
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!
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!
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! We love returning here over and over!
Gordon Lodge, under new ownership for over several years now, is fabulous. They have restored this inn to its vintage look with all the modern amenities. Very nice. Fantastic! And their Top Deck Restaurant is an awesome setting and very good food! One very cool place!
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
In Carlsville... Bistro 42 restaurant, is going strong, and so is Door Peninsula Winery. The owners are opening a distillery with hand-crafted vodka (regular and cherry) and gin, October 1 2011. Also make sure to stop in Door County Coffee & Tea - they roast their own coffee - lots of special flavors, and they have a nice cafe with light things to eat, and a great gift shop too! Stop in and tell them we sent you! Right next door is Pet Expressions and the Door County General Store- both fun places to stop in and shop. And further down in hte same center is Candleworks - we just reviewed it - awesome place with candles made right on the premises - fantastic!
And, head further down County I (east) and follow the signs to another great winery, Simon Creek. Watch our Winery Video here!
EGG HARBOR
We just reviewed a wonderful home furniture and accessory shop in Egg Harbor, complete with interior design expertise on staff! Door County Interiors and Design is one fabulous find!
Parador is a new tapas restaurant in downtown Egg Harbor (where Harbor Landing used to be). Tell Larry and Rebecca we said hi!
Casey's Inn and BBQ Smokehouse is Egg Harbor continues to serve up great food! We have dined at the new Casey's many times and it is very good! Bar is open too. It's asmoked BBQ theme here! Love this place - nice for drinks in the evening too.
Liberty Square, with shops, a very nice restaurant, and now a new fine dining establishment, Galileo's Italian Steakhouse, continues to rock in Egg Harbor. They owners continue to make this place better and better! Watch the video of Liberty Square above! Great addition to Egg Harbor.
New on 42 in Egg Harbor is Door County Confectionery, and a new artisan cheese shop, Schoolhouse Artisan Cheese.
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. And new in 2011 is the desert affagato - gelato drowned is espresso coffee - it is awesome!
Great place! 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.
EPHRAIM
Eagle Harbor Inn reports to us this winter some upgrades and changes to the inn!
In the B&B, the room named “Tillie”, one of the smaller Inn rooms, now has a beautiful new bathroom with Kohler Soaking Tub w/whirlpool jets & granite topped vanity;
Natalie also tells us that there is:
- new carpeting in all rooms both B&B & Suites;
- and new Sealy Comfort System very comfy mattresses throughout;
FREE BEACH CHAIRS for guests to take to EPHRAIM BEACH, which is only one block away;
The Iverson Room, (formerly Gathering Room) accommodating up to 75, is now available for Family Reunions, Scrapbooking Groups.
Weddings can now choose between three diverse caterers, English Inn, Mission Grill & Door County Private Chef, offering more selection, including organic & free range, with presentations from simple to elegant;
The innkeepers, Natalie and Nedd, are going on 19 years of raising their children & being the Innkeepers at Eagle Harbor Inn. Nedd cooks his fabulous Eggs Benedict on Sundays in the Inn in winter; and Natalie is starting the Eagle Harbor Inn Blog in April!
This place keeps getting better and better, and DoorCountyNavigator.com loves it!
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. They are painting the buildings a pleasant yellow, Fall 2011.
Want to rent a great home on or near the water? Check out Park’s Edge Lakeshore Homes & Cottages – some beautiful rentals! 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!
Enjoy an end of the season sail aboard a cool catamaran at Stiletto Sailing Cruises, go Parasailing (we love this!) with Wisconsin Water Wings or rent a pontoon boat or Waverunner(tm) at South Shore Pier - all in Ephraim at the South Shore pier across from Wilson's!
Ellison Bay
You have to try the place that brought us the first fish boil in Door County: The Viking Grill - great food, always! And stay at the Parkside Inn - great inn run by great folks! Tell Andy that Dan from DoorCountyNavigator.com say hi! Also, Pasta Vino moved from Sister Bay to Ellison Bay at the Hillside.
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!
Blue Horse Bistro is moving across the street from the Fish Creek Beach - look for Spring 2012 re-opening!
You have a ton of choices for dining in Fish Creek, including The White Gull Inn, Pelletier’s, Bayside Tavern, The Cookery, The English Inn, Alexander’s, Gibraltar Grill, Wild Tomato, Summertime and more. Awesome. See our Fish Creek Dining Destination Video! The newest entry is Cooper's Corner - the totally remodeled C&C Supper Club, with awesome food and great outdoor dining. Read our Review!
