It’s the Springing of the Year!
Still the quiet times in Door County, Spring is a wonderful time to get away from it all and come to a tranquil Door County for some respite!  So spring into action and come on up to the Door County Peninsula and watch nature work her magic as the county springs back to life in every way!

BAILEYS HARBOR
We stopped recently at a very pleasant coffee shop in Baileys Harbor, Espresso Lane Coffee & Café, on the west side of Hwy 57 south of the Blue Ox.  Go up some steps and enjoy some great coffee and bakery, internet access, art on the walls, and nice friendly service.  Tell Anissa we sent you!

We just discovered another beautiful home in Baileys Harbor, which you can rent by the room, or rent the whole house.  On the water too.  Check it out at Cedar Beach Inn and tell them we sent you!

Beantown Campground in Baileys Harbor also tells us they are adding more Deluxe Camping Cabins this year.  Cool place. 

Want to rent a beautiful log home?  Check out Bella Villa II Log Home in Baileys Harbor – beautiful!  Read our review!

Also check out Journey’s End Motel & Cabins in Baileys – great sunsets and a scenic location!  Read our in-person review!

Harbor Fish Market & Grille – is awesome place for breakfast, lunch and dinner – fine dining at its best!  They always have holiday specials too, and in summer time, you can dine al fresco – right near the water!

Gordon Lodge, under new ownership for over a year now, is fabulous.  They have restored this inn to its vintage look with all the modern amenities.  Very nice. 

Support Door Shakespeare
Critically acclaimed, Door Shakespeare offers audiences a rare opportunity for an up close and intimate sharing of Shakespeare and other classical comedies. Performing outdoors in the striking Björklunden Garden just outside Baileys Harbor, Door Shakespeare is charming audiences nightly to forget their histrionic appreciation of the Bard and delight in the magical poetry that inspires beauty and belly laughs. Visit their website!  And get ready for next year by making plans now!

Saveur, a fine dining restaurant in Baileys Harbor in the space that used to be occupied by The Common House, is now in its second year.  We have not yet reviewed this place. Check other fine dining establishments on our site here, and on our sister site, www.DoorCountyDining.com.

CARLSVILLE AREA
When in Carlsville, stop in Door County Coffee & Tea for some lunch, pastries and some great Door County roasted coffees – sip it, or take it with you ground or whole bean in many delicious flavors and roasts.  Awesome! We love it and drink some just about daily!  And they have a great shop with country home accessories.

And, if you are into pets, or know someone who is, then we have found a great shop for you!  Pet Expressions, both in Carlsville and Ephraim, has a ton of unique items with just about every dog breed you can imagine, and much, much more.  New stuff all the time!

Stop in at the Door Peninsula Winery right on the corner of Hwy 42 and County I for a winery tour, and tasting.  And, head further down County I (east) and follow the signs to another great winery, Simon Creek.  Watch our Winery Video!) 

EGG HARBOR
The new restaurant that opened in the Spring 2007 up in Egg Harbor is called The Log Den.  It is at 6626 Highway 42, between Carlsville & Egg Harbor. They can be reached at 920-868-3888.  We have dined there and enjoyed it.  Now in their second year.

Casey's Inn Restaurant was sold in spring 2007, and the new owner did a fantastic job with it – they sanded down all the walls, make it look really fresh.  And the food was awesome – we ate there a lot.  But it was unfortunately up for sale again this spring.  The good news is . . . we have spoken with the new owners, and they are the same folks who own Pelletier's Restaurant and Fish Boil in Fish Creek - which we love.  So we are looking for good things in Egg Harbor again - they will be reopening the restaurant this Spring.  Bar will be open too.  And look for some BBQ theme here!

The buildings that housed the Village Shops in Egg Harbor are under new ownership, and the whole complex is now called Liberty Square, with shops, a very nice restaurant and more.  They renovated the both buildings and they look very inviting.  We toured all the shops this spring and dined a few more times at The Bistro, their restaurant.  Wine tastings, food, everything all under one roof. They'll even pair wines for you with cheeses and foods! There’s plenty of onsite parking, and free WiFi throughout too.  You must stop in on your next trip - and tell them we sent you! Watch the video of Liberty Square! Great addition to Egg Harbor.

We also heard that Waterview Pub and Grill, in the building across from Shipwrecked towards the water and next to Harbor View Park, is not reopening this season.  We liked that place and dined there often in the past.  Hope we get something even better in its place.  We also heard the On Deck shop in Main Street Shops has moved to Fish Creek’s Top of the Hill shops. 

Head into Double Delites for authentic Italian gelato – ice cream at its best.  This is fantastic – you will want to stop here often, as we have done already!  About 12 flavors made fresh everyday, and displayed in an authentic European case!  And Julie makes gourmet popcorns too.  Tell them we sent you!  Visit their website – they have shipping options too.

Sweet tooth?  Head to the Main Street Shops, and be sure to visit the Door County Confectionery shop on the lower level – awesome, homemade candies – just terrific!  This will fix your need for a candy fix!  Awesome treats!  We have to taste-test here often!

And the Main Street Market is one of our favorite food and wine shops in all of Door County!  This shop is loaded with wonderful things – stop in and tell them that DoorCountyNavigator.com sent you!  They have about 1,000 labels in their wine department – you will certainly fine a bottle of wine that meets your taste. 

If you are looking for architectural salvage items, antique stained glass windows, fireplace mantels and surrounds and more, then Bay Trading Company, south of Downtown Egg Harbor, is your place.  An awesome selection – tell Terrence that DoorCountyNavigator.com sent you – he’ll love it!

