trails on pristine and woody property. The golf course is a nine-hole par three. A pond on the course is frozen during the winter for ice skating. Many more amenities, including tennis courts, sauna and putting green, are available as well.
“The Swedes are really into utilizing and enjoying nature, so that’s what we want to do,” said Clemens Hedeen, the resort owner.
Another resort with international favor is Scandinavian Lodge, 264 Hwy. 57, Sister Bay. Here’s you’ll find conveniences such as an indoor pool as well as décor true to the hotel’s theme.
Included in the lobby are large wooden trolls. Each room’s entryway is adorned with bright scrollwork, and some interiors continue a Swedish or Norwegian look.
On the Peninsula’s lakeside you’ll find Bjorklunden, 7500 Boynton Lane, Baileys Harbor. Here stands the Boynton Chapel, which was handcrafted beginning in 1939 and inspired by chapel architecture in Norway. Ask about summer tours, which give you an opportunity to get inside and see the 41 frescoes and ornately carved furnishings and wood trim.
Nearby is the Northcote Clock & Stein Shop, where the sound of ticking clocks will calm and charm you. Wander around the rooms, which are packed with hundreds of working cuckoo clocks imported from Germany. Here them cuckoo as you check out the vast designs. Also for sale are beer steins and glassware.
Continue shopping at Made in Britain, Ltd., 7828 Hwy. 42 (in the Main Street Shops), Egg Harbor. The shop offers London Underground signs, bath products, clothing, tableware and more. Don’t miss the tempting tasting table, where you can sample crackers, jams, spreads and other treats. Tons of great stuff from Britain! How cool!
If you are looking for all things from Ireland, check out O’Meara’s Irish House in Fish Creek – authentic and delightful!
You can savor Swedish food and admire Norwegian craftsmanship when you go to Al’s Swedish Restaurant, 702 N. Bay Shore Drive, Sister Bay. Try – at any time of day-- Swedish pancakes, accompanied by Swedish meatballs and lingenberries. Four square pancakes come stacked on pretty blue-and-white Norwegian Porsgrund china, carried by a waitress wearing Swedish dress.
The adjacent boutique carries Sven Swedish wooden clogs and Dale of Norway brand sweaters. “Swedes come to our gift shop and say we come here to get things we can’t get there anymore,” said the restaurant’s Rolf Johnson.
Many other ethnic flavors are available at various restaurants throughout Door County including Swedish, Italian, Mexican, Spanish and more! Explore DoorCountyNavigator.com’s dining section for more ideas!