Read about AppleCreek Resort Motel & Suites! Check it out – they have a lot to offer! They are right across from the Top of the Hill shops, and across the Peninsula Art School, and Door Community Auditorium!
In Fish Creek, the Hideside Corner Store, right on the corner where Hwy 42 turns north (used to be the old Silly Goose shop in the old days) is an awesome shop, with not only the most gorgeous leather jackets, coats, bags, briefcases and more – but now fresh style ceramics and other cool home accessories – a MUST STOP! All of my leather jackets and most of my belts come from this shop! It is spectacular! You can watch our little video too! When DoorCountyNavigator.com goes somehwere and we report back, it's goning to be just like we said! Trust us!
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! We dine here often! Tell Randy and Lisa we sent you! Just dined there a few days ago! Try their new Chicken Wellington!
Try golfing at Peninsula State Park – beautiful course, with some great vistas!
The Cookeryhas reopened this season and it is better than ever! The new building is fabulous, with some outdoor seating and a wine bar upstairs. You MUST check out the new Cookery - and please tell them that DoorCountyNavigator.com sent you!
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 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!
Also, check out the Shoreline Resort and Shoreline Village for wonderful places to stay!
SISTER BAY
Birchwood Lodge in Sister Bay goes "Green"
The folks at Birchwood Lodge in Sister Bay just informed us that BirchwoodLodge 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!
Also check out 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!
Chef Andy's Nautical Inn closed and is out of business. Chef Andy is the chef at Cherry Hills Restaurant now.
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 right here!
Great B&Bs to stay at in Sturgeon Bay:
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- The White Lace Inn: Dennis or Bonnie at 920-743-1105
Reynolds House: Heather at 920-746-9771
Scofield House: Vickie or Dan at 920-743-7727
The Chanticleer Guest House: Darrin or Bryon: 920-746-0334
Inn at Cedar Crossing: Steve or Kelly at 920-743-4200
- The White Lace Inn: Dennis or Bonnie at 920-743-1105
And more places to stay this season:
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- The Westwood Shores Waterfront Resort in Sturgeon Bay: 920-746-4057
- Bridgeport Waterfront Resort, in Sturgeon Bay: 920-746-9919
- Bay Shore Inn, in Sturgeon Bay: Joe at 800-556-4551
- Glidden Lodge in Sturgeon Bay: Bill at 920-746-3900
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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 Door County Candy 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!
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
- You're looking at the new DoorCountyNavigaator.com for 2012. More current information, events and reviews... our Door County Happenings Podcast and more videos than ever! Search the largest Door County database, updated often ... and register to use your very own Trip Planner and receive our new e-Newsletter, Navigator News™. Navigator News™ is published monthly and is distributed electronically around the middle of each month. Newest places and happenings! Stay in touch and help us keep the best Door County destination growing! In addition you will find new sections in Lodging fro Homes, Cabins, Cottages and Condos to rent - easier to find, and an Advanced Search function on the site that will give you lots of control over what you want to find on our site! Also check out our new DC Marketplace, where some of Door County's premiere businesses will be posting info!
- New on our Homepage, weekly articles in our new column, From the Lake to the Bay(tm)! Make sure you check at least weekly to see what's happening, and to gain new insights to Door COunty - be an insider!
- Also new is our News You Can Use section on our Homepage, as well as our Door County Online Jigsaw Puzzles - fun and you can play right on our site!
- Follow us on Twitter! Get new info regularly by following us on Twitter! Click here!
- Join our Facebook page and join in the conversations.
- DoorCountyNavigator.com was voted “Best Of” by Door County Magazine readers making us the # 1 Independent Door County website!
- We will add additional videos coming up soon too, so always check back for the latest – and let us know what you would like to see too – email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or make a Comment on our DoorCountyNavigator.com BLOG For Door County Wisconsin!
- Giveaways continue throughout the year! Watch for them monthly!
- Find Me A Room(tm) program was launched in July - we will help you find a room and do the best we can to match your needs with what our lodging partners offer!
At DoorCountyNavigator.com, we are in our 13th year already, and we are in our 7th 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! In addition, we have our tangent sites, Door-County-Camping.com and our newest addition, DoorCountyRentalsByOwner.com - a list of homes, cabins, cottages and condos to rent.
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!