Indulge yourself at Lucia Luxury Day Spa – we have been there many times and love it!  Tell them we sent you please!  Check with them for winter hours.

EPHRAIM
The Ephraim Motel, with new landscaping/flowers, is always nice – so check them out as well.  We really like this motel!  Very nice and reasonable too.

Want to rent a great home on or near the water?  Check out Park’s Edge Lakeshore Homes & Cottages – some beautiful rentals!  Take A “Quick Tour” of the property!  Some of these offerings are available in the winter.

Get the royal Spa treatment at The Spa at Sacred Grounds!  Wonderful for the body and soul – tell them we sent you!

Go Kayaking!  Head to the Ephraim Kayak Center this Spring and Summer - right in downtown Ephraim.    What fun!

FISH CREEK
Find some of the best clothing here in the heart of Fish Creek, right at On Deck Clothing Company!  A wonderful selection of everything good for men and women.  Tell the crew there, we sent you!

The Whistling Swan Restaurant one the main floor of the Whistling Swan B&B), has become one of our favorite fine-dining places.  Check it out, and tell them we sent you!

For casual dining, for breakfast, lunch or dinner, we continue to head over to The Cookery right on Main Street on Hwy 42.  Always good, and a charming place.  Limited winter hours too!

For fine, yet casual, dining, dined a lot at the English Inn (under new ownership since Summer 2005).  We are delighted!  Great place.  Our users seem to love it too!  Just dined there again recently!

Sonny's Pizzeria is across from the Top of the Hill Shops in Fish (used to be Portofino’s).

Try golfing at Peninsula State Park – beautiful course, with some great vistas!

GILLS ROCK
Gills Rock is still one of the most scenic vantage points in Door County – when you stand at the tip of the peninsula and gaze out at the islands and waters on a sunny day – wow – there is not much else like it!  

And if you are looking for a unique place to purchase in Door County, the Shoreline Village has some beautiful condos with super views.

And when up at Gills Rock, definitely dine at The Shoreline Restaurant – one of our favorites.  Tell Mary we sent you – it is great and has great water views too!

SISTER BAY
Birchwood Lodge in Sister Bay goes "Green"
The folks at Birchwood Lodge in Sister Bay just informed us that Birchwood Lodge is leading the way in environmentally friendly lodging and has applied "for official recognition and certification as a “Green Lodging” facility."  

Want a gourmet meal on the waterfront?  Well, head to The Waterfront!  Tell JJ, Kris and all we sent you!

For more fine dining in Sister Bay, check out the Inn at Kristofer’s!  Wow!  Great meal, great view.  And one of the owners, Terry, conducts cooking classes too!  Read our review!

Also check out 9 Time Wine Spectator Award winner, Mission Grille, for fine dining, also in Sister Bay.  Great food.   Great wine!

We reviewed another very nice B&B in Sister Bay – the Church Hill Inn.  This is a great place – we’ve been there before – so say HI to Mike and Wendy there – tell them we sent you!  Very English theme here – you can even watch Faulty Towers!   

STURGEON BAY
Well, we exchanged emails with the current owners of Leathem Smith Lodge in Sturgeon Bay, and confirmed that the two owners have decided to retire after many years running the inn (Chuck and Mary) and that the inn right now is closed and for sale. We loved the inn, restaurant and the folks who ran it. We'll miss them.

The Chanticleer Guest House, in addition to the wonderful guest rooms and suites, now has 4 cabins across the road, including the newest ones, The Oak and Evergreen Cabins.  Both cabins have two bedrooms, two bathrooms and full kitchens.  Each bedroom has a fireplace, king sized bed, cable TV and DVD players.  Both master bedrooms have double whirlpool tubs with a view of the fireplace.  The Oak, Evergreen, Hemlock and Tamarack (built in 2000) Cabins overlook a private wildlife pond and are situated on 40 private acres!  Fantastic!  First class all the way!
Bridgeport Waterfront Resort now has a video that you can see on our site!  Check it out by clicking here!
Great B&Bs to stay at in Sturgeon Bay:

And more places to stay this season:

Check out the Sturgeon Bay list and reviews of these inns on our site – click here!  Also watch our Sturgeon Bay B&B video!

Historic Third Avenue is looking great, with the Inn at Cedar Crossing and its Restaurant looking terrific.  The whole street is charming – you must visit Third Avenue!  And when you do, stop in Wilkins and Olander for some terrific clothing and accessories – one of our favorites.    Also stop in to see Terry at Copper Kettle Confections for some homemade gourmet popcorn, fudge and other candies.  And if you are in the candy mood, also stop in to see Door County Confectionery down the same historic Third Avenue.  You can spend a day here!
We’ve reviewed most of the Resorts in Sturgeon Bay too so take a look at our findings!

Audrey M. Off, resident Door County artist and owner of AMO Gallery and Framery – on Third Avenue, also does custom, expert framing.

Updates on DoorCountyNavigator.com

At DoorCountyNavigator.com, we are in our 9th year already, and we are in our 4thy year already of our acquisition and revamping  of www.DoorCountyDining.com – a website of Door County restaurants and food-related businesses, with an extensive "Menu, Please!” section where you can view menus of some of Door County’s finest restaurants – all online! 

We will continue to review new places to eat, activities, inns, shops and more – so bookmark us, add us to your Favorites and come back often!

And please tell your friends about our site – why not send 5 of your friends a link to our site so that they can enjoy all the information we have?...Thanks!...
See you in Door County